Eating dates to help labor

DanandVan

I just read that eating 6 date fruits every day for the 4 weeks leading up to one's due date can significantly reduce the need for induction and interventions. Here is a link to the original study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989
I'm going to try it for sure! Anyone hear of this or try it before? 
Edited for grammar!

doozer1345

Yes!! I've been thinking about doing this as well.

saladflambe

If you're gonna do this, allow me to tell you that blending dates with coconut milk and pumpkin pie seasoning (or just cinnamon/other pumpkin pie spices) and ice makes an amaaaazing smoothie  

lionstigersbears

I did this last time! Figured it couldn't hurt. Almond milk, a banana, dates and yogurt was pretty yummy!

littlebb22

I've never heard of this- can't hurt to try! Thanks!

Chappy_jr

I'm planning on doing it.  It seems to be the only natural method that is empirically based, as odd as it sounds.  I already eat at least one Lara bar a day (for breakfast or for a snack) so adding a few more in will be easy and those smoothie ideas y'all are throwing out sound delicious!  At the very least, it could help with constipation...

kp90

Of course it has to be a gross fruit I don't like... I think I might try the smoothie recipe mentioned though!

mmemartinez

I will probably also try this. I love dates so that's a plus!

DanandVan

I didn't even think of eating dates in smoothies or Lara bars! Thanks for the tips!
My husband LOVES making bacon wrapped dates...if I tell him I need to eat 6 dates everyday I am pretty sure he will make these all the time. (Wrap bacon around a date with a sprinkle of brown sugar and bake at 375 until bacon is done). 

missnc77

All the more reason to eat the most superior cereal on the market.

JessicaB0627

I've been thinking about trying it. I don't know if I'll be able to eat the full 6 every day, but I'll try! I also love date bars, so that's a good excuse to make some. 

saraleigh2

My birth class mentioned this and I like dates, so yes I'm in too! 

kbrands7

Just bought dates yesterday to try this!

eaorear

I'm definitely going to start in the next couple of weeks. 

TheThornBird

DanandVan said:

I didn't even think of eating dates in smoothies or Lara bars! Thanks for the tips!
My husband LOVES making bacon wrapped dates...if I tell him I need to eat 6 dates everyday I am pretty sure he will make these all the time. (Wrap bacon around a date with a sprinkle of brown sugar and bake at 375 until bacon is done). 

If you want to make bacon wrapped dates even better, stuff them with bleu cheese

Pascal86

I'm tempted to start this now (31 weeks) but worried I'll get sick of dates by my final month if I do, so maybe I'll wait. But definitely intrigued by the article and going to give it a try!

balamama

not to rain on the date parade but 6 dates has ~550 calories and a ton of sugar... so may not be a great idea for those with GD.

rlworzalla

What does a date taste like?  I"ve never had one before and would like to know before investing in a bag....

lalala2004

Chappy_jr said:

I'm planning on doing it.  It seems to be the only natural method that is empirically based, as odd as it sounds.  I already eat at least one Lara bar a day (for breakfast or for a snack) so adding a few more in will be easy and those smoothie ideas y'all are throwing out sound delicious!  At the very least, it could help with constipation...

I eat Lara Bars, too. How many dates do you think that is?

proudparent2b

rlworzalla said:

What does a date taste like?  I"ve never had one before and would like to know before investing in a bag....

They're super sweet with a sort of raisin/fruit paste like taste and texture. Personally I can't stand the taste, unless they're in a Larabar.

mumbolino

I've been craving them this entire pregnancy so I'm definitely on the date train. If you don't like them hide them in your smoothies:-) 

camillaandcarson

We buy larabars in bulk here. 

Soontobejones33

6 dates a day for four weeks? That's a lot of anything. And dates are not small like grapes, unless I'm mistaken. ( Which is possible because I only just looked at images on google.) Doesn't the study identify what makes it work?

proudparent2b

Soontobejones33 said:

6 dates a day for four weeks? That's a lot of anything. And dates are not small like grapes, unless I'm mistaken. ( Which is possible because I only just looked at images on google.) Doesn't the study identify what makes it work?

Well, they're bigger, but it was the closest comparable I could think of off the top of my head.

mumbolino

You can use them as a sweetener if you own a strong blender if you dont like the taste:-) 

JoMunson

I've been doing ten dates in my smoothies since hitting month 8. I love dates! To me, they taste like little melt in your mouth sugar bombs, which is probably why I love them. If you put them in a smoothie they add a real sweetness, you can chop them up with almonds and raisins for an energy bite (like Lara Bars), eat them raw (I bring them with me if I know I won't have access to food for awhile, like a big trip) and they're friggin amazing dipped in peanut butter. An Instagram I follow called naturally Stephanie eats a lot of dates and is always trying something new! She sometimes cuts them in half and then puts peanut butter and vegan chocolate sauce on them!!
for those with GD, something to know about dates is that raw vegans use them as a primary energy source (consuming as many as 20 a day) because of the high glycemic index, so you might wanna just be careful.
in closing- I ❤️ Dates.

Chappy_jr

I don't know the official recipe but the original Larabar - Cashew Cookie - says it has 1/4 cup of fruit, so I would estimate this to be about two dates per bar  which tastes about right.  

vinerie

babyfmama said:

not to rain on the date parade but 6 dates has ~550 calories and a ton of sugar... so may not be a great idea for those with GD.

I was just gonna say...we eat these for dessert sometimes. I think six a day would be tough, actually. But I do like the idea of something reducing the risk of needing to be induced!

yogahh

babyfmama said:

not to rain on the date parade but 6 dates has ~550 calories and a ton of sugar... so may not be a great idea for those with GD.

