Your Five Senses in Labor - Taste (Part Two: Drinks)
Average Read Time: 3-5 minutes
If you know anything about me, you know that food is my absolute number one love language. I love to eat, I love to drink, and I love to feed people. Taste - the sensation of spice, sweet, umami, bitterness, or saltiness - plays a huge role in our feelings of joy, comfort, love and safety - all feelings that people deserve to feel both within and outside of their childbirth journey! These are things you can get while laboring through drinking - so let’s dive into how liquids play a key role in childbirth.
<— popsicles count as a clear liquid! These were courtesy of Illinois Masonic Hospital, which had them on hand!
This is the last part in a series of blogs about the five senses through your labor. Check out my introduction - in it I go through why I decided to dedicate so much time to this topic throughout my blog! Click on these links for sound, touch, sight, taste (part one on food), and smell!
Hydrating is incredibly important throughout labor and delivery for many reasons:
Being dehydrated is associated with more pain. While in research this is generally studied in relation to chronic pain, this makes complete sense for labor too. When you’re dehydrated, your body is working harder to stay functioning. It’s more tense, and things are moving with less fluidity. The more hydrated you are, the more tolerance you have to pain.
Hydration is linked to shorter labor! Please note: This isn’t the end all, be all of what will make your labor shorter, but hey, why not stay hydrated if it cuts 30 minutes off of your labor time!
Being hydrated is important for your own body and wellness - dehydration is linked to your body overheating, something that is not good for you or your baby! Fevers in labor will be treated with antibiotics, because they are a sign of infection. Staying hydrated will lessen the risk that you need extra intervention.
Staying hydrated brings you to the “dilation station” AKA the bathroom. Generally, if you’re well hydrated in labor you’ll need to pee every 30 minutes. While this sounds like A LOT of getting up and going to the bathroom, this is actually a great way to help your labor along! First off, motion is lotion, so walking to the bathroom in itself is great. Secondly, the toilet is a place where we know to relax! Let your pelvic floor open and release - something your body needs to do to have your baby! And finally, the bathroom is private. If you’re someone who may need space, aloneness, quiet, darkness, etc. the bathroom is a great place to labor! (pro tip - add a lovely essential oil to the toilet bowl to connect to your sense of smell!).
Ok, have I convinced you yet that hydration is super important for childbirth? Yes? Amazing! Ok let’s talk a bit more about this.
Most hospitals have a policy of “clear liquids only” during labor. I discussed this in my previous blog on taste, so I won’t go too much into this here. But the good news is that most things that will keep you hydrated fall under this policy!
Here’s a list of things that count as “clear liquids” that can help you stay hydrated through labor:
Water**
Ice**
Gatorade (and other sports drinks)
Electrolytes (I love liquid IV and LMNT)
Coconut water (also filled with electrolytes!)
Popsicles**
Juice (filled with sugar - energy for labor!)**
Soda (especially ginger ale - great for nausea!)**
Tea (iced or hot)**
** means that hospitals may have this available so you don’t have to bring your own! Giving birth at home - you’ll be able to buy your own specific options based on your tastes and preferences!
This list is just what comes to mind as I sit and drink my delicious latte (:D), but there are so many other drinks that are helpful for labor!
Coconut water
Red raspberry leaf tea
Lemon
Lime
Salt
Honey/sugar/sweetener
Have your own labor-ade recipe? Hit me up and share! I love a good recipe exchange.
My attempt at labor-ade! —>
One final thing to note: if you’re planning on giving birth at a hospital, IV fluids are standard policy upon admittance to the hospital. Check out the Evidence Based Birth article about IV fluids in labor to help you decide what feels right for you and your body in labor! I always recommend checking in with your provider about their policies and opinions on IV fluids, and then checking in with your intuition as well, so that you can make an informed decision on using IV fluids during your childbirth journey.
Want to start thinking about the best way to use taste through hydration to make your birth tailored to you? Think about these reflection questions as you continue to plan!
Is there a drink that brings you comfort? (this might be tea on a cold day, ginger ale when you’re sick, etc.)
Are there drinks/flavors that you absolutely can’t stand or developed an aversion to during pregnancy?
How many drink options will you want available to you during labor?
How will you drink? (My recommendation is always a straw-lid water bottle!)
How do you feel about IV fluids in labor (if planning a hospital birth)?
Who do you want supporting your fluid intake? A partner? A doula? On your own?
These are just the beginning! Want support as you plan to create a full sensory environment tailored to you in labor? Contact me here! I LOVE to talk about this kind of stuff!
