Dates are not only delicious, research suggests they are conducive to a natural late-term labour and can help Mamas birth their babies vaginally.
Dates are high in antioxidants, fibre, and iron, making them effective in blood sugar and blood pressure regulation. However, as good as they are for you – and don’t even get me started on how delicious they are – it is important to remember that moderation is key, as dates are quite high in sugar. And thus can lead to weight gain if taken in excess.
To state the obvious: if you are allergic to dates, if you are a gestational diabetic, or if you are any other kind of diabetic, then this delicious fruit is sadly not for you. (You’ll have to hit up my Natural Induction Holistic care pathway for other diet tips instead.)
There is plenty of research available about the many benefits of consuming dates during pregnancy. Some of these benefits include:
Spontaneous Labouring
This particular study (click to read) reported an increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous labour in women who consumed dates during pregnancy vs those who didn’t (96% vs. 79%). Additionally, these date-eating Mamas also experienced a shorter pre-labour (510mins vs 906 min)!
More efficient Cervical Dilatation
This study (click to read) found that women who ate dates antenatally presented to hospital with more dilated cervix upon admission (dilated 4cm vs 3cm). It also reported 47% of these women were more likely to have vaginal birth after an induction, compared to 28% in the controlled group who didn’t consume dates.
LESS likely to have an augmented labour
An augmented labour is when intervention is taken to ‘speed it up’. The intervention can include ARM and/or the Syntocinon drip. In this study (click to read), women who ate 7 dates per day showed a 13% decrease in the need to have an augmented labour with syntocinon. This study (click to read) showed similar outcomes as well. (most likely due to the faster dilation of the cervix staying within hospital protocol).
Additionally, research suggests that when consuming dates antenatally there is:
- Less chance of an induction
- Higher chance at having a vaginal birth if induced
- Less bleeding of the placenta after the birth
Did you know that your ligaments being out of balance can be a huge contributor as to why you’re not going into labour? Book your Body Balancing today!
Unless you are GDM or allergic to dates, eating dates during pregnancy can do no harm. In fact, it may even enhance your labour and birth experience. At Appetence families, we recommend Mamas consume 7 dates each day from 36 – 37 weeks until you birth.
HOT TIP: add some peanut butter to your dates for the most delicious snack ever. Yummm
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