Eating during labor is something I encourage (or push depending on who you ask) clients to do during labor.  Your body is working hard and needs fuel to keep your energy up through the end of the birth.

I do have a few foods that are my favorites for labor.  

• honey
• chocolate
• berries
• grapes
• cheese
• nuts and nut butters
• jerky
• protein shakes
• eggs
• yogurt

I like clients to eat some protein when they have something sweet to help reduce blood sugar fluctuations.  I have watched clients literally eat peanut butter by the spoonful out of the jar, and other clients have a charcuterie board. I'm not too picky about what clients eat so long as they are eating pretty regularly during labor. That looks like a bite of something between contractions and then another bite 3 or 4 contractions later.  

Eating and staying hydrated will help keep energy levels up to finish labor strong, and will make the midwife happy!
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Part of my services as a midwife is filing for the birth certificate.  In accordance with state law, I am required to file for the birth certificate for any birth I attend as the primary midwife.  

​Just as in other states, Kansas collects demographic data such as the highest level of education for each parent, what job and industry each parent works in, if there was prenatal care and so on.  I like for my clients to know what information the state wants so I ask them to fill out the application that I use to file for the birth certificate.

I file online. I actually prefer this for several reasons. The biggest reason I like to file online is that my handwriting is not an issue, no one has to try to figure out if I wrote an e or an a.  I also like to file online because I can print off a sample copy of exactly what the birth certificate will look like so the family can look it over and correct any errors before I do the final submission with the state. I am able to print an official birth confirmation letter which may be helpful or needed to get baby on health insurance.  As part of filing the birth certificate, I also include information about any newborn tests I may have done like the critical congenital heart defect screening so the state has that information and doesn't need to contact the parents about the newborn tests.

Kansas is actually pretty fast in getting the birth certificate completed and available to parents. Kansas has birth certificates ready in about 10 days, and if you are really in a hurry, you have the option of driving to the office of the Department of Vital Statistics and getting a copy even sooner in person. You do have to pay a $20 fee to get the birth certificate.  You can request it by mail, or online, or in person if you need it sooner than 10 days after birth.

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There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding eating during pregnancy.  Eating for two is the most common one, but there are others including that having cravings is normal.  So, what should you know about eating during pregnancy?

While you are indeed eating for another human being, that human being will weigh around 8 lbs, so you certainly don't need to eat double the calories you normally eat.  You should focus on eating nutrient dense foods because the need for nutrients in pregnancy is significantly higher than when you are not pregnant.  Not only does your baby need nutrients as organ systems develop and mature, but your body has increased nutrient needs to sustain pregnancy.  

Cravings can be a sign your body needs more of a particular nutrient or nutrients.  Pickles are considered a common craving during pregnancy.  Pickles are salty, and the body needs salt to hold onto the fluid required to expand blood volume so that may be why it seems to be common craving.  Craving ice can be your body teling you it needs more iron.  Sometimes cravings can be for non food items (known as pica) and indicate extreme nutrient deficiencies

Salt your food to taste.  As I mentioned, your body is expanding blood volume in pregnancy, by 50 percent!  It needs salt to hold onto the fluids necessary to expand your blood volume, and let's face it; salt makes food tasty.  There is some thought that you should restrict salt in your diet to prevent swelling, high blood pressure and pre eclampsia but the evidence doesn't support these ideas.

Focus on eating whole foods that are not processed. If you are eating a wide variety of whole foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, meat and so on, you are providing a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins for your baby and your baby.  Be mindful that you are not eating more calories than you and your baby need. Calorie recommendations vary depending on what your BMI was before pregnancy. 

As part of my prenatal care for clients, we talk a lot about nutrition.  If a client is having cravings, usually a dietary tweak can resolve those.  I like to see a food log at least twice during pregnancy.  While I don't track client's weight, I do discuss caloric needs and encourage clients to exercise to have a healthy weight gain.  I encourage clients to eat in a way that they enjoy, and is sustainable while providing plenty of nutrients.

Pregnancy and exercise are not mutually exclusive.  Yes, pregnancy does require some lifestyle changes as the pregnancy gets farther along like not sleeping on your back, but being pregnant does not relegate you to invalid status.

Exercise and pregnancy go hand in hand. The benefits of exercise during pregnancy are significant.

• Reduced constipation
• Better sleep
• Helps to keep weight gain at appropriate levels
• Increased strength and endurance
• Reduced risk of gestational diabetes
• Reduced risk of high blood pressure
• Helping baby settle into a good position for birth
• More energy
• Stress reduction
• Improved mood

Pregnancy is a perfect time to start exercising regularly if you haven't been working out.  Walking is a great place to start, although you can start with just about anything like having a dance party with your kids, or raking leaves.  Build up gradually until you are working out for at least 30 minutes 5-6 days a week.  If you are already working out, you may want to modify what you do.  For example, if you are doing heavy weight lifting, consider using lighter weights and more reps.  Be mindful of avoiding exercise that puts you at risk of falling such as mountain climbing, or contact sports such as hockey.  Also modify abdominal exercises to reduce the chances of diastasis recti.  

I encourage all the clients I serve to exercise because the benefits are too great to miss out on. Labor and birth require strength and endurance. Regular exercise will go a long way to help with being prepared for the demands of labor and birth. 
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Sleep. We all need it and most of us would benefit from better sleep or more sleep. During pregnancy, getting good sleep or enough sleep can be challenging.  

Pregnancy can create new issues with sleeping. Trying to get comfortable, having to get up to go to the bathroom, having vivid dreams, and not being able to fall asleep again if waking up are common issues that can interfere with sleep during pregnancy.

Getting comfortable can be a challenge, especially if you are used to sleeping on your back. Pillows can be your best friend in this situation. Putting a pillow under a hip just enough to tilt you off your back can help in early pregnancy.  As your baby grows, having a pillow tucked behind your back, one between your knees, and one to support your belly may help you with being comfortable. I am a huge fan of the pregnancy pillows that surround you, almost like a nest. As pregnancy progresses, you might need more pillows for more support, or you might want your partner to tuck you into bed, helping get the pillows just right to let you sleep in comfort and bliss.

Vivid dreams can be something else that interferes with sleep. These dreams can be weird, intense or scary.  It seems like the mind goes into overdrive as you sleep, and you just don't feel as rested as you would with more normal dreams. Catnip tea, or Valerian tea are options to help you quiet your mind and let you have more restful dreams. Have a cup shortly before you go to bed.

If you are waking up often, or having a hard time getting to sleep in the first place, it might be time to add a snack to your bedtime routine. Sometimes your blood sugar can drop low enough that your body just isn't happy and it will wake you up or keep you awake. I recommend a protein rich snack such as nuts, cheese, or jerky before bed. If you fall asleep easily enough but can't get to sleep after waking up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, try adding in a small protein rich snack while you are up.

In the last trimester, many mothers can sleep but it is often interrupted by having to go to the bathroom multiple times in the night. Baby might be low enough to use your bladder as a pillow which means there's just less capacity in there. My suggestion for this situation is to set a cut off time for hydrating and focus on getting all your hydration in before that cut off time. Usually 2 hours before bed is plenty of time. Just make sure to start hydrating again as soon as you wake up for the day.

Hopefully, these ideas will having you sleeping through your pregnancy like a baby!