What Is the Best Food for Labor and Delivery?

Can a humble fruit shorten labor time by hours and with less induction and less postpartum bleeding?

A randomized, controlled trial of hundreds of pregnant women found that having women eat around six dates a day for a few weeks before giving birth can significantly improve “cervical ripening,” the readiness of the cervix, which is the opening to the birth canal. Drugs and surgery can also prep the cervix; “oxytocin is the most common agent used worldwide,” and you may have heard doctors refer to it by the brand name Pitocin. Although it’s effective, “it is associated with multiple adverse side effects,” which can affect both the mom and the baby. If only there were a safe, simple, side-effect-free solution. Well, dates may fit the bill.

Keep reading this article on NutritionFacts.org.