Doula

Answer: B - Restrictions on consuming anything by mouth during labor come from the belief that vomiting is more likely when anesthesia is used, and if an emergency Caesarean is needed, the stomach should be empty. Caesareans are rarely performed under general anesthesia anymore, and vomiting does not always lead to aspiration (and aspiration doesn't always lead to morbidity, for that matter). So women should be encouraged to eat and drink for comfort during labor. Recent studies show that when a woman is allowed this leeway, she may have a shorter labor (by an average of 90 minutes), may be less likely to need augmentation, and will be less likely to use pain medications. Babies born to mothers who could eat and drink throughout labor have higher Apgar scores than of those whose mothers were prohibited from doing so.