Can You Eat During Labour? One Mum's Story, And What The Guidance Says Now

Did you eat breakfast while in labour? This young mummy shares her funny labour story with theAsianparent where she reminiscences about her McDonald's craving!

One Singapore mum spent the early hours of her labour trying to persuade her husband to stop at McDonald’s. He refused. The nurse refused. Twenty-six hours later she had her son by emergency caesarean, still annoyed about the breakfast she never got.

Her story is below, in her words. Underneath it’s the part she couldn’t have known at the time: the rule that kept her off that breakfast has since changed, and what most hospitals allow in labour today isn’t what she was told in 2009.

“I regret not eating breakfast”: one mum’s labour

A reader’s account, first published on theAsianparent.

To prepare my body for pregnancy, I started taking folic acid and vitamin C daily and stopped smoking. Upon finding out I was pregnant, I added “tonic food” like bird’s nest into my diet and refrained from eating “forbidden foods” like pineapple, watermelon and mutton, which are traditionally believed to cause miscarriages. Little did I know that I’d have to think about breakfast during labour later as well.

Because of superstitious beliefs, I also tried not to move anything in the room or cut anything on the bed. And for safety reasons, I traded in all my beautiful heels for flat sandals.

The pregnancy journey

While my first trimester was pretty painful due to the stretching of the womb, by around the third month the pain was replaced by a new experience: the kicking of my baby. One of the most amazing experiences was how he kicked when his father put his head on my bloated tummy for the first time, as though acknowledging his daddy’s presence.

Overall my pregnancy was smooth. I didn’t have any complications or even morning sickness. However, I did have cramps in my legs, which the nurses taught me how to counter by doing exercises to improve blood circulation. I also got a lot of stretch marks despite the amount of cream I used.

Am I really in labour?

My labour was a pretty funny experience. At first my water bag burst, but I didn’t realise it, as I was expecting a gush of water instead of spurts. About three hours later I started having contractions that were pretty frequent and painful. However, I still didn’t realise I was in labour. It was only when I saw some blood on my underwear that I decided to go to the hospital.

But before going to the hospital I went to my mum’s place to pick up my handphone, which I had accidentally left behind. Not realising I was in labour, I decided to walk there as it was only five blocks away.

Breakfast during labour… at McDonald’s

After getting my phone, we went to the main road to wait for a cab. Unfortunately it was peak hour and there weren’t any in sight. Worse still, there was already a queue of people waiting to get a cab to work. So I suggested to my husband that perhaps we should go to McDonald’s for breakfast to kill some time and ensure that I had enough strength to push when I needed to.

My husband stared at me and plainly asked me if I still wanted to give birth, and if I was really in pain. I told him “YES!” and he strictly said, “No McDonald’s! Let’s go to the hospital and see what the doctor says first.”

So we reached the hospital and went up to the delivery suite. While walking into the observation room, I still asked the nurse if I could go and have my McDonald’s breakfast, and she gave me a very funny look and said I should go for a check-up first.

Sadly, when I was strapped down to check my contractions, the nurse told me I couldn’t go and have my breakfast. So after that I was stuck on the bed in the delivery room, and I scolded my husband for not letting me eat breakfast during labour.

The birthing

I felt relieved and tired when I first saw my baby, as I was in pain for more than 15 hours before succumbing to an epidural. The doctor pumped in a total of five doses until he couldn’t do it any more, as I was vomiting and had no appetite. But the sad part was that after 26 hours in labour, I had to go for an emergency C-section to get my baby boy, Ethan, out.

Advice for other pregnant mums

It may be tiring and tough for you and your husband, but things will get better. Enjoy every second of motherhood. It’s really a miracle how your baby grows from the moment it’s developing in your stomach until the time you give birth and watch him grow.

Baby: Ethan Sim Kai Yang · Born 4 February · 3.48kg · 49cm

What has changed since

The blanket “nil by mouth” rule in labour has largely gone for low-risk births.

The UK’s NICE guidance says women in established, uncomplicated labour may drink and have a light diet. The American position is more cautious: ACOG supports modest amounts of clear fluids but still advises against solid food, on the grounds that the evidence on solids is thin, not that harm has been shown.

