Dates: Do they really ease labor?

Paying close attention to how we care for our body is very important in the final days leading up to your birth.

Beyond eating nourishing food and staying hydrated, new studies have found that dates can help during this transition. Researchers in this study noted that eating an average of 6 dates per day, for the 4 week prior to your labor had some interesting results!

“The women who consumed date fruit had significantly higher cervical dilatation upon admission compared with the non-date fruit consumers- 3.5 cm vs 2 cm.

The date eaters had significantly higher proportion of intact membranes upon admission (83% vs 60%).

Spontaneous labor occurred in 96% of those who consumed dates, compared with 79% women in the non-date fruit consumers.

The first stage of labor was shorter in women who consumed date fruit compared with the non-date fruit consumers- 8.5 hours vs 15 hours.”

So why are dates effective?

Date fruit contains 13 vital substances and 5 kinds of vitamins, fatty acids, and sugars.

Dates contain: calcium, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, calcium, potassium, A, K, and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), niacin, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin which provide their own unique preventive and healing functions.

Date fruit also influences estrogen and progesterone hormones, which are effective in preparing the uterus and cervical ripening.

Dates are high in fiber.

They contain Tannins and antioxidants which fight infection, and are anti-hemorrhagic.

Date palm fruits possess high nutritional and therapeutic value with significant antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-proliferative properties.