It's Alice Turner here. I am a doula, a childbirth educator and I spin this wheel of birth to get the
topic that we're going to talk about today. Let's do it. Okay so number 21 we've got eating dates.
So, do you eat dates? I have found that when I talk about this topic in my childbirth class some
people are like "what the heck is a date even?" So, a date is really part of the Mediterranean
diet and it is a fruit you might hear called a date fruit and it's about this big kind of brown
and it's very sweet kind of very sugary tasting. Now, what researchers have studied over the past
couple of years is whether eating dates has any effect on the ripening of your cervix. So,
I mentioned a few words in there that might be a little confusing. First of all, ripening of your
cervix what does that mean? So, our cervix (as you guys probably know or you might have seen in this
video dilation or this one effacement) that the cervix has to open and thin in order for our baby
to be born. That is really the process of labor. That the cervix has to change from thick and hard
and closed and pointed backwards to open and thin and pointed towards in our anterior. So, what this
the study has the results of the study was that eating dates in your final weeks of pregnancy
will actually help ripen the cervix. So, help prepare the cervix for opening and for labor. Now,
what that usually means is help thin the cervix. That effacement. Now, you might be wondering like
"why would we want to do that?" Okay so, the that eating dates or wanting to ripen your cervix get
your cervix ready for birth is that a lot of our providers (especially it varies who you're seeing
in the comfort how comfortable your providers are about going past your due date) but usually
if you go past your due date you have an increased chance of being induced. Having your labor induced
our artificially started. So, if you are someone who is very much not interested in having your
labor induced you might consider doing things to ripen your cervix, get your cervix ready. And so,
eating dates is one of the things that researchers have found can have a positive impact on you going
into labor before your (before not necessarily before your due date but before) 41 weeks. So,
you might be asking "how many dates and when do I start eating them?" Now,
the studies have shown that eating dates in late pregnancy and it is about six dates. So,
six dates a day in your late pregnancy. So, starting at 36 weeks until you go into labor
having six dates a day can decrease the need for induction of Labor or also augmentation of labor
which is adding pitocin to increase the strength of the contractions. Now one special note is if
you are on a special diet because you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or you're
on a controlled diet because of some borderline gestational diabetes definitely talk this over
with your provider because dates contain a lot of sugar and that might have an impact on the
rest of your body. So, make sure you understand that now. How do you eat those dates? I know that
clients of mine have found that if they put them in smoothies that they are a natural sweetener
for smoothie and that that could be a way to get those dates in. Again this is that one of
the reasons you would do this is try to help get your body prepared to go into labor naturally. So,
it's an idea certainly something you can talk to your care provider about and again I'm going
to put more information down below so you can read more about those dates and maybe even try them for
the very first time. Okay guys if you found this video helpful hit like and let me know. Subscribe
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Also on the screen you'll find three other videos that are really popular in our big wheel of birth
series and I'd love for you to check them out and I'll see you there see you next time bye guys!