So the two most-cited bodies don’t fully agree, and knowing that beats being told there’s one answer.

Why the old rule existed

It wasn’t arbitrary. The restriction dates from the 1940s and a real risk: if a labouring woman needed an emergency caesarean under general anaesthetic, stomach contents could be inhaled into the lungs. That complication is serious, and an empty stomach reduced the chance of it.

Two things changed. General anaesthesia is now rarely used for caesareans. Regional anaesthesia, an epidural or spinal, is standard, and the woman stays awake with her airway protected. And when researchers tested the restriction, it didn’t deliver. A large Cochrane review found no benefit from routinely restricting food and fluid in low-risk labour: no reduction in complications, no difference in caesarean rates, no measurable gain for the baby.

That resolves the story above. Her instinct, that a long labour needs fuel, was sound. The caution she met wasn’t baseless either; it was a blanket rule applied before practice caught up with the evidence. And as it happens, she’s the case the rule was written for: she ended up under emergency section after an epidural.

When restrictions still apply

The relaxation is for straightforward labour. Eating and drinking are still limited when:

A caesarean is planned or looking likely: normal pre-operative fasting applies
You’ve had certain pain medications, particularly opioids, which slow the stomach
The pregnancy is high risk, or complications develop during labour
An epidural is in place: many units move to clear fluids only at that point
You’re nauseated or vomiting, which is common in advanced labour and settles the question by itself

Note how many of those applied in the story: opioid-free but epidural, then vomiting, then an emergency section.

What this means for you here

Hospital policy in Singapore varies, and the hospital’s policy is the one that governs your labour, not NICE, not ACOG, and not an article. Some units are relaxed about a light diet in early labour; others keep to clear fluids throughout.

This is a good question for an antenatal appointment, and a better one than it sounds: the answer tells you what to pack, and it opens a conversation about what else that unit does routinely. Put it in your birth plan too, so nobody’s negotiating it during a contraction.

If your hospital does allow it

Early labour is the window. Appetite usually disappears once things are established, so the sandwich you want is the one at 6am, not the one at noon.
Light and plain travels best: toast, plain biscuits, bananas, yoghurt. Rich or greasy food tends to reappear.
Fluids matter more than food. Water, isotonic drinks, clear juice. Dehydration is the more common problem and it makes contractions harder to cope with.
Glucose sweets or honey are easy when nothing else is tolerable.
Pack for your partner too. A support person who hasn’t eaten in twelve hours becomes a second problem.

Frequently asked questions

Can you eat during labour?

For a straightforward labour, increasingly yes. NICE guidance supports drinking and a light diet in established, uncomplicated labour; ACOG supports clear fluids but still advises against solids. Your hospital’s own policy is what applies, so ask during an antenatal visit.

Why were women told not to eat in labour?

Because of the risk of inhaling stomach contents during an emergency caesarean under general anaesthetic, a real danger when the rule was written in the 1940s. General anaesthesia is now rarely used for caesareans, and trials found no benefit from routine restriction in low-risk labour.

Can I eat after an epidural?

Many units move to clear fluids only at that point. It varies, so ask the unit instead of assuming either way.

What should I eat in early labour?

Light, plain and easy: toast, plain biscuits, bananas, yoghurt. And keep drinking. Appetite usually disappears as labour establishes, so early on is the realistic window.

Does eating make labour easier?

The evidence doesn’t show that eating shortens labour or improves outcomes. What it shows is that routinely restricting food and fluid brings no benefit either. So it’s largely about your comfort, which is a reasonable basis for a decision.

Does this apply if I’m having a planned caesarean?

No. Standard pre-operative fasting applies, and your hospital will tell you exactly when to stop eating and drinking.

The main points

The blanket ban has largely gone for low-risk labour. NICE allows a light diet, ACOG allows clear fluids, and Singapore hospitals set their own policy, and that’s the one that counts.

Ask at an antenatal appointment and put the answer in your birth plan. Eat early if you’re going to, keep drinking throughout, and feed whoever is with you.

And if you end up like the mum above, with an epidural, vomiting and an emergency section, the restriction was doing its job. She was still right that a 26-hour labour needs fuel.