A multicenter interdisciplinary survey of practices and opinions regarding oral intake during labor

•Survey regarding oral intake in labor in units in Israel.•Practices varied between disciplines, midwives were significantly more permissive.•Women received conflicting recommendations.•There is a lack of awareness of the risks associated with oral intake in labor.•There is a need for standardized guidelines and patient risk stratification. Different society guidelines diverge regarding oral intake in labor. Our goal was to assess practices and opinions in Israeli labor and delivery units, comparing different disciplines. An anonymous Google Forms survey was sent to anesthesiologists, obstetricians and midwives in all Israeli labor and delivery units. Responses were collected from all 27 labor and delivery units contacted, with a total of 501 respondents comprising 161 anesthesiologists, 102 obstetricians and 238 midwives. Forty-eight per cent stated there were no institutional guidelines for oral intake. The most common oral intake permitted was light food (60%). Midwives were significantly more likely than anesthesiologists and obstetricians to consider that women who are both low risk for cesarean delivery (P