Fasting on YK and risk of premature labor

↑ tichellady ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 8:56 pm

amother Olive wrote:

On Yom Kippur?
With a ravs guidance or on your own?

Yes on Yom Kippur and yes with a Rav’s guidance. I don’t fast well when I’m not pregnant or nursing and I can barely function when pregnant without even thinking about fasting

amother

↑ Olive ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 8:57 pm

tichellady wrote:

Yes on Yom Kippur and yes with a Rav’s guidance. I don’t fast well when I’m not pregnant or nursing and I can barely function when pregnant without even thinking about fasting

Ok that’s different you had a ravs guidance.
But every one needs to ask their own rav for each fast that comes up.

↑ tichellady ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:05 pm

amother Olive wrote:

Ok that’s different you had a ravs guidance.
But every one needs to ask their own rav for each fast that comes up.

I never said otherwise I was just answering ops question about whether everyone fasts or if she is missing something

amother

Turquoise

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:06 pm

I was also in Sharey Zedek on 9 av and they were not admitted anyone to L&d till they first broke their fast and drank to see if it stopped. The irony was that I hadn’t been fasting but they still watched me drink before taking me in.
In general, for a low risk pregnancy , there is no heter to drink on yom kippur just because you are pregnant. Some reasons you would get a heter from experience : you have hg and are at high risk of dehydration or needing to be hospitalized if you don’t eat / drink, high risk pregnancy, history of premature labors, other risk factors.

amother

Leaf ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:07 pm

I have HG and don’t eat or drink anyways, but my rav said to continue my regular iv hydration and nutrition and meds through my picc line
He stresses over and over to the kehilla that the point is not to “get out of fasting”
It’s more important to fast and have your husband miss shul and watch your kids than have to get out of bed and break your fast according to my rav
That being said, in extenuating circumstances he allows shiurim and even more extenuating, eating regular.
There is no issue in a regular pregnancy at all.
This is my 5th and only my second one over yk, but it didn’t make any difference.
For the record, OP, I’m 21 weeks.
It sounds like you suffer from anxiety maybe? Of course Google and drs will calculate the risk vs benefit. In their mind, there is no benefit to fasting on yk so why would they allow it?
Hundreds of thousands of women have done this for thousands of years. If you have a regular pregnancy, you’re fine.

amother

Broom

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:12 pm

I did not read through the whole thread.
Fasting from food will not put a healthy pregnancy at risk. The concern is dehydration.
No non-frum doctor will tell you it's okay to go 25 hours without water. A frum doctor might say either way. I personally never asked a doctor, but always made sure I knew the hslachos of shiutim if I felt the need for it.
I fasted 4 Yom Kippurs while pregnant. All but one did not affect the pregnancy. For one, I was 7 months pregnant, which is a scary time to go into labor. I felt okay, but during the last hour of Yom Kippur I began to have contractions. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not immediately doing shiurim, because I wasn't sure if I was feeling real contractions or not, and I figured there was only 1 hour left to the earliest zman anyways.
After breaking my fast, the contractions still went on for another few days - a week, and I had to rest up a lot. But thankfully BH I did NOT go into full preterm labor. I also imagine there are meds they could have given me to help prevent that, but bh that wasn't necessary for me.
So I think most people do just fine fasting while pregnant (it's much easier than fasting while nursing fyi), but it makes sense if a rav would tell you to drink shiurim at the very first sign of trouble.
Hatzlacha, bshaah tova, and gmar chasima Tova!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:14 pm

amother Olive wrote:

Are you generally anxious ?

I don’t understand how one could think not to fast on Yom Kippur??
What planet am I on?
I’ve always fasted. It’s fine

You've literally never heard of someone not fasting on Yom Kippur for medical reasons?

Not sure why 3 different people accused me of having anxiety. When you're pregnant, you're SUPPOSED to check before you do something that may put the baby at risk. I generally follow my doctor's guidance and am surprised my Rav is instructing me not to.

amother

↑ Seafoam ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:19 pm

amother OP wrote:

It's a huge liability for a doctor to tell someone it's fine not to eat or drink for 26 hours. For this reason, most doctors won't encourage it.

