--- title: Why Medjool Dates are Good for Labor description: Medjool dates are more than a sweet superfood--they are the perfect pre-labor food, offering unique benefits to support labor. Get the finest medjool dates here! image: https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/Joolies%20Updated%20Image/image00003-1%20(1).jpeg --- [![Joolies California Superfruit](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_logo_tm11.png)](https://joolies.com/) - [Shop](https://joolies.com/collections/all) - [Find Us](https://joolies.com/pages/find-us) - [Recipes & More](https://blog.joolies.com/) - [Date-able Recipes](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/date-able-recipes) - [Company News](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/company-news) - [Healthy Living](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/healthy-living) - [Dates 101](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/dates-101) - [Our Dates](https://joolies.com/pages/our-dates) - [Sustainability](https://go.joolies.com/sustainability) - [Our Story](https://joolies.com/pages/our-story) - [Wholesale](https://go.joolies.com/wholesale) [![julies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/Joolies_June_2019/Images/logo.svg)](https://joolies.com/) ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/Scree8oluynshot_111.png) # Date Book [All](https://blog.joolies.com/) [Date-able Recipes](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/date-able-recipes) [Company News](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/company-news) [Healthy Living](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/healthy-living) [Dates 101](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/dates-101) # Why Medjool Dates are Good for Labor 4 Minute Read Tags: [Healthy Living](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/healthy-living) [Dates 101](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/dates-101) Written by [Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT](https://blog.joolies.com/author/lauren-manaker-ms-rdn-ldn-clec-cpt) ![](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/Joolies%20Updated%20Image/image00003-1%20(1).jpeg) *Medjool dates are more than just a sweet superfood--they are the perfect pre-labor food for mamas, offering unique benefits when it comes to supporting labor too. * Dates are great for taming a sweet tooth, supporting healthy bowel movements, and supplying the body with important nutrients like potassium and iron. But did you know that dates are also a [superfood for mamas-to-be](https://blog.joolies.com/medjool-date-health-benefits-pregnancy) who are close to their due date?  Sure, dates are a fantastic addition to a pregnancy-friendly diet for the more obvious reasons, like their impressive nutrient density and antioxidant richness. But eating these sweet morsels of fruit has been shown to offer some unique benefits when it comes to supporting labor too. ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Joolies%20Updated%20Image/image00002.jpg?width=889&name=image00002.jpg) ## Cervical Ripening Let’s take a step back and think about what needs to happen for natural birth to occur. The cervix, or the lower end of the uterus, is usually quite firm --- too firm to allow a baby’s head to make its way through it. This is why your cervix must ripen, or soften, before you start pushing.  Although some may be more of an old wives' tale than truly evidence-based remedies, there are some things women can do that may get the ball rolling in the cervical softening department, including going for a walk or having unprotected intercourse (seriously!).  When it comes to cervical ripening-supporting foods, noshing on about 5 dates every day during the last few weeks of pregnancy has been [shown to help improve cervical ripening](https://jmrh.mums.ac.ir/article_2772.html), making them a perfect pre-labor food for future mamas. ## Medjool Dates are the Perfect Pre-Labor Food In one study, researchers found that women who ate 6 dates a day for the 4 weeks before delivery [had the following results](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21280989/): - higher cervical dilatation and ripening at hospital admission - lower c-section rate - less need for certain medications - shorter labor when compared with women who did not eat dates daily. Specifically, according to the results of this study, spontaneous labor occurred in 96% of those who consumed dates, compared with 79% of women in the non-date fruit consumers. And the best news? There is little (if any) downside to eating dates during late pregnancy. So, while more well-designed studies are needed to know whether eating dates during the last weeks of pregnancy will for sure offer these significant benefits, including these tasty treats in your diet won’t hurt anything, and it may help! ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Joolies%20Updated%20Image/IMG_3841-2.jpeg?width=889&name=IMG_3841-2.jpeg) ## Dates are jam-packed with pregnancy-friendly nutrients Dates are jam-packed with key nutrients pregnant women need during pregnancy, including magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium. And when it comes to a perfect food to toss into your hospital bag, dates certainly fit the bill, thanks to these fresh fruits having a long shelf life and staying fresh for a long time. (Pro tip: pack Joolies 3 Date Snack Pack in your hospital bag along with some natural nut butter for a combo that is as satisfying as it is convenient to eat. You may not get snacks served to you after you deliver, and you may be famished after doing all of that hard work!) There are various ways to enjoy dates during your late pregnancy diet. From tossing them into smoothies to using them as a sweetener in energy bites, dates can be included in plenty of dishes that are easy to eat during this stage of your pregnancy journey.  ## **The Bottom line** Including dates in your diet during the last few months of pregnancy may help your body get labor-ready in a natural way while also giving you a boost of sweetness and a slew of important nutrients.  Are you a mom-to-be? Check out more resources [For Mom's here](https://go.joolies.com/moms)! Don't forget date benefits don't just end at birth. Read all the [postpartum](https://blog.joolies.com/should-dates-be-a-part-of-your-postpartum-diet) benefits and [health benefits](https://blog.joolies.com/6-health-benefits-of-dates) of organic medjool dates next!   Written by: Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT Registered Dietician, Nutritionist, Women's Health Expert and Freelance Writer   ## Shop Online Shop Our Online Store Today Joolies organic medjool dates are available in various sizes in Whole and Pit Free. We also carry delicious date-based snacks. Find us in stores across America or shop now! [Buy Now Online](https://joolies.com/cart/add?id=29603558096999) ## Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest promotions, recipes, date-ing tips and giveaway opportunities! ### Subscribe Here! ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png) - [Shop](https://joolies.com/collections/all) - [Find Us](https://joolies.com/pages/find-us) - [Our Dates](https://joolies.com/pages/our-dates) - [Our Story](https://joolies.com/pages/our-story) - [Press](https://go.joolies.com/press) - [Wholesale](https://joolies.com/pages/wholesale) - [Blog](https://blog.joolies.com/) - GET IN TOUCH Grown \[with love\] under the California sun 🌴☀️ Path Copy@3x Created with Sketch. ![date](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5221331/Joolies_June_2019/Images/date-new_250x250.png) [![Joolies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png)](https://joolies.com/collections/frontpage/products/whole) [![Joolies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png)](https://joolies.com/collections/frontpage/products/datesyrup) [![Joolies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png)](https://joolies.com/collections/frontpage/products/pitted) [Shop Now](https://joolies.com/products/whole) [info@joolies.com](mailto:info@joolies.com) © 2020. All Rights Reserved  |  [Design](https://310creative.com/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline":"Medjool Date Benefits During Pregnancy", "image": "https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/New%20Blog%20Compress%20Images/5_10.jpg", "url": "https://blog.joolies.com/medjool-date-health-benefits-pregnancy", "commentCount" : "0", "datePublished": "2020-03-04", "dateModified": "2020-09-08", "inLanguage": "en-US", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://blog.joolies.com/medjool-date-health-benefits-pregnancy" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT" }, "keywords": [ "medjool date benefits during pregnancy" ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Joolies California Superfruit", "url": "https://joolies.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0053/5786/3015/t/34/assets/joolies_logo_tm.png?v=12094821509155848712" } }, "articleSection": [ "Fiber is a pregnant woman’s best friend, and dates are a perfect vessel", "Dates are chock-full of pregnancy-friendly nutrients", "Dates can support a healthy labor", "Dates are a healthy sweet-treat that has a low glycemic index", "Dates-The Perfect Mother’s Day Treat" ], "articleBody": "Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate that special woman in your life who changed your diapers when you were little and wiped your tears when you went through your first break-up. It is also a day to recognize and support the pregnant mamas who are going to be a mother within the next few months. Being pregnant is hard work, so taking some time to recognize and support mamas-to-be on Mother’s Day will go a long way this year. You can surprise the pregnant lady in your life with a bunch of flowers or a fancy brunch, but why not give her something that can help support a healthy pregnancy, help with labor, and provide her with an unexpected sweet-treat? Organic medjool dates are a perfect food for pregnant women for many surprising reasons that we are going to dig into in