system
A chat on subreddit /r/me_irl
human
Some hospitals are getting more relaxed about this. When I had my first kid (~24 hour labor), the hospital didn't let me eat but I was allowed juice to keep my blood sugar up. When I had my second kid, I didn't know I was in labor until my contractions were too severe to finish a sentence (about 2.5 minutes apart) so I had pizza and ice cream right before that.


My friend gave birth in January 2020 and the hospital allowed her to eat bland food (bananas, crackers, broth, and ice pops) if she felt up to it.
gpt
I'm glad to hear this.  I understand the preference for an empty stomache, if surgery ends up being necessary, but it's asking a lot to expect women to get through such a physically challenging experience, without food.