Whether the optimal guide to hydration is eight glasses of water a day or not, new evidence suggests proper fluid levels are especially important for women in labor. A study, published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, found those who receiving intravenous (IV) fluid had lower rates of C-sections and shortened overall labor times.

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia compiled information from a variety of studies analyzing hydration rates in laboring women to assess how IV fluids affected rates of C-sections and labor. The study covered seven small clinical trials for a total population of 1,215 women, 593 of whom received IV fluids at 250 milliliters per hour and 622 at 125 milliliters per hour. Researchers then compared the two groups for differences in C-sections and time spent in labor.

Results showed that the women receiving 250 milliliters per hours were 6 percent less likely to need a C-section, reducing the total time in labor by an average of 64 minutes and reducing the pushing phase by three minutes on average.

"We've known that it's important for women to stay well hydrated during pregnancy and labor. This study suggests that IV fluids could help women maintain hydration at appropriate levels, reduce the likelihood of C-section, and decrease length of labor," said Vincenzo Berghella, MD, director of maternal fetal medicine and professor at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. "The results are compelling and strongly argue for a change in practice. We have already begun changing practice at Jefferson to give women more fluids in labor, to allow them to have the best chance of delivering vaginally. Recently, we also showed that letting women eat more liberally in labor, especially in early labor, has benefits including shorter labor and no identifiable risks."