What Started Your Labor? Responses From Mothers in the Third Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study

Bovbjerg, Marit L.; Evenson, Kelly R.; Bradley, Chyrise B.; Thorp, John M.

doi:10.1891/1058-1243.23.3.155

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Based on previous studies that have reported a relationship between fasting and preterm birth or premature rupture of membranes, 9,10,12 we hypothesized that skipping one or more daily meals during pregnancy would result in an immediate, possibly transient, increased likelihood of spontaneous labor within the subsequent 24 hours. None of the individuals in this analysis, when asked an open‐ended question, attributed the onset of their labor to meal patterning, 22 yet we found a strong association. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the relationship between meal patterning and imminent likelihood of spontaneous labor at term.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…If a study participant provided an answer other than one of these, their response was recorded verbatim and later coded by a researcher (AKN) to determine whether they experienced spontaneous onset of labor. The most commonly reported triggers were walking, spontaneous rupture of membranes, and sexual intercourse 22 . The main analysis is limited to those participants who experienced spontaneous onset of labor.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Meal patterning and the onset of spontaneous labor

Nulty

Bovbjerg

Herring

et al. 2021

Birth

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Background There is a lack of consensus in the literature about the association between meal patterning during pregnancy and birth outcomes. This study examined whether maternal meal patterning in the week before birth was associated with an increased likelihood of imminent spontaneous labor. Methods Data came from 607 participants in the third phase of the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study (PIN3). Data were collected through an interviewer‐administered questionnaire after birth, before hospital discharge. Questions included the typical number of meals and snacks consumed daily, during both the week before labor onset and the 24‐hour period before labor onset. A self‐matched, case‐crossover study design examined the association between skipping one or more meals and the likelihood of spontaneous labor onset within the subsequent 24 hours. Results Among women who experienced spontaneous labor, 87.0% reported routinely eating three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) during the week before their labor began, but only 71.2% reported eating three meals during the 24‐hour period before their labor began. Compared with the week before their labor, the odds of imminent spontaneous labor were 5.43 times as high (95% CI: 3.41‐8.65) within 24 hours of skipping 1 or more meals. The association between skipping 1 or more meals and the onset of spontaneous labor remained elevated for both pregnant individuals who birthed early (37‐<39 weeks) and full‐term (≥39 weeks). Conclusions Skipping meals later in pregnancy was associated with an increased likelihood of imminent spontaneous labor, though we are unable to rule out reverse causality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%