Dietary Update for New Mothers

Study determines that food restrictions in maternity wards are often unnecessary.
The New York Times (1/26, D5, Rabin) reports that "a systematic review" of previous studies has determined that there is "no evidence" that the restrictions maternity wards place on women in labor not being allowed to eat or drink "have any benefit for most healthy women and their babies." The restrictions, which were originally put in place to reduce the risk of Mendelson's syndrome, are said to have become increasingly irrelevant as the use of general anesthesia during labor has decreased. However, "anesthesiologists were critical of the review, saying none of the studies were large enough to evaluate the impact of eating on risks during general anesthesia," and the authors "acknowledged that they found relatively little evidence to analyze."