Let's face it, you'd be hardpressed to find a woman who would turn down the idea of enduring a shorter, less painful childbirth, so we imagine that the findings of one particular study will signal welcome news to millions of mums-to-be.
According to a study conducted by Jordan University of Science and Technology, in an effort to reduce the discomfort and duration of one's labour, pregnant women should begin eating dates in the final four weeks of their nine-month journey.
Dividing 69 expectant mothers into groups, researchers established that those who included dates in their diet prior to the arrival of their infant suffered considerably less than those who abstained.
Experts in the field established that the women who consumed the fruit were significantly more dilated that their counterparts upon hospital admission while 95% of date-eaters went into spontaneous labour in comparison to 79% in the other group.
Further to this, analysis showed that those who consumed dates in the final stages of their pregnancy took 8.5 hours to fully dilate in comparison to the other group who took, on average, 15.1 hours.
While experts recommend including the fruit in your diet if pregnant, they are eager to remind any mum-to-be suffering from gestational diabetes to consult their practitioner prior to consumption.
The study was published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
