Is it safe to fast ?
**There is no certain answer, though several medical researchers have looked at the effects of fasting on pregnant mothers. Some studies seem to show small or no effect on newborn babies due to their mothers’ fasting. Other researchers suggest that people may have more health problems later in life if their mothers fasted during pregnancy. It is hard to compare various studies carried out with different methods. Much of the consequences depend on how healthy the mother is before she gets pregnant.
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Here are some questions
What do other women do? **
**Is there anything to do before fasting?
**What’s the best way to break the fast? **
****Are there warning signs to be aware of?
**How to make fasting in pregnancy easier? **
****I’m still unsure about whether or not to fast; what should I do?
I did not fast while pregnant or nursing. For me, the thirst was a big deal. And I did not want to even think about what the effect of reduced food intake during these long days would do to me and baby.
Soon after I stopped nursing I decided to start making up my fasts. This was during the winter and I got so sick with migraines. It was really terrible. I think it was too soon, and my body was not ready to fast, so I stopped after that first day.
I think it will always vary from individual to individual. It will depend on the health and strength of the mother, as well as which part of her pregnancy she is in [1st, 2nd, 3rd trimester], how her pregnancy is progressing in general [ex, throwing up several times a day vs. feeling strong and active]. Also according to the time of year & location, sometimes the fasts will be very long, sometimes they will be short, sometimes they will be in hot weather etc. So there are no clear answers that will apply to everyone. Each woman needs to decide for herself what she is able to do, and can consult with her doctor, midwife, nurse, local scholar, to help her make the right decision
i did fast when i was pregnant with my first child, i was only 5 months pregnant at the time. i also prayed 5 times a day through out my pregnancy. fasting had no affect on my pregnancy, as i had complete faith in allah i had no problems during pregnancy. and my child who is now 5 yrs old, is a really healthy child. having said this during my second pregnancy i couldnt fast coz my scan showed the baby wasnt growing and i was told if this problem continued i had to be induced at an early stage, at that time i was 7 months pregnant. but i made up for the lost fasts later on.
overall i think you should try to fast and if it causes problems then stop, so you wont feel guity for not fasting. even if you cant fast read the quraan as much as possible, this will help you in your pregnancy and labour.
i wish you all the best.
Hi, I think it really depends on you as an individual and your health..also how long are the fasts where you are..but really if you have the intention to fast for Allah then I'm sure you will be fine. Im in my 7th month and inshAllah will try to complete my fasts (in Australia and the days are fairly short at the moment)..but I know my cousin in Pakistan completed all her fasts even in her 9th month and during summer, her daughter was born healthy just 2 days after Eid :)
i am so hungry all the time that i dnt think ill be able to fast it will be my 4th month this ramzan and in pakistan germi and load shedding will add to it so it makes me scary thinking to fast. this would be my first time that ill not fast.
I will not be fasting during ramadhan....it doesnt seem right keeping the poor little baby hungry and thirsty for so long. My midwife said to me that "dont even think about fasting as its not good for the baby".......babies are continuosly developing therefore fasting will definately have a bad affect on development. All the scholars I have heard from say that the pregnant and breastfeeding woman should NOT fast and can instead give fidya(i think this is what its called?)...i.e. feed a poor person for 30 days....and then the fasts do not have to be made up.
Please ladies dont risk anything to your baby....if Islam has allowed this exemption for pregnant women etc then plz dont make things hard for yourself....Islam is a religion of ease :)
ps. dont take just my word for it.... do check for yourself from scholars etc....and let me know what they say:)
So Ramadan is here Alhamdullilah ..but feels kind of weird since I won't be fasting. I get low blood sugar spells alot these days so fasting is a big no-no for me!
A question to all the moms to be : what are your plans for Ramadan ..would you go for Taraveeh in a mosque or pray taraveeh at home? and if someone can tell me Islamically is Taraveeh a Sunnah for pregnant women too or they are exempt from it?
and a question for the mums who were pregnant some time back during Ramadan: did you fast? how did you make up for the missed fasts later :)
May Allah bless us all with a wonderful month and may Allah make the pregnancy of all the expecting mummies to be very easy and smooth IA.
