Meal patterning and the onset of spontaneous labor
Corresponding Author
Alison K. Nulty MSPH
Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Correspondence
Alison K. Nulty, 301 Alumni Building CB# 3115, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3115, USA
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMarit L. Bovbjerg PhD
Epidemiology Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAmy H. Herring ScD
Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAnna Maria Siega-Riz PhD, RD
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health and Health Services, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJohn M. Thorp Jr. MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorKelly R. Evenson PhD
Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Alison K. Nulty MSPH
Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Correspondence
Alison K. Nulty, 301 Alumni Building CB# 3115, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3115, USA
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMarit L. Bovbjerg PhD
Epidemiology Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAmy H. Herring ScD
Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAnna Maria Siega-Riz PhD, RD
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health and Health Services, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJohn M. Thorp Jr. MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorKelly R. Evenson PhD
Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
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.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Research data are not shared.
Supporting Information
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| birt12583-sup-0001-TableS1.docxapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document: .docx, 14.7 KB | Table S1 |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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