For that many calories, I would rather go to DQ and get a Blizzard...

balamama

yogahh said:

babyfmama said:

not to rain on the date parade but 6 dates has ~550 calories and a ton of sugar... so may not be a great idea for those with GD.

For that many calories, I would rather go to DQ and get a Blizzard...

hahah that's what I was thinking

JoMunson

So I just googled how many calories in one date and it said 66, which means 6 dates would only have about 396 calories. To me that's a pretty reasonable snack. They only have .3 grams of fat, and have one gram of protein per date. They do have 16 grams of sugar, but this is fructose sugar so it's sugar your body likes (as opposed to sugar without fiber). It also has 15 mg of calcium! We all need that as our babies bones are hardening. 
Dates are also rich in fiber and easy to digest quickly. They also contain b vitamins and iron (which is great for those of us who are anemic). They also contain magnesium, and if you're a crunchy mama like me you know upping your magnesium around the time of birth can help you heal faster. 
and as for shortening labor, a 2011 study found that eating dates helped dialate the cervix. This study is flawed in that it only looked at 68 women over a 4 week period, but here's an overview of the study and its findings:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov//pubmed/21280989/
Just thought I'd put in my date loving two cents before we get too DQ crazy.

LadySamLady

The package of pitted dates I have indicates 120 calories for 5 on the nutrition facts. I started eating them and drinking red raspberry leaf tea this week, I'm happy to do whatever I can to up my chances of going into labor on my own as long as it is natural and safe. 

DanandVan

https://pin.it/3SyzsEZ
Peanut butter stuffed chocolate dipped dates. Supposed to taste like Snickers! 

DanandVan

How is everyone doing with eating dates everyday? I keep looking for new ways to incorporate dates as I get bored of eating them the same few ways, and I don't like just eating them plain.
My NEW favorite way is a chai date smoothie. Its pretty freaking fantastic. 

1 frozen banana (sliced)
1/4 cup greek yogurt
4 dates
1/3 cup Tazo chai (they sell this on the shelf at Target and grocery stores)
1/3 cup milk or soy/almond milk

Lusitano8

I like dates so I've just kept a tub at my desk and have them as a snack. I didn't get my 6 a day over the weekend but at work it's easy to snack on them!
DanandVan if I made those I might eat the whole batch!

hellogoodbye2

I keep forgetting to pick these up at the store!

ayeshaohara

hellogoodbye2 said:

I keep forgetting to pick these up at the store!

Me too and I was there today!!! 

yogahh

They look like giant cockroaches to me. Only way I can have them is in a smoothie so I dont have to look at them. I have been having one a day since Saturday

milk
splash of bolthouse farms vanilla protein shake
6 dates
banana
ice
cinnamon

Tastes like a vanilla milkshake. Might throw some strawberries in it tomorrow to spice it up

I mentioned to my dr about the dates and she had NO idea what I was talking about
She also had no idea what stinging nettle leaf that is in every pregnancy tea was either. I am iffy about this dr...

ayeshaohara

yogahh said:

They look like giant cockroaches to me. Only way I can have them is in a smoothie so I dont have to look at them. I have been having one a day since Saturday

milk
splash of bolthouse farms vanilla protein shake
6 dates
banana
ice
cinnamon

Tastes like a vanilla milkshake. Might throw some strawberries in it tomorrow to spice it up

I mentioned to my dr about the dates and she had NO idea what I was talking about
She also had no idea what stinging nettle leaf that is in every pregnancy tea was either. I am iffy about this dr...

I don't know what stinging nettle leaf tea is either. Sometimes we (health practitioners) don't find out about "alternative medicines" until our patients tell us about them because there's enough to know about mainstream medicines as it is. I don't plan to use a pregnancy tea so I haven't taken any notice of what's in them...that may be the case with this doc! I also didn't know about the dates until someone posted because it's only one study...one study doesn't make it proven and widely known about unfortunately. I also can't remember what day it is anymore

js8812

yogahh said:

They look like giant cockroaches to me. Only way I can have them is in a smoothie so I dont have to look at them. I have been having one a day since Saturday

milk
splash of bolthouse farms vanilla protein shake
6 dates
banana
ice
cinnamon

Tastes like a vanilla milkshake. Might throw some strawberries in it tomorrow to spice it up

I mentioned to my dr about the dates and she had NO idea what I was talking about
She also had no idea what stinging nettle leaf that is in every pregnancy tea was either. I am iffy about this dr...

I have the same cockroach thought and have to have mine blended too.  Plus, I don't think I can do that texture.  I do almond milk, ice galore, PB, banana, 6 dates, and spinach.  So good.

LadySamLady

js8812 said:

yogahh said:

They look like giant cockroaches to me. Only way I can have them is in a smoothie so I dont have to look at them. I have been having one a day since Saturday

milk
splash of bolthouse farms vanilla protein shake
6 dates
banana
ice
cinnamon

Tastes like a vanilla milkshake. Might throw some strawberries in it tomorrow to spice it up

I mentioned to my dr about the dates and she had NO idea what I was talking about
She also had no idea what stinging nettle leaf that is in every pregnancy tea was either. I am iffy about this dr...

I have the same cockroach thought and have to have mine blended too.  Plus, I don't think I can do that texture.  I do almond milk, ice galore, PB, banana, 6 dates, and spinach.  So good.

I also find them very cockroachy. I really wish I had a blender because I can't hang with eating them anymore. I know I could just go get a blender but that takes effort.