Mums-to-be could have an increased the chance of having a vaginal birth if they are given bicarbonate of soda by medical professionals, a study suggests.
Professor Susan Wray, from the University of Liverpool, and a team of researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, gave bicarbonate of soda to 100 women in labour experiencing difficulties, as well as oxytocin.
Another 100 women were treated with just oxytocin. The results, published in the journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, found those who had bicarbonate of soda increased their chances of a vaginal delivery by 17%.
“The outcome was really amazing,” Wray told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “We were able to significantly increase the number of women having a spontaneous vaginal delivery, avoiding the caesarean section.”
Despite the positive outcome, pregnant women shouldn’t start drinking bicarb without medical advice. The Royal College of Midwives said “more research will need to be done” to establish how effective it is before it becomes an evidence-based recommendation.
