Fast for a woman who had bleeding in the beginning of pregnancy

A woman had some bleeding at the beginning of the second month of her pregnancy. After checking her, the gynecologist said that she shouldn’t fast, since this may cause contractions of the uterus, which, in turn, may cause a miscarriage. What should she do on Yom Kippur? How much can she eat and drink, and at what intervals?

In principle, slight bleeding in the beginning of pregnancy is not considered dangerous to the pregnancy, and does not constitute a reason to drink on a fast day. But if a doctor told the woman that she should not fast, and it’s a doctor who observes the commandments, the woman should listen to him and drink in small portions. The way to drink in small portions is thus: she should drink less than a “full gullet”, that is, about 35-40 ml. She can drink this amount about every ten minutes. Generally speaking, there is no need to start drinking on the night of Yom Kippur, and she can wait with this until the morning. The reason is that before this the body is saturated with the liquids that were consumed before the beginning of the fast. Also, there is no need to eat in this case, unless the doctor says otherwise.

If one is careful to drink this amount every ten minutes, it’s not difficult at all to reach the amount of fluids that is recommended by the doctor, without ever consuming an amount that entails punishment. It’s better for the woman to stay home and rest than to go to the synagogue.  

Shulchan Oruch, section Orach Chaim, chapter 618