For all those who have attended my prenatal yoga classes and/or prenatal education for couples workshop, you are likely familiar with the many practices we discuss to help achieve the best pregnancy and labour experience possible.
For all those new “mamas-to-be” out there, I’m going to share one of our labour success tips!
DATES!
According to many studies, women who ate 6 dates a day for the four weeks leading up to their due date (this means start eating at 36 weeks!) were significantly more dilated and more likely to:
• Have intact membranes upon admission to the hospital or when your midwife arrives 🙂
• Go into labour spontaneously
• Avoid pitocin (induction)
• And have a shorter first phase of labour
• Higher Bishop scores at admission to birthplace
• Greater cervical dilation compared
• More successful rates of labour induction
“Dates fruit consumption during late pregnancy has been shown to positively affect the outcome of labour and delivery without adverse effect on the mother and child.”
So why does eating dates during pregnancy help all you mamas-to-be?
Researchers have found that date fruit has an oxytocin-like effect on the body, leading to increased sensitivity of the uterus. It also helps stimulate uterine contractions and reduces postpartum hemorrhage the way oxytocin does. They also found that it contains many nutritional benefits for pregnant mamas.
“Date fruit contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids, which are involved in saving and supplying energy and construction of prostaglandins. In addition, serotonin, tannin, and calcium in date fruit contribute to the contraction of smooth muscles of the uterus. Date fruit also has a laxative effect, which stimulates uterine contractions.”
Dates also contain:
• Natural sugars (fructose) that easily break down in the body and won’t spike blood sugar levels but will offer high energy, which makes dates during pregnancy or labour an excellent choice
• Fiber – Helps you stay full, relieves constipation, and lowers your risk for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
• Potassium – One of the best electrolytes. It helps maintain water/salt balance which helps regulate blood pressure
• Magnesium – Support muscular health and helps to alleviate muscle spasms and cramps in pregnancy
• Folate – Getting enough folate will ensure that your baby’s spinal cord matures properly, avoiding neural tube defects
• Vitamin K – maintains proper blood clotting and healthy bones
If you’re not familiar with dates and/or how to incorporate dates into your diet, check out Pinterest and you will be blown away with the number of tasty ways you can easily add dates to your diet!
Here is one of my favourite date recipes
***please keep in mind dates are high in sugar and recipes like this should be treated as - just that, a 'treat' and not your only source of dates!***
For the Caramel:
7 ounces (200g) (1 cup/250mL) pitted soft Medjool dates
1 ½ teaspoons (7mL) peanut butter or other nut or seed butter
Pinch of fine-grain sea salt
For the Chocolate Coating:
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons (100mL) dark chocolate chips
½ teaspoon (2 mL) coconut oil
Flaked sea salt or chia seeds (optional)
Directions:
Blend all first ingredients, roll into small balls place on parchment lined baking sheet and put in freezer for 15 minutes
Melt chocolate and coconut oil
In microwave or double boiler, dip chilled balls in chocolate
Put back on parchment and refrigerate again
Enjoy!!
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Studies mentioned in this post:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989