+
upworthy

obgyn

Health

OBGYN explains the eyebrow-raising reason you're not allowed to eat during labor

"Let's talk about forcing laboring people to have no food, sometimes for DAYS, during labor admissions."

OBGYN explains the eyebrow-raising reason you can't eat during labor

If you've ever delivered a baby in the hospital or been a part of someone's support system while they gave birth, then you know that American hospitals generally have a strict policy on not eating while in labor. As someone who had children in a hospital, not being able to eat while in pain can make you feel absolutely feral. Weak, but feral.

Most people I know who have had babies don't understand the seemingly nationwide hospital policy on depriving birthing people of food right before they push an entire human out of their bodies. Delivering a baby is not a bystander event for the one doing the pushing, so restricting calories is a confusing practice.

Turns out there's a reason for this strange practice, and honestly, I can't promise that it won't make you angry. Dr. Danielle Jones, board-certified OB-GYN, breaks down why doctors started this practice in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel, Mama Doctor Jones.

Keep ReadingShow less