NCT06249061: Labour-Aide

A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial of Oral Sodium Bicarbonate for the Prevention of Labour Dystocia

Not yet recruiting NA Last updated 18 July 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing oral sodium bicarbonate in Labour Dystocia in 200 participants. Not yet recruiting.

Timeline

1 December 2025

Primary endpoint
1 December 2026

1 December 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Liz Darling
Phase	NA
Status	Not yet recruiting
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	prevention
Enrollment	200
Start date	1 December 2025
Primary completion	1 December 2026
Estimated completion	1 December 2027

Drugs / interventions tested

• oral sodium bicarbonate

Conditions studied

• Labour Dystocia — all drugs for Labour Dystocia →

Sponsor

Liz Darling

Who can join

Eligibility, female only, with Labour Dystocia. Healthy volunteers can join.

What's being measured

Primary outcomes are the specific endpoints the trial is designed to prove or disprove.

• Feasibility of a full-scale RCT
  Time frame: 8 months of recruitment
  Feasibility will be determined by assessing recruitment, compliance, participant retention, side effects, completeness of data, participant satisfaction and facilitators and barriers to study implementation.

Sponsor's own description

Sodium bicarbonate is often used by athletes to improve their muscle's ability to contract and power their activity. It works by decreasing the risk of lactic acid build-up, which causes cramping and fatigue. Some research suggests that using sodium bicarbonate in labour could help to improve the ability of the uterus to contract, helping to prevent labour dystocia (stalled or slow progress in labour). This could ultimately increase the chance of spontaneous vaginal delivery. This research is being done to investigate whether drinking sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda) dissolved in water as a hydration drink could benefit women in labour and increase the chance of a vaginal birth. In order to answer this question, pregnant people from London, Markham and Mississauga midwifery practices are being recruited to participate in this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups when they are admitted to hospital in labour. One group will be asked to drink normal fluids of their choice while they are in labour (usual care). The second group will be asked to consume a drink made of baking soda and water, as well as normal fluids of their choice. Mode of birth and the use of birth interventions will be compared between the two groups. Infant outcomes will be compared to ensure that the use this drink in labour is safe. A risk of consuming sodium bicarbonate is gastrointestinal disturbance. The number of people who reported gastrointestinal upset will also be compared between the two groups. If this study shows that those who drank sodium bicarbonate in labour had an increased chance of vaginal birth and that it is safe, this low-cost, low-risk treatment has the potential to reduce birth interventions for pregnant people and their babies.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.