Women's view on fasting during labor in a tertiary care obstetric unit. A prospective cohort study.

Objective: Maternal satisfaction and comfort may in part depend on fasting instruction given during labor. This study aimed to assess the satisfaction and the wishes of parturients with regards to fasting during labor.

Study Design: This prospective cohort study was conducted among parturients assessing the fasting instructions they were given. We assessed whether women did have any oral intake during labor and focused on women's view of fasting during labor. Maternal discomfort related to thirst and hunger was assessed using 0-10 scales.

Results: A total of 193 women were included, among whom 71 (37 %) received spontaneously given instructions and 60 (31 %) received instruction upon request. One hundred sixteen (60 %) women were allowed to drink clear fluids, in a limited way for 106 women (91 % of those concerned); 119 women did drink clear fluids during labor. One hundred thirty-two (68 %) women had a thirst-related discomfort score ≥ 4 without any statistical difference whether they had or had not drunk clear fluids. Colder water, unrestricted volume of water and sweet drink were desired by 74 (64 %), 38 (33 %) and 28 (24 %) women who had been allowed to drink, respectively.

Conclusion: These results emphasize that thirst contributes to maternal discomfort during labor. Permitting limited intake of water does not ensure high maternal satisfaction. Fresh clear fluids, unrestricted amounts of fluids and sweet fluids could contribute to improve maternal comfort.