foods to eat while in labor

[snoopy5386]

I am trying to come up with some light foods to eat during labor so I can have a little cooler packed to take with us to the hospital. What do you reccommend?
So far I've come up with Jello and applesauce. I'm thinking heavy foods might be a bad idea...but who knows, and that is why I am turning to the mamas with experience....

[CrazyCatLady]

All I wanted was juice, fruit (not just any fruit either, perfectly cut up fruit tray fruit), and oatmeal cookies. Does the hospital that you're going to let you eat while in labor?

[bellababy]

I got very nauseous as I went into transition, but was hungry because all I ate was a piece of toast after my water broke!

I got some organic fruit rolls that worked well--kept my sugar level up, but didn't make me want to barf! Drink as much water as you can stand to... that was the best thing, I think!

[wombatclay]

I had planned all sorts of things (and my hospital was very "eat what you like as long as your doctor sys it's okay") but then found that I threw up anything I managed to get down. So I guess I'd suggest things that taste and look more or less the same going down as they do coming up.

I had packed little toast squares, honey packets to put on the toast for extra energy or to eat alone, and a thermos of Tom Kah Gai (a thai coconut-chicken soup, very light but also very yummy!). I brought a few different types of tea bags, and a few cans of juice.

I also had preggie pops, three or four Luna bars (peppermint flavor, my fav) and frozen fruit bars. My hospital had a kitchen for laboring couples that they kept stocked with juice and little finger foods and a freezer/fridge to keep whatever you'd like during your "stay with them" (like those frozen fruit bars). You might want to find out if your hospital has something similar...I know my dh more or less lived off the freebie foods for a day or two!

Good luck!

[sciencemama]

I go with the same kinds of foods I'd eat before or during a hard workout (for me that means a long run). Water, diluted Gatorade, fresh non-acidic fruit like grapes or apples, a couple Harvest bars... I have a pretty strong stomach though... I've been known to eat brownies for breakfast before a run. :

[yequanamama]

Just to throw all the usual expectations out the window, I didn't eat much of anything for about 7 hours before I went into transition with my first - threw up all the lasagne I'd eaten at 8:00 that morning (10 hours before.)

But with my second, I ate meatloaf at 8 cms. (that's what I wanted - frozen microwave meatloaf!) and never threw up. Go figure. Not that I recommend bringing meatloaf to the hospital, but if you usually like to eat heavier, don't be afraid of heavier foods in labor! Luna bars - or other energy bars - would definitely be on my list. Of course, if you time it right, you won't have TIME to eat once you get to the hospital! Good luck!

[stafl]

I had handy, and had planned to eat, all sorts of light, healthy snacks during labor. I think I actually ate cold pizza and leftover chicken, peanut butter sandwiches, stuff like that instead.

[Cookie5765]

I had frozen fruits, gatoraide, applesauce and that type of thing prepared to eat but found in labour I didn't want to eat at all. I went into labour at 3:30 and had a bit of frozen fruit (just a couple peices) at about 7am. At about 11:30 I was nauseous and wanted to eat to see it is would help but I couldn't find anythind I wanted. I was close to giving birth so I had just water sips and tiny frozen gatoraide cubes when I was pushing for less then ten minutes but between each push I popped a cube into I mouth. I ended up hemorrhaging and wasn't allowed to eat after because they thought I'd need a D&C and when the OB finally saw me and told me I wouldn't the cafeteria was closed and it was too late for DH to go out to find me anything. The next morning the brought me a meal for someone on a liquid diet. I was furious *lol*

With my first baby I didn't think to eat at all. My pushing phase was VERY long at one point the aide natal brought me dry fruit and nuts and I though that was just disgusting. unfortunately no one thought to get me things to drink either so I couldn't have swollowed a nut it I tried. I was eating lasagna about an hour after the birth though!!

Katrina

I heard that soups are good to eat. I liked things that were cooler personally.

[3daughters]

I drank gallons of extra pulp orange juice (yum!). I wasn't warned about the acidic factor, and frankly, I don't get heartburn during pregnancy so it didn't bother me at all. I ate a few cinnamon pastries when my husband was helping himself since they looked so good. Other than that, food was far from my mind.

[NameThatMama]

I've packed dried fruit, granola bars (the hippy kind), trail mix with nuts and dried fruit, and several quarts of Vruit.

[Pandora114]

eat pears, they taste the same coming up as they do going down....

[sargasso]

I had a bunch of stuff planned, but the only things I actually wanted during labor were apple juice and Edy's popsicles.

[johub]

My doula ran out and got me Subway.
It was a hospital birth and you ought to have seen the look on the nurses faces!
I brought all kinds of healthy stuff but didnt want any ofit.

[the_lissa]

I planned on making a pasta salad with veggies but I couldn't. I ate toast with jam, chees,e oatmeal, etc.

[artgoddess]

I never got hungry, and I had a loooong labor. But I wanted some flavor, so I would leave a lolipop in the pile of ice chips/water I had and give it a lick once in a while. Actually scratch that, I swirled it around the inside of my cheeks.

After my sone was born I was so freakin' hungry I ate all of my crappy hospital dinner. It was cold too, cause the nurse had saved it for me since I was like 9cm, and I didn't get to eat until at least an hour after he was born.

[Anguschick1]

W/ds1 nothing from Wed afternoon until Sunday morning except 1 popscicle Saturday night (mag sulfate - not allowed bs)

I had an asiago bagel w/sun dried tomato cream cheese about 9am and watermelon chunks around 12. I had told dh to offer me water (w/a straw) between contractions. Ds2 was born at 4:20pm and I held him in one arm while sucking down an entire jar of fruit punch recharge right after he was born. Three scrambled eggs about an hour later. Best eggs in my life!

[rnasmomma]

With DS, I didn't get hungry and actually was dehydrated and ended up with IV fluids...he was 20 hours labor and 3 hours of pushing.

But before DD, I ate a large Qdoba taco salad when I finished, my MW broke my water (I requested it) and delivered in under 50 minutes. I wanted to have something substantial in me in case I was in labor for hours like I was with DS.

With the next one, I'll just see what I'm in the mood for. I'll likely pack pecans, almonds, etc. to snack on afterwards--if I get lucky with a short labor like DD. (My EDD is Sunday, so we'll soon find out.)

[chiro_kristin]

Ooh, I was sooo not hungry. But my MWs forcefed me smoothies, apples with almond butter, bananas, and scrambled eggs (a lot of food bc I had a 55-hr labor). Good thing they did make me eat or I wouldn't have been able to hold up.

[coobabysmom]

i labored at home for 24 hours and i had no appetite... i remember my husband trying to get me to eat a little pasta at one point and my sister try to force a bite of eggs into my mouth!!!

between pushes (now at the hospital) i would take a shot of honey & drink tons of water.... liked honey because i didn't have to chew and it was a quick shot sugar/energy.

[lilyka]

mixed nuts. I wanted protien. nothing but protien. a little juice was good. I packed gator-aide type stuff (powder) ad cliff bars and goo (carb boosting stuff for athletes. Dh thought it would be good to have in case I needed boost. I have never been able to actually swallow the stuff.)