Comments on: Thirsty During Labor? Just Be Quiet and Suck on a Wet Washcloth

By: kait

kait — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:22:19 +0000

I have a different perspective, after 30 years as an OR nurse. We ask people to be NPO because of the risk of aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs. See that one time, see how dangerously ill one mother is, or see one death because of aspiration. It is not a short death. We ask what you have eaten, partly to determine how full or empty your stomach may be, but also because some foods, and especially some juices, are acidic, as in, will literally decimate lung tissue. Water or black coffee are different–MAYBE, depending on the amount. And if you want us to trust and to hear and respect your wishes, we really need for you not to lie to us–that’s when we end up under the gun, trying to suction and give steroids and do chest X-rays once you start vomiting as we put you under as all your muscles relax and up comes that snickers bar. The very first rule in any specialty is to protect the airway, because without that you risk the patient, and if she hasn’t delivered or been delivered yet, even that tiny other patient. That being said, in many places, we can figure out a slow slow labor, and if time permits, get at least some liquids into a patient. And as an aside, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, wet washcloths were given to patients as a comfort measure, so that they could suck tiny amounts of fluids, keep their lips from drying out, and yet keep their airways intact. It isn’t about a rule, or a punishment, or sneaking and being found out or getting away with anything. And yes, in an emergency, we deal with full stomachs–but that doesn’t mean we want to allow unnecessary risk, and it sure doesn’t mean that dealing with a trauma or an emergency section with stomach contents will have an optimum outcome. When it comes to an airway, we err on the side of caution 100% of the time because no one wants an entirely preventable death over an NPO issue. Ever. There’s a reason the A in the ABC’S of medicine is airway–without A there is no B, and so on.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:46:33 +0000

What I really want to know is why women pay attention to the hospital telling them not to eat or drink? I’m completely confused by it, its got to be the easiest thing to ignore. When there isn’t anyone from hospital in room, eat and drink as you wish. I’m seriously curious as to what the hospital thinks it can do to enforce an NPO rule and what women think the hospital will do to them if they ignore it. Pump their stomach?

By: MomTFH

MomTFH — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:17:09 +0000

I used the getting in a car analogy just today with my doula client.

By: Jill B

Jill B — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:14:21 +0000

Thanks. I know there are great nurses out there, because I had the good fortune to have a few during the whole experience. We just celebrated my daughter’s first birthday last week, so the birth details are on my mind, and the blog title grabbed my attention (it really is funny in light of ACOG’s news). But, two good things have resulted: 1) my beautiful little girl, and 2) a passion burning inside of me to do… something. Don’t know what yet, but I’m working my way toward figuring it out. Thanks for your blog.

By: realityrounds

realityrounds — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:19:51 +0000

Jill B.,
That sounds like a horrible experience. I am sad for you. Your nurse sounded like an insensitive cad. It is extremely unprofessional to put your own feelings “I don’t want to clean up after you,” ahead of your patients. This is nursing 101.

We usually unstrap the mom’s arms right after the delivery so she can at least touch her baby, even when they are still suturing up the wound. I wonder if other hospitals do this?

By: Jill B

Jill B — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:08:40 +0000

The sad thing is that I BEGGED and PLEADED to even get a wet washcloth to suck on during my c/s (after the baby had been delivered and whisked off to the nursery).

My mouth was so, so dry and felt like I couldn’t breathe due to my sinuses draining down my throat (I got stuffy after crying when they decided to section me). The poor nurse who had the unfortunate assignment of actually talking to me said (yes, this is a direct quote), “I don’t want you to have any liquid because I don’t want to clean after you throw up.” No, there was no concern of patient safety here.

I finally talked her into a wet washcloth, which she placed near my mouth, but not actually in it. Thus, I spent who-knows-how-long trying to reach it with my teeth while my arms were strapped down and my uterus was still outside of my body.

That single experience is why my c/s memories make me feel so weak, powerless and sad.

By: Best of the Birth Blogs – Week Ending January 31st | ICAN Blog

Best of the Birth Blogs – Week Ending January 31st | ICAN Blog — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:28:26 +0000

[...] Rounds – Thirsty During Labor? Just Be Quiet and Suck on a Wet Washcloth: RR finds the humorous in the recent news that research says eating in labor is [...]

By: Hilary

Hilary — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:53:47 +0000

Just stumbled on your blog, and grateful for your common-sense attitude.
When my daughter was born in a hospital 20 years ago, I was restricted to fruit juice and ice cubes; after 24 hours of labor, the anesthesiologist (who’d been in and out of my room all day, bizarrely) finally got exhausted assent to administer an epidural. He expressed outrage that I’d been allowed the liquids, but I couldn’t help thinking that if I’d been permitted some damn food, I wouldn’t have needed the forceps.
It’s called labor for a reason, dude!

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:37:04 +0000

Sucking washcloths? That makes me so sad.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:47:33 +0000

I remember being asked not to eat during labour (the midwife came into the delivery room to find me eating). Okay, fair enough,I was at higher risk of needing a caesarean under general, because it was twins, and I refused epidural anaesthesia, because I was scared of the needle and the pipe, but… I did not deliver until approximately four days later- I had intermittent pre-term labour, and over the following days either I didn’t feel hungry, or I wasn’t allowed to eat.

One of my strongest memories is suddenly realising that I felt so hungry during pushing, and thinking about baked potatoes, and knowing that there was no way I would be capable of eating, even were I allowed, because of the contractions.

I’m so thankful that I was allowed, nay encouraged, to drink as much as I liked. If there had been rules restricting me to ice chips, I would have probably ended up on a drip for dehydration. I have sensitive teeth, and even before I developed those, I have never been able to stand ice cubes in my mouth. I can be incredibly thirsty, yet unable to drink a drink in a cafe, because I forgot to ask them not to put ice cubes in, making the drink too cold.

Yeah, pathetic, I know.