For labour preparation, I often recommend women to eat dates daily starting from 36 weeks of pregnancy all the way to birth. This is usually undertaken along with pre labour acupuncture and raspberry leaf tea from 36 weeks gestation.
How do dates improve labour outcomes?
There is some research to suggest that dates can help to ripen the cervix, improve cervical dilation, and thus may reduce stage I labour times. Furthermore, they may increase the chance of spontaneous labour. This may be due to oxytocin mimicking effects, which improve uterine contractions, leading to a more effective labour (Al-Kuran et al, 2011; Karimi et al, 2020).
How many dates should I eat?
Research shows that approximately 6 dates per day need to be consumed to have this effect. This is quite a lot. In the clinical trials, smaller pitted dates were used in the studies which are more common in Iran and the Middle East. Compared to the larger medjool date species we often find in the fresh food section of our supermarkets, this would compare to approximately 4 dates.
Can I have dates if I have Gestational Diabetes?
I wouldn’t recommend this though for patient’s with gestation diabetes as dates are quite high in natural sugar, which is not suitable for those managing diabetes. Always speak to your midwife or OB before starting dates in pregnancy if you have gestation diabetes.
How can I consume dates for pre labour care?
It doesn’t matter how you consume them. They can be plain, or with peanut butter to create a high calorie ‘snickers’ like snack, in smoothies as a sweetener, in date based bliss balls, or as a chocolate mouse.
Below I have included a couple of recipes sent to me by some of my patients:
Healthy Chocolate Mousse
Dates
Milk (dairy or non dairy)
Greek yoghurt
Chia seeds
Cacao powder
Vanilla Extract
Mix them all together in a blender and blend into a mixture. Place in a jar in the fridge overnight and let it set. It is high in protein, fibre and tastes great. You can set with berries on top or plain.
Chocolate Date Smoothie
1 cup Pure Harvest Almond Milk unsweetened (or milk of your choice)
1 tbsp cacao
1 tsp maple syrup
3-4 dates
a little pinch of sea salt
(Can also add a scoop of unflavoured protein powder)
Throw all the ingredients into a nutribullet or similar blender and blend.
References
Bagherzadeh Karimi, A., Elmi, A., Mirghafourvand, M. et al. Effects of date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on labor and delivery outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 20, 210 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-02915-x
O. Al-Kuran, L. Al-Mehaisen, H. Bawadi, S. Beitawi & Z. Amarin (2011) The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on labour and delivery, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 31:1, 29-31, DOI: 10.3109/01443615.2010.522267
B.C.M (Hons), C.Clin.Prac (China), C.Toyohari. Registered Acupuncturist and Herbalist. Integrative Natural Medicine Practitioner.
Robert is a passionate and warm practitioner who has an extensive knowledge of integrative and functional natural medicine. He is down to earth and has an interest in organic foods, gardening and sustainable living. With over 17 years of experience, he is renowned for being very thorough by both fellow practitioners and patients alike.