good energy foods for labor?

[hmg7500]

so, i'm working on gathering things i'll need for the birth and am curious about good for you, easy to eat foods for labor.

i have some emergen-c on hand, and some honey sticks, and was planning on slicing bananas into bite size pieces and freezing them for a quick, yummy snack.

any other ideas?

[rainbowmoon]

miso soup, whole grain crackers/cheese & melon balls are on my list

I will be : here for ideas too. I didn't eat a bit of food during my last labor and will not be repeating that mistake again!

[CluckyInAZ]

I plan on eating a smoothie. I have never been in labor before, but it seems like a smoothie would have easily accessable nutrients and not have any chunks if it were to come back up...

[majazama]

I second the miso soup I also liked having RR leaf tea..... do you like spanikopita? It's my fav. I had so much before labour and after the birth. I hand made it. It's very high in iron (spinach) and calcium....MMMMMMMMMMmm!

[Oh the Irony]

hmm, i don't know your dietary habits, but i liked the following:

deviled eggs with fresh herbs
meatloaf (made e/clean meat, frozen in advance), mashed potatoes, peas
smoothies

comfort food...

[hmg7500]

thanks for all of the ideas so far! keep 'em coming, please!

what is miso soup? i admit that i don't do a lot of cooking from scratch (i tend to customize boxed foods with veggies, etc) and though i think my fabulous cook of a sister will be here, i think i might need a recipe/where to buy miso...

[sprinkle pocket]

miso soup is E-Z!! at the natural grocers, in the refrigerated section, they sell miso paste. it's similar in taste to soy sauce. stir a spoonful of it into some hot water. just don't cook it, b/c that kills the healthy enzymes in it. you can also add some sliced scallions, tofu cubes, carrot matchsticks, etc. yum! the white and yellow are mellower in flavor than the red, if you're new to miso and it's flavor.

i was thinking also of buying some of those vegan energy bars in the yellow wrappers. they're made with really good stuff...no soy protein isolate, weird sweeterners, etc. i bought a gallon of org. apple juice and a couple recharges the other day for the birth. i'm not sure what else. i like the easy snack ideas. dh and i talked about having a well-stocked kitchen around birth time, so if i don't eat it during birth, i'll definitely eat it when i'm breastfeeding. also, it will take some of the post birth burden off him since he won't have to go to the co-op as soon after the birth.

[harmonymama]

chocolate covered almonds

They are my favorite! A little protein, a little chocolate, and someone can just put them in your mouth! What a treat. I ate them in my first labor and never felt fatigued. In my second labor I never had a chance, but them ds and I pigged out on them after the baby was born. Enjoy.

[Maprilynne]

I personally just wanted tons and tons of juice. I was thinking of adding fruit this time too. And maybe some yogurt.
Aprilynne

[Rainbowbird]

Are you guys all having home births? Because I gave birth to DS in the hosp. and they wouldn't let me eat til after I delivered (in case of c-section, I guess?) They did get me tons of food right after he was born, though. Hmmmm.

I just realized this is the unassisted birth forum. Oops. SOrry and duh!

[ComaWhite]

My muchly appreciated during labour, energy "food" was 3 large bottles of ice cold gatorade.
I dont think I could have eaten during, but afterwards a friend brought me a large frosty. mmm...

[applejuice]

I enjoyed Emergen-C, ascorbic acid with potassium.

It is effervescent so it settled my tummy and went down easy.

[the_lissa]

I had planned on making pasta salad with whole wheat pasta and fresh veggies with a light vinegarette, but didn't feel up to it.

[lorijds]

In most of the births that I have seen, mamas like cold drinks, but hot foods. So maybe something like chicken and rice soup, or even just the broth works well. Grilled cheese sandwiches, toast, and oatmeal are frequent requests. Occasionally yogurt and granola, or something like that is good. Believe it or not, tamales is something that gets eaten occasionally here (probably more that yogurt...but we do have a really yummy mexican food place across the street...).

Something that has worked well for us for mamas who are tired and have had a long long labor is to mix some peanut butter with honey, and have them lick it off the spoon. Too much at once will upset a tummy; but a couple of tablespoons over 1/2 an hour or so, followed by some 7up, knudsen spritzer, or emergen-C really seems to work wonders.