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Benefits of Eating Dates for Pregnancy & Birth

Benefits of Eating Dates for Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum

Our Divine Dates are in our Superfoods Snack Bundle! 🤤 Featuring deliciously healthy lactation snacks for moms who have only one hand to curb off hanger.  Perfect to eat during nursing👩🏻‍🍼or when rocking your #newborn to sleep. 😴 Read below about the evidence of dates and the benefits of eating dates for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

The Evidence of Dates

𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 for 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆, birth, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗺:

1. Nutrition: Dates are a good source of fiber, antioxidants, Vitamin C, B6, magnesium, and potassium. These nutrients aid healthy skin, tissues, and collagen synthesis, which support tissue integrity during birth. Dates provide energy and help constipation, which can be beneficial in the early #postpartum period when women experience fatigue and discomfort during bowel movements.

2. Low glycemic: Dates are considered low glycemic due to their high fiber content, which slows down digestion and absorption of carbs, improving satiety and preventing spikes in #blood #sugar levels after a meal.

3. Labor Preparation: A 2011 Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology study found women who consumed dates in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy had a significantly higher chance of #spontaneous labor. It found those who ate dates had a reduced need for labor augmentation, and a shorter labor (latent phase) compared to the non-date group.

4. Cervical ripening: A 2007 Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology study showed those consuming dates had higher Bishop scores compared to the non-date group, a higher proportion of intact membranes and a lower need for pitocin augmentation. 

5. Shorter Labor Duration: A 2014 #Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health #study showed those eating dates during late #pregnancy had a shorter first stage of #labor compared to those who didn’t eat #dates.

6. Softening of tissues: Dates contain natural sugars and enzymes that soften the #cervix and promote tissue elasticity. Softening the cervix may reduce the risk of perineal tearing during #birth. Dates contain compounds that may help stimulate uterine #contractions and facilitate cervical ripening.

#postpartumMeals #postpartumMealDelivery #lactation #nursing #breastfeeding

Order our Superfood Snack Bundle at nourishmealdelivery.com>>

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Suggested Readings

Nourish Birth Suggested Readings

Books for Expecting Mothers

Books for Expecting Fathers

Books for Children and Expecting Siblings

Books for Pet Assimilation

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Labor Pain Management

Labor Pain Management

 

Labor pain is one of the primary fears expecting mothers have about the physical aspect of childbirth.  Educating yourself on evidence-based and proven pain management techniques can help you make better decisions during labor and give you tools to manage your body AND your mind while birthing your baby.

Proven ways to cope with labor pain

FACT: Controlling your mind and what you’re thinking actually helps control labor pain! Scientists termed this the “central nervous system control method” of labor pain management and includes obtaining continuous physical and emotional support from a Birth Doula, doing deep breathing, utilizing hypnotherapy/hypnobirthing or hypnobabies, and incorporating relaxation tools such as aromatherapy with essential oils such as lavender, frankincense, and rose for relief of anxiety and fear, as well as music.

FACT: Scientist deem the “gate control theory” as a method of activating your nerves in a non-painful way at the same time you’re experiencing pain. It’s like a distraction. You involuntarily flood your nerves with other stimuli which blocks pain signals from reaching your brain! This is proven through experiencing comfort measures while in labor. These are tools Birth Doulas perform and/or also teach your partner to help you with while you’re in the process of delivering your baby. Methods include receiving massage on certain pressure points of your body, moving your body in certain positions and rocking with birth balls and rebozos, laboring in the shower or a warm tub of water, and using both warm packs and TENS units.

Support During Childbirth

FACT: Scientists concluded that expecting women who had support from a Birth Doula was one of the most effective methods, as each were given a tailored approach including a combination of multiple methods to address labor pain.

FACT: In 2014 researchers compiled all research ever conducted on non-drug approaches and found using both gate control and central nervous system methods to be very effective, actually decreasing the outcome of epidurals while increasing birth satisfaction rates. In fact, through random assignments of being offered drugs or a central nervous system method, scientists discovered that women who were first offered the central nervous system approach experienced a greater chance of natural birth: fewer interventions such as Pitocin to induce labor, fewer cesarians, forceps, and vacuum-assisted deliveries, and shorter labors!

FACT: ACOG, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, actually recommends women in labor be offered non-pharmacological methods because no adverse or no side effects have been found to these methods.

Learn more about the differences in pain and suffering by watching Rebecca Dekker’s Evidence Based Birth’s Pain Management Series below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast.

Resources:

Try Hypnobabies for an Enjoyable Birth

Ditch those old-school pain-coping methods!

Learn about Hypnobabies Childbirth Education, a more enjoyable and easier method for birthing.