Fasting on Tisha B’Av

Shalom, I know you already answered generally about fasting when pregnant but I was hoping for some specific guidance. I will be approximately 2 weeks before my due date (M"H) on Tisha B’Av. I have had a difficult pregnancy and have needed to be hospitalized twice due to severe dehydration. However, i have been doing much better in the last couple of months and have not had this problem recently. I generally do not fast well, even when not pregnant, and because I tend to dehydrate easily and get severe migraines I have previously been given a heter to not fast on the lesser fast days; however I always have fasted for Tisha B’Av and Yom Kippur. I would like to do the right thing, recognizing the importance of this fast. My doctor has suggested that becoming dehydrated could cause me to go into early labor, but I do not know that she really understands the seriousness of the fast. I do not have a relationship with a local Rav to speak to about this. Thank you for your guidance. Kol tuv, Ariela

Shalom, Firstly, may you be blessed with a wonderful birth and a healthy and holy baby. As you write, it would be better to discuss these issues with a local Rabbi who can address the question with much more clarity than can be done via this internet format. But, if this is your best source of a Rabbinic ruling, based on what you have written you should not fast on the 9th of Av. We take medical opinion very seriously, especially based on your having been treated for dehydration. On this fast (as opposed to Yom Kippur) you should eat and drink normally and should not limit yourself at all (except for refraining from delicacies such as chocolate ice-cream etc). Let me be totally clear - unless you get a different Rabbinic ruling from a Rabbi who you speak to personally, it if forbidden for you to try and be strict and fast, rather you are obligated to eat and drink so as to take the best care you can of yourself and child. Blessings.