Can we take food into the delivery room?

Most hospitals are happy for you to bring your own food and drink into the delivery room, although most are able to provide you with light refreshment should you want it. Hospitals don’t tend to provide food for birth partners so your partner would be wise to bring plenty of snacks. There is usually a hospital canteen on the hospital campus somewhere but this may mean they are away from you for a time. Vending machines may also be available.

In times gone by, women in labour weren’t allowed to eat or drink, but this is not the case these days. Research on the subject has concluded that it is perfectly safe for women to control their own food and drink intake during labour.

When deciding what and how much to eat, you should be guided by your appetite. Try, however, to stick to light, easy to digest foods that will give you plenty of energy. For example, you may wish to try fruit juices, bread and honey, dried fruit, digestive biscuits or bananas. Once labour is well established, it is likely that you won’t feel much like eating – your body needs to focus on delivering your baby

“A guide to effective care in pregnancy and childbirth” by Enkin et al
“Restricting oral fluid and food intake during labour” article by Singata and Tranmer on the Cochrane Database
“Nutritional support during labour: a randomised controlled trial of patient controlled oral intake during labour” unpublished thesis cited in book by Enkin et al