Eating Dates

surferP528

If anyone else is trying to get their daily fix of dates to help prepare for labor, I have a great suggestion. Fresh Market has date rolls which list dates and coconut as the only ingredients. They are SO tasty and way better than any of the fresh or dried dates that I've tried. It will be way easier to get my daily 6 dates in like this. Hopefully not too many days left. haha.

MississippiCatfish

I've counted a Luna Bar for a couple dates.  But honestly, I don't seem to have trouble getting my 6 dates in every day! They're pretty tasty!

sherbear09

Im eating 6 a day!

VitaLuna

I'm wondering how many dates are in a Larabar? (I think that's what you meant) I never thought about that. 

I just read the date thing yesterday, so I might try it. 6 is just a lot for something that is so darn sweet! 

I'm starting EPO orally tonight with my MWs blessing. Hopefully something works!

MississippiCatfish

VitaLuna said:

I'm wondering how many dates are in a Larabar? (I think that's what you meant) I never thought about that. 

I just read the date thing yesterday, so I might try it. 6 is just a lot for something that is so darn sweet! 

I'm starting EPO orally tonight with my MWs blessing. Hopefully something works!

Yes, Larabar!  My bad. I don't know, I've just estimated two or three based on their size and the fact that it's the first ingredient?? I did briefly try to google it one day and didn't find anything.  

I kind of have a sweet tooth lately, that must be why I don't have a problem getting them down! I honestly usually plan to snack on them throughout the day, and then just end up eating all six for breakfast:)

I also pinned this recipe, which I think sounds amazing, but haven't tried it! 

https://yumandyummer.com/2012/12/19/coconut-date-bars-how-to-make-your-own-larabars/

PaniaO

Ha. I find this funny. I wish I had a hard time eating dates. I can't even let myself buy them or I'll eat the whole container. e.g. I had the rolls at my shower and ate all of them... 

oxsarah7ox

Why have I not heard of this before, or maybe I have but pregnancy brain has gotten the best of me. I'll start looking into eating them now, but I'm 38 weeks, and probably won't have the full 4 weeks of eating them. Oh well, maybe some is better than none? I have never eaten a date before, so lets be honest about it being a little scary! Terrified lol.

MississippiCatfish

oxsarah7ox said:

Why have I not heard of this before, or maybe I have but pregnancy brain has gotten the best of me. I'll start looking into eating them now, but I'm 38 weeks, and probably won't have the full 4 weeks of eating them. Oh well, maybe some is better than none? I have never eaten a date before, so lets be honest about it being a little scary! Terrified lol.

I was terrified, too!  I'll throw in my two cents.  The two kinds of dates you usually find are deglet noor and medjool...the medjool are WAY too tough for me.  I can't eat them at all - threw away a whole pack.  The deglet noor have more of a raisin texture for me.  Maybe it's just the batch that I got, though?  

Here's the date study.  It's a small sample size, of course, but enough to get me to do it - just for fun! My previous labors were 12 and 18 hours, so we'll see! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989

ETA: Autocorrect fail

surferP528

I'm jealous of all you girls loving dates! My mom was saying she really likes them , too.  Maybe we just get really crappy ones here? Who knows! Not a fan, but forcing them down!

VitaLuna

I HATED dates for a long time.. Probably because my mom always had dry nasty ones growing up. About 2 years ago I bought a box of medjool dates from Costco (in the produce section) to use as a natural sweetener in things like smoothies and they're so tasty! They taste almost caramel-like to me. They get a little less palatable when they start to dry out, though. 

MississippiCatfish

VitaLuna said:

I HATED dates for a long time.. Probably because my mom always had dry nasty ones growing up. About 2 years ago I bought a box of medjool dates from Costco (in the produce section) to use as a natural sweetener in things like smoothies and they're so tasty! They taste almost caramel-like to me. They get a little less palatable when they start to dry out, though. 

The box that I had of medjools was really dry - maybe it was old or not sealed tight. I'll have to give those a try again! It's all Trader Joes has right now. 

I have a date smoothie pinned, too. I just haven't gotten around to trying it. Gonna have to!

RiverWhispering

FTM lurking from March 2016 Moms. I had to reply to this thread because I LOVE using dates for recipes. 

