RESUMO
This study aims to explore the relationship between maternal oral intake during labor, and the duration of labor and to examine if oral intake does affect labor and the incidence of operative and instrumental deliveries. A clinical study was conducted on 2340 child bearing women. 390 women were allowed to oral liquids and soft diet intake and 1950 were considered as a control group and kept fasting according to the hospital routine. Type of delivery of each woman and duration of the 2[nd] stage of labor were recorded. There were fewer cesarean sections [7.9%] in the oral intake group than those in the fasting group [10.5%]. Of the oral intake group [2.1%] had instrumental deliveries versus 4% of the fasting group. The incidence of normal vaginal deliveries in the oral intake group was 90% while it reached 85.5% in the fasting group. Women who were allowed to oral intake had shorter 2[nd] stage of labor. For the average women in labor, fluids and light snacks can safely be given orally