Nutritional Preparation for Childbirth

What is it about?

The similarity between endurance sports and childbirth suggests that an elevation of maternal glycogen stores through a moderate increase in dietary carbohydrates during the last few weeks of pregnancy may benefit both mother and child.

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Photo by Dragos Gontariu on Unsplash

Photo by Dragos Gontariu on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This paper proposes increasing carbohydrate intake during the last few weeks of pregnancy to help prevent ketoacidosis and fatigue during labor. Here are a few key points: - During labor, women can become fatigued partly due to ketoacidosis caused by relying more on fat and protein for energy than glucose. This is because the fetus uses much glucose from the mother's bloodstream. - Ketoacidosis can contribute to uterine dysfunction, which reduces oxygen supply to the fetus. It also causes metabolic acidosis and fatigue in the mother. - Intravenous glucose is sometimes used to prevent ketoacidosis during labor, but it has drawbacks like the risk of blood sugar spikes. - The hypothesis proposition is to increase dietary carbohydrates to around 65% of total calories starting at 37 weeks gestation. This is expected to boost glycogen stores and help prevent ketoacidosis and fatigue during labor. - This level of carbohydrate intake is reasonable and historically common. It could benefit both the mother and baby during the stresses of labor. In summary, the key point is that moderate carbohydrate loading late in pregnancy may help prevent ketoacidosis and maternal fatigue in labor, which could improve outcomes for both mother and baby. The hypothesis is that a simple dietary change may help optimize glycogen stores going into labor improving outcomes.

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