Yep, super sweet and I can only take so many eaten straight. Don't think I could manage to eat a handful of them by themselves every day. But in recipes? Oh my! So many great options. 

One of the best uses for dates are vegan no-bake brownies. Pretty much any recipe you Google by that name will be made almost entirely of dates pulsed with raw coco powder and an extra ingredient or two. So if you're a chocolate fan, easy way to get your date fix. Here's a sample recipe,  UT you can Google a million others (or leave off the ganache to make this one healthier):
https://minimalistbaker.com/no-bake-vegan-brownies-with-chocolate-ganache/

Taking pitted medjool dates (the sweetest juiciest kind) and filling them with blue cheese, baking them on the oven just long enough to become gooey, then topping with a pistachio and drizzling with honey used to be one of my favorite party appetizers. Alas... pregnancy nixes the blue cheese...

If you Google "recipes that use dates" or "desserts that use dates" you'll find tons of great ideas to liven up the prospect of getting those dates down every day. So many great options! Yum!

Good luck to you all!

VitaLuna

My MW recommended vaginal (and oral) evening primrose oil at my last visit, with H there. Today, he commented on how almost a whole box of dates was gone, and I told them they were maybe supposed to help with labor. He looked at me, a little concerned, and said, "where are you putting them.." Haha. 

MississippiCatfish

Just checking back in on the date business!  I just looked at the study again to remind myself what the dates were thought to help with, and overall my "results" were above the averages (that sounds like a brag. Obviously not what I'm goin for): increased dilation upon admit, went into labor spontaneously, membranes in fact and no need for pitocin. My total first stage labor was longer by far, though, than my previous two labors! Overall, I'd call it a win for the dates, though, and I'd do it again;) 

Anybody else?

Shatzegirl

MississippiCatfish said:

Just checking back in on the date business!  I just looked at the study again to remind myself what the dates were thought to help with, and overall my "results" were above the averages (that sounds like a brag. Obviously not what I'm goin for): increased dilation upon admit, went into labor spontaneously, membranes in fact and no need for pitocin. My total first stage labor was longer by far, though, than my previous two labors! Overall, I'd call it a win for the dates, though, and I'd do it again;) 

Anybody else?

I started eating them at 36 weeks and had a spontaneous labor that was about 9 hours shorter than my first. ETA: my membranes were in tact and I think my first phase of labor was shorter. I did need a shot of pitocin after I gave birth because I had a large fibroid which increased my risk of bleeding afterward. 

RiverWhispering

@MississippiCatfish and @Shatzegirl

How many dates did you eat a day on average? I want to incorporate anything and everything that might aid in making labor easier, but I worry about the amount of sugar in dates.... I know one study said that participants consumed 6 dates a day, but that's 87 grams of sugar, that's a lot! Did you two eat that many or did you notice the results that you did after eating less per day on average?

4N6s

I'm 40w6d and I have been eating 6 dates a day since 36 weeks. I think they taste absolutely terrible, so I put them into a smoothie and drink that every night. 
I will update you all if I have a "short" labor. Lol. 

Also, I buy the medjool dates from Costco. 

Lindsaym5!

I ate around 4 medjool dates a day since 35 or 36 weeks I think. This is my second baby but I arrived at the hospital at 5:30pm and delivered her at 8:30pm. Had been having contractions all day but didn't realize I needed to head in until around 5pm. My last labor was 15 hrs long. 

I think the dates and the raspberry tea helped but there were some other variables too. Last time I had an epi and laid in bed.  This time was med free and able to move around. 

Cant be be sure but I would definitely do it again next time. 

RiverWhispering

4N6s said:

I'm 40w6d and I have been eating 6 dates a day since 36 weeks. I think they taste absolutely terrible, so I put them into a smoothie and drink that every night. 
I will update you all if I have a "short" labor. Lol. 

Also, I buy the medjool dates from Costco. 

Will be checking back to hear your birth story. Could be any day now! Good luck!

surferP528

The dates didn't help me -- got induced at 39 weeks for high bp and had a 17 hour labor. Bummer!

tough to say if they would have helped had I been allowed to spontaneously deliver at full term.