Fasting Ramadan During Pregnancy

Rahma Said AL-Mabsali Deputy Head Midwife 05/07/ 2010

Introduction
Pregnant women in Oman have limited opportunities to access evidence based health information about pregnancy and what to expect during the antenatal period and the birthing of their baby. Some women fear harming their health and their babies' health due to fasting Ramadan during pregnancy.

Holy Month of Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic calendar and fasting is one of the five fundamental obligation of Muslims. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan from the sunshine to sunset. Fasting includes avoidance of drinking fluids and eating foods . The duration of fasting depends on the exact time of sunrise and sunset but is usually between 13-18 hrs per day.

Holy Month of Ramadan

Every healthy Muslim adult responsible for achieving this obligation Some time people are permitted to break their fasting during Ramadan e.g. Children, Elderly, Sick person , Traveler, Pregnant Postpartum, women and breast feeding women who are worried about their health and their babies.

The weather during Ramadan

The weather during Ramadan is another factor for women not to fast during summer the fasting time would be longer during the day and hot weather compared with Ramadan during winter were there are less fasting hours and cooler.

Literature Review

Researchers found that there was no relation between fasting and birth weight in any trimester and fasting during pregnancy did not decreased mean birth weight for newborn babies. ( Arab & Nasrollahi, 2001)

Literature Review

Researchers conducted a cohort study and 539 mother were involved, 284 were fasting and 255 did not fast Ramadan during pregnancy. They found that most of the fasting women had good weight and healthier and this was related to their ability to fast during Ramadan than the non fasting mothers who were slim and concerned about there health .( Kevehmnesh & Abolghasemi,2004)

Literature Review

Researchers found that all women reported awareness about fasting Ramadan in Islam is for every healthy adult men and women Most women were aware that they were allowed the repay their fasting days or month. Some women had the perception that fasting had harmful effect on pregnancy 11%. 77% of women successfully completed at least 20 days of Ramadan.

Literature Review
Researchers found that : Fasting Ramadan during pregnancy did not lead to any effect on maternal and fetal health or fetal development in a group of women were less/ or 20 weeks of gestation. Fasting did not lead to ketonemia or ketonuria . There were no changes in mothers weight during fasting especially with healthy eating and healthy diet and no effect on newborns birth weight.

Literature Review
The researchers recommended : The doctors to take part of educating and counseling the mothers about Ramadan To respect and to be sensitive to the mothers wishes to fulfill their religious needs. To ensure that medical condition during pregnancy and medications would not be affected by Fasting. Encourage the women to discuss the fasting issues with the doctors and allow them to make an informed choice to fast or not.

Healthy Eating during Ramadan

During the Suhoor (the predawn time before starting to fast) the mothers have to: Try not to skip this meal to keep your energy level up during the day. A moderate meal that includes high fiber and complex carbohydrates (grains) as the body takes longer to break these down and absorb this food. Drink plenty of water between Iftar and Suhoor to prevent dehydration. Include fresh fruits and vegetables. Limit intake of sweets and deserts that will fill the pregnant womean up.

Healthy Eating during Ramadan

To start Iftar (the time to break the day's fast) try to take:
Three dates and juice, to bring your blood sugar level back to normal. Semi-skimmed milk Several well balanced meals with salad. Include protein like chicken, meat or fish, lentils, chickpeas or beans. Fresh fruits and vegetables.

Healthy Eating during Ramadan

Reduce eating high-fat meals that will fill up the stomach and produces poor nutrients and may cause indigestion. Prying during ramadan is act as exercise after breaking the fast which will help in digestion process After dinner, relax for a while and get up and move around.

How to make fasting in pregnancy easier?

Try to be calm and avoid stressful situations. Rest as much as possible and sleep early at night during Ramadan. Try to fast one or two days, to see if you can cope with fasting. Ask other women in your family for tips and suggestions about how to cope during pregnancy and fasting. Avoid excessive heat as you can become dehydrated quickly. Try not to walk long distances or carry any heavy item.

When to break the fast during pregnancy?

When the woman feels dizziness, heart palpitation, headaches, fever or blurred vision. A reduction of the fetal movements especially during the last stage of pregnancy. When the woman is very thirsty or the urine becomes dark and strong smelling, these are signs of dehydration. If the woman has nausea or vomiting ,not putting on weight or losing weight. Break fast and consult your doctor immediately.

Conclusion
Fasting is a physical and spiritual experience requiring a great deal of preparation. The mothercan decide whether she will be able to fast or not, as she is the only one to make this decision. If she feels strong enough to fast and cope with it she may do so. If she is not, Islamic law provides her with permission not to fast on the condition that the missed days are made up later.

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