No effect of energy supply during childbirth on delivery outcomes in nulliparous women: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract

The effect of providing oral energy supplements of energy on duration of labour and labour outcomes remains to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine whether extra energy supply beyond a self-regulated dietary intake during labour would shorten duration of labour in nulliparous women. A total of 213 healthy women at gestational age >36 weeks received either 1 litre of isotonic energy-drink (n = 111) or placebo-drink (n = 102) at the start of labour. A total of 61% in the intervention group gave birth within the hospital median of 9 hours, compared with 58% in the placebo group (p = 0.68). The mean (SD) durations of labour were 528 (240) minutes and 506 (233) minutes in the intervention and placebo group (p = 0.50), respectively. Extra oral supply of 1 litre energy drink beyond self-regulated intake of food and drink to healthy nulliparous women in birth does not affect the duration of labour.

Keywords:

• Energy supply
• nutrition during labour
• progress of labour
• stage of labour

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Maxim Europe, Helmond, The Netherlands, for providing us with the energy and placebo-drinks, the Department of Medical Biochemistry at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet for analyses of the drinks, the midwives at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet for their daily following up of the study, and Elin Bjørge Løken for assisting us in using the food database AE-07 and KBS software system.

Details of ethics approval and funding

The study was approved by The Norwegian Medical Ethics Committee for Health Region South (No. S-05308) on 30 December 2005 and Norwegian Social Science Data Service (No. 13435) on 8 November 2005. This study was supported by The Norwegian Women's Public Health Association, The Medical Faculty of the University of Oslo, The Throne-Holst Foundation and The South-East Norway Regional Health Authority.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.