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Food and Beverages in Labor. Part I: Cross‐Cultural and Historical Practices
Author(s) -
Broach Jeannine,
Newton Niles
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
birth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.233
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1523-536X
pISSN - 0730-7659
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-536x.1988.tb00811.x
Subject(s) - childbirth , medicine , administration (probate law) , cultural phenomenon , pregnancy , political science , sociology , law , social science , biology , genetics
The diet permitted a laboring woman varies between cultures and eras. Here, cross‐cultural practices regarding food and drink during labor are reviewed, with particular attention to historical and present‐day American medical advice. In most American hospitals women are prohibited from eating or drinking in labor. This custom started in the middle of the twentieth century when general anesthesia was widely used for ordinary childbirth, creating risks of aspiration pneumonia and maternal death. Despite marked improvements in obstetric care, anesthetic agents, and anesthesia administration, women are still prohibited from eating and drinking in labor. It is posited that this reflects the phenomenon of culture lag. (BIRTH 15:2, June 1988)