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A question to all the moms to be : what are your plans for Ramadan ..would you go for Taraveeh in a mosque or pray taraveeh at home? and if someone can tell me Islamically is Taraveeh a Sunnah for pregnant women too or they are exempt from it?
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Taraweeh isnt wajib, so there is no blame on anyone, pregnant or not, whether they pray it or not. For everyone, pregnant women and otherwise, Ramadan should be a time of increased worship. So even if you arent fasting, you should still try to pray Taraweeh if you are able, and you can use a chair if the movements are too much to handle
For my first pregnancy, i did not fast. I couldnt make up the fasts till next ramadan when i was nursing. I kept half the rozas and couldnt keep the other half. A sheikh gave his opinion that i should try to keep the fasts the i missed before ramadan comes so i gave money to the poor to makeup for them. More recently i asked this to a sheikh that i feel very comfortable with, and his opinion is that if your doctor tells you its not harmful to you and you feel no harm to yourself or the baby, you should fast. If you feel any danger or feel you cant fast, then you should makeup the fasts later. More importantly, he said, if you are not chronically ill, and can make up the fasts, then by all means make a plan and niyyat and do so in however many months/years you can. The paying money for fasts should only be done for someone who is never able to fast because of a medical condition.
Hope this makes sense and helps.
Oh and for the taraweeh part, if you are able to, i would advise you to go to the masjid. Its so much more better to listen to the recitation from an imam. Plus next year you will have a baby inshaAllah and you wont be able to leave him or her at home, so this is your chance to enjoy ramadan to the fullest extent taht you are able to. Last year my inlaws were here so i left my daughter with them to go to tahajjud in the last 10 days. And it was an awesome experience. This year i will pray at home inshaAllah.
^ I believe so..the baby is dependent on you so you need to nourish yourself to provide for the baby.
I am 25 weeks along and not fasting.. It's a really long fast (16 hours) and I can hardly survive an hour or so without putting something in my mouth... and my husband was telling me about a saying from one of the sahabas that said something like, "people amaze me for making things difficult when Allah Taala has provided ease in the religion" I wish I had the reference for that but in other words Allah Taala has given you the free will to choose and if you think you can fast and survive the day, go ahead.But if not, why take chances? You have to make up for these fasts later though, which I intend to do inshaAllah.
Im not fasting, im still suffering from sickness! I have sent money for hidya(i thnk thats what its called) and inshallah will make up for the fasts after the baby inshallah
More recently i asked this to a sheikh that i feel very comfortable with, and his opinion is that if your doctor tells you its not harmful to you and you feel no harm to yourself or the baby, you should fast. If you feel any danger or feel you cant fast, then you should makeup the fasts later. More importantly, he said, if you are not chronically ill, and can make up the fasts, then by all means make a plan and niyyat and do so in however many months/years you can. The paying money for fasts should only be done for someone who is never able to fast because of a medical condition.
seems like this "sheikh" has been giving you the wrong information.....how is staying hungry for 16/17 hours not harmful to the baby??? It seems like some of these sheikhs dont even THINK before making such statements...seems like they should get some basic classes on pregnancy and how the growing fetus gets its food etc... before making any statements like this
Miss LFP, did you really read the whole post? The sheikh said if you think its harmful and you cannot handle the fast, then dont fast. Plain and simple. Maybe i wasnt clear enough. Not fasting in ramadan when pregnant should be a no brainer but when i was pregnant with my first, alot of people were "encouraging" me to still fast when i clearly couldnt handle the thirst factor. Same as this time around. In situations like this, it makes perfect sense not to put yourself in danger. With my first preg, another lady was pregnant at the same time, and she fasted almost each day and i didnt. Its a matter of personal choice and what you know is best for your child.
Saadia, the sheikh said, same rules apply for nursing.
I am 8 weeks and i am not fasting... i can't imagine stuffing myself at sehri and iftar. with all the nausea and other things going on in my body...it would just be too much.