For thousands of years Jewish women have been fasting while pregnant. It's a major part of our religion. I think people are surprised that you haven't been exposed to this concept, but not everyone has the same life experience, so I'm assuming this is new for you.

amother

↑ Leaf ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:20 pm

amother OP wrote:

Of course, but a healthy pregnancy is not a “medical reason”
A high risk pregnancy is.
Your drs guidance was one sided. He wasn’t weighing the pros and cons. You’re gonna ask him, “hey, can I not eat or drink for 25 hours?” Hell look at you like you’re crazy
Fasting at all even for a healthy not pregnant person is a “health risk”
Hashem told us to fast
If it’s not pikuach nefesh (your rav understood that from the drs answer) then you can fast

People asked if you’re anxious because people with anxiety have a hard time seeing the rationality behind actions, so instead of understanding what the Dr is saying, you’re shocked that the rav isn’t “listening to the Dr”

amother

Kiwi

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:20 pm

I'm 30 weeks, so I was in that 22-27 week range on 9 Av. This is my 3rd pregnancy with similar due dates and I've always fasted both fasts without any issue. Before 9 Av my (non-Jewish but familiar with the community) doctor said that not eating is not a problem, but dehydration can be an issue, so as long as I load up beforehand it should be fine. She wasn't concerned at all and it was about a million degrees that day. I drank an absurd amount of water and Gatorade for 3 days before the fast and it was fine BH. I definitely didn't fast as well as I usually do and it took me a little longer to recover but nothing significant.

This YK I plan to sit on the couch or in bed as much as possible and do nothing. BH my kids at home are old enough to entertain themselves for periods of time as long as I'm around.

amother

Mocha

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:24 pm

I drink shiurim on YK when pregnant after 23 weeks. Not high risk. My rav says its better to drink shiurim, which is still deoraisa fasting, than to risk having to drink more if there are contractions/concerns later in the day and therefore fully break the fast. Everyone saying OP is anxious - there are plenty of women who do this and poskim who advise them to. Just because it worked out for you doesn't mean it always works out.

amother

Honeydew ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:34 pm

amother OP wrote:

I think you should call back the rav for clarification. There is nothing wrong with saying you have questions on his psak. Ask him why he is instructing you to fast when your doc said you shouldn't. And see how he explains it and how you feel and then decide if you will ask another rav or go with what he says.

seeker

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:38 pm

amother Snapdragon wrote:

My mom heard this as well from an L&D nurse in a hospital in NY. The hospital knows to expect many women on late yom Kippur day/motzei yom Kippur.

They expect them, but for what? Dangerous conditions or just felt faint so went to the hospital just in case, got iv fluids and several hours of monitoring, and then got sent home with no long term harm done?

Not arguing, just curious.

amother

White ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:44 pm

Mamushka wrote:

I know plenty og G'd fearing religious docotrs, who will tell you to drink at least shiurim.

My baby was measuring slightly small and my water was a little low at times. My doctor, who wore a yarmulkah though likely would be considered 'traditional' in his observance, told me to take shiurim.

I ased a completely non-frum doctor (when having a hospital check on erev yom kippur) and she told me it's no problem to fast. My Rav concurred with her.

Just saying it isn't about being frum or not. Some doctors err too much on the side of caution just because they know shiurim exist.

amother

↑ Nasturtium ↓

Thu, Sep 21 2023, 9:55 pm

amother Watermelon wrote:

I am at a slightly higher risk for preterm labor (I'm 25 weeks), but not using a high risk doctor. I messaged the office about fasting and (not my own Dr, another on staff) answered that it should be fine to fast. That was it.

I spoke to my Rav on tzom gedalya if I should break it about 5 PM because my head was pounding and I couldn't even stand up from the pain. He said of course. But that had nothing to do with preterm labor, obviously.

Now I'm unsure what I should do for Yom Kippur. I've fasted many fasts while pregnant with no issues, all different times of pregnancy. But this is the first with a slight risk... But, the Dr seemed completely unconcerned.

Why were you fasting on tzom Gedalia if you're pregnant?!?