A pregnancy normally lasts around 40 weeks – plenty of time to get excited and nervous for the miracle that is child birth.
When the day finally arrives where your water breaks there's no way of knowing how long it will actually be until your baby arrives.
For some active labour can last just minutes – but it's more usual to last for eight to 12 hours for a first baby, and around five hours for a second or third pregnancy, according to the NHS.
While you might think it's completely out of your control, Emma Armstrong aka The Naked Doula, an award-winning Birth Coach, Influencer, Hypnobirthing Expert ( thenakeddoula.com ) and speaker at The Baby Show in Birmingham this weekend, has revealed a tasty fruit can actually help speed things up.
Emma, who often shares helpful posts on her Instagram account @thenakeddoula, calls dates the 'super-fruit of birth".
The hypnobirthing expert told The Mirror: "Dates, you either love them or you hate them but when it comes to birth they're causing even the blandest of taste buds to spark with their juicy statistics and ability to create better birthing experiences.
"Dates are considered a real medicine. Scientists now know that dates contain more than 10 substances considered essential for the human body's well-being and continuing health, so is it any surprise that they're a game changer for our body in labour?
"But the truth is they really are aren't a new phenomenon when it comes to birth. The first mention of dates and their relation to birth comes to us in the Quran when Mary is clearly needing a little assistance whilst feeling those intense contraction."
Speaking of the benefits of eating dates, especially for speeding up labour, Emma explained: "Dates provide energy, help muscle tissues and nerve cells develop, and are especially beneficial for those who may be feeling quite exhausted because of their high caloric value.
"Hence why they're a great source of energy for labour. It is like a marathon after all.
"Dates have an oxytocin like effect, increasing sensitivity of the uterus and stimulating contractions. They also reduce the chances of postpartum haemorrhage."
One study showed that women who ate six small, or three large dates a day in the four weeks leading up to their due date were 74% more dilated, 21% more likely to go into labour spontaneously, and had 77% shorter first stage of labour.
Another study, which was published in the Journal of Midwifery & Reproductive Health, found that pregnant women who ate 70-75 grams of dates per day after 37 weeks had 50% higher bishop score at admission to hospital, 43% lower rates of having a caesarean birth, 51% lower rates of vacuum/forceps, 55% less likely to use oxytocin to induce labour and 68% more likely to have a successful vaginal delivery after labour induction.
Further explaining the benefits of dates, Emma explained that they are high in fibre, which "can lower the risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia".
They also have potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and Vitamin K which helps with efficient blood clotting.
However, Emma warned that those who have kidney disease should be cautious when eating dates, and should speak to medical professionals. This also includes those with high blood sugar levels.
You can hear more from Emma on the main stage at www.thebabyshow.co.uk, The UK's Leading Baby & Parenting Show, which takes place May 12-14, 2023, at Birmingham NEC.
