Back when Tracy ran a solo birth doula business, she had a blog called “Dear Abney”. The blog was actually named by a dear client who suggested Tracy take on client questions to post for others to read.
Since we still get questions about eating dates during pregnancy, we thought we would share it here on RCD! Let us know your experience with eating dates! (You can find the original post here.)
Dear Abney,
I’ve heard that it is good to eat dates during late pregnancy. Is this true?
Thanks,
O
Dear O,
Yes! There was a study conducted by The Jordan University of Science and Technology on late pregnancy consumption of dates. They found some interesting/positive results in the group of women who consumed dates compared to those who did not:
- women who ate dates were dilated more when admitted (roughly 3.5cm compared to 2-ishcm)
- women who ate dates had more instances of intact membranes (their water hadn’t broken before labor. 83% versus 60% for the non-date eaters)
- spontaneous labor (the natural start of labor versus induction) occurred in 96% of the women who ate dates (versus 74% in the group of women who did not)
- women who ate dates were less likely to have pitocin (28% versus 47%)
- the length of the first stage of labor was shorter in the women who ate dates (mean time of 510 mins) than those women who had not eaten dates (mean time of 906 minutes)
The study says the women ate approximately 3-7 dates in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy. Go buy that bulk sized container of dates at Costco, whip up something yummy to eat with your date or alone, and enjoy!
Sincerely,
Tracy Abney, Birth Doula
*some of my favorite date recipes:
paleo energy balls
chocolate coconut date balls
banana date smoothie
bacon wrapped dates
moroccan stuffed dates
or just eat them plain!
Here’s another great breakdown of several studies about eating dates during pregnancy.
**also important to note, none of these studies looked at women with GD. As always, to be safe, talk to your provider and discuss any concerns or questions you have.
