I hate dates and I believe that they might be helpful for labor prep. Sound like you? Whether or not you like dates, if you’re here for a date recipe to try as you are getting ready for the birth of your babe, I got you! These little chocolate covered goodies do a great job of hiding whatever flavor it is about dates that turns me off. I also love having a stash of these prepped and ready for when I don’t feel like making a smoothie, baking something with dates, etc.
Want my favorite Date Smoothie recipe for all of this too? That’s right here!
Before we get to the recipe, I want to give you a really quick rundown on why dates for labor prep are all the rage lately. I think it’s helpful to know WHY everyone is eating (or choking ?) these down before you decide whether or not you want to try it as well.
Who is The Labor Mama and Why Am I Here?
Hey friend! I’m Lo – also known around here and social media as The Labor Mama. I’ve spent my nursing career in labor, delivery, and postpartum, have birthed 4 of my own babies, have labored thousands of mamas at the bedside, have taught thousands of students online, and have even delivered a few speedy little babies with my bare hands (oops).
Here at TLM, I offer online classes about birth, postpartum, newborn care, and breastfeeding to empower you the way everyone should be. The education + support I offer gives you experience, evidence, and empathy; you’re getting all of my years of “clinical” RN knowledge, honestly combined with my real experiences as a mama and a nurse. These are not your average hospital classes (those won’t do it, I promise), and honestly, birth, postpartum, and breastfeeding don’t follow a textbook or protocol anyway. You need to know so much more than that!
If you want to connect with me further, head to Instagram. There are hundreds of thousands of us over there learning together daily.
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Does eating dates really help labor and birth?
I actually have a FULL blog post on this topic, which you should definitely jump over to really quickly and read. You can find that right here. But here is a really brief rundown for you too.
Decent evidence shows us that if you eat dates each day, for about 20 days before birth (so most start around week 37 or so), it could help “ripen” your cervix. This means the cervix is soft, stretchy, and super ready (and efficient) for labor. It does not mean that you will start contracting! ⇠ I hear people say this a lot, that “dates will induce you.” That’s not true! But, they might get your body more ready.
Overall, eating dates could:
- Shorten your early phase of labor
- Decrease your chance of postpartum bleeding
- Lower your risk of induction or augmentation
- Lead to a “riper” cervix (better Bishop Score)
- Decrease chance of early rupture of membranes
- Reduce your length of pregnancy
? As a reminder (it’s covered in the full article on dates as well), if you do want to try to eat dates, run it by your provider first at a prenatal appointment! Just get the all clear from them and then you’re very likely good to go!
Another helpful read: Cervical Dilation and Effacement: What Do They Mean?
Ok, let’s get you to this dates recipe ⇣
BIRTH PREP CHOCOLATE DATES RECIPE
SALTED CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER DATES
Ingredients
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- 2 TBSP of nut butter (I prefer peanut butter, but use what you like!)
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 6 ounces of dark chocolate chips/melting chocolate
- Sea salt
- See note about almonds/nuts
Directions
- Slice each date lengthwise, but not all the way through! If they aren’t pitted, remove the pit. Use a small spoon to fill each date with your chosen nut butter. I’m generous with mine, but you do want the date to be able to “close” around the filling!
- If you are using chopped nuts/almond, etc. place a sprinkle of those or the roasted almond into the middle of the date before closing.
- Place your stuffed dates onto a plate or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I like to freeze my dates to harden them quicker, so I use a plate that will fit into my freezer.
- In a microwave safe bowl or double boiling, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together. Do this slowly, stirring to combine, just until melted.
- Using a toothpick, dunk each date into the chocolate, fully covering. Lift out and let extra chocolate drip off, then transfer covered date back to plate or cookie sheet. Repeat this process with each date, and then sprinkle all of them with sea salt. If you feel that you are not moving quick enough to salt before they begin to harden, stop and salt in between every 3-4 dates.
- Place the plate/sheet into the refrigerator or freezer to harden the chocolate. This takes about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Transfer to a lidded container and store in the refrigerator!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: I have seen these made “snickers” style which includes nuts/almond inside and/or crushed and sprinkled on the outside many times. I don’t prefer them with nuts, so I’ve built my recipe that way! But it is absolutely something you can include!
Alright, that’s what I’ve got for you! Like I’ve said, as someone who does NOT love dates, the peanut butter/salt combo here really does a good job of covering up some of the taste I just don’t love. I also love how easy it is to grab these, particularly for those days when you don’t have the time to make a smoothie or bake something new.
Another recipe to try: Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Date Smoothie
Let me know in the comments if you’ve made something similar and have any sort of add-ins that the crowd needs to know about! xx- Lo
More resources (and freebies!) for you to take a peek at are below, and don’t forget about my online course options here:
