eating dates to help ease labor?

[purpledragonfly]

I've just been reading today that eating dates, especially during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, may help a woman go into labor spontaneously, keep membranes intact longer, quicker cervical dilation, and less postpartum bleeding.  Does anyone eat dates for the last few weeks of pregnancy, and do you think it helped with your labor? Can I start eating them any time, or just the last 4 weeks or so?

[prescottchels]

lol I've read TONS of info on websites/blogs, birth stories, books, etc on nutrition & pregnancy/labor/delivery and I've NEVER ever heard of that before...

Anyone else? 

ETA: Where did you read that??

[purpledragonfly]

I heard about it from a doula friend of mine, so I googled it, and came up with a ton of pages about it.

[prescottchels]

Hmmmm...interesting...I wonder if anyone here has heard about it and/or tried it??

[samtab]

There is evidence that it is effective.  Check out this link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989/

I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and have just started consuming 6 dates per day, as I'll try pretty much anything to prepare for labour and prevent tearing.  I'll let you know if it made any difference in a month or so :)

[JamieCatheryn]

Apparently there's a long custom of dates for childbearing women in Islamic culture, in fact it's mentioned in the Quran.

[prescottchels]

Well, how 'bout that! Learn somethin' new everyday