this article. Medjool dates are considered a fresh fruit and grown on palm trees. Sometimes confused to be dried fruit or prunes, they are naturally sweet and have a caramel-like flavor. They’re also less perishable and long-lasting fruit that you can stock up on! Perfect on their own or for baking. There is nothing glamorous about constipation, but between 16 and 26 percent of pregnant women experience it according to data published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1). For the most part, changes in hormone levels that naturally occur during pregnancy are to blame. Fortunately, there are many remedies available to help a mama get things moving a little more easily. Eating foods that are naturally rich in fiber is a perfect first line of defense. Most adults will need between 25 and 35 grams of fiber per day along with plenty of fluids to encourage regular number 2s. Dates have specifically been shown to help increase bowel movement frequency. In one study, people who ate dates for 21 days experienced increases in bowel movements compared to when they did not eat dates (2). A Joolies 3 Date Snack Pack provides 3 grams of fiber, which accounts for 11% of your daily recommended intake. Skipping the chalky fiber supplements and sneaking in some dates instead is a gentle and natural way to show a pregnant woman’s bowels some love. Trust us, she would much prefer to skip the constipation than be surprised with a dozen red roses any day of the week. If you have ever dreamed about finding a food that is loaded with important nutrients that support a developing baby that also satisfies a sweet tooth, then you are about to have your fantasy become a reality. Dates naturally contain many important nutrients that are needed in higher amounts during pregnancy, including folate, choline, iron, and magnesium according to the USDA (3). Eating a Joolies 3-Date Snack Pack daily along with a prenatal vitamin is a yummy way to ensure that mama is getting the right nutrition to support a growing baby in a simple and sweet way. While pregnancy can be a beautiful time in a woman’s life, sometime during the third trimester many women will start griping that she is SO ready to go into labor. While there are many myths surrounding ways to induce labor, eating dates has some real scientific data supporting their consumption. Specifically, eating dates has been shown to increase cervical ripening. .....Cervical what? Let’s start understanding the concept of cervical ripening by going back to sex-ed 101 and understanding what a cervix is: a tissue that connects the birth canal to the uterus. The cervix needs to ripen, or become softer, in order for labor to take place. No cervical ripening, no labor! When mama reaches the point where she is done with her pregnancy with a capital D, she may want to start bumping up her daily date consumption. Why, you ask? Data has found that eating around 70 grams of dates per day (equal to approximately 5 Joolies medjool dates per day) in late pregnancy may increase cervical ripening (4). 'It is recommended for pregnant women to consume dates to help with cervical ripening, particularly in the last weeks of gestation’, according to an article published in the Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health (5). In one study, researchers found that women who ate 6 dates a day for the 4 weeks before delivery had the following results: higher cervical dilatation and ripening at hospital admission lower c-section rate less need for certain medications shorter labor when compared with women who did not eat dates daily (6). Best of all, no studies have shown a negative effect of eating dates while pregnant. If a woman is late in her pregnancy and is ready to get her baby out of her belly ASAP, eating 5 or more dates per day will certainly not hurt, and may actually help speed things along! Pregnancy cravings aren’t just pickles and ice cream. From salty to sweet, there is no telling what a pregnant woman is going to NEED to eat at any given moment. Dates help satisfy sweet cravings in a healthy way thanks to their low glycemic index (7). With low glycemic foods, the carbs are digested more slowly and are less likely to give blood sugars a spike (8). They are also loaded with vitamins and minerals that sugary gummy bears and sour worms could never compete with. Instead of a box of chocolates this Mother’s Day, dip some Joolies medjool dates in some dark chocolate for an indulgent treat that gives mama a nutritional boost that her body needs. Organic medjool dates are a surprising and no-fuss treat that is perfect for an expectant mother to include in her diet. They are an easy food to toss in a purse in the beginning of the day or to enjoy as a dessert after a satisfying meal. Perfectly versatile, satisfying, and nutritious, Joolies medjool dates are a simple solution for pregnant mamas to help support her on her journey to motherhood. Written by: Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT Registered Dietician, Nutritionist, Women's Health Expert and Freelance Writer" } ```