Labor Bread!
Oh ... the waiting days of the very, very pregnant lady. At present I am about 4 days overdue. And getting very impatient.
It's not even the waiting... I'm happy to let this child bake as long as he or she needs. It's the constant "meaning well" texts, phone calls, emails, FB messages asking me "WHERE IS THAT BABY???!"
Trust me. When he or she arrives, I will let you know. Or, I'll probably be too tired to respond. Either way, I'm taking a damn break from answering at this point. I promise you the waiting game is much harder on me than it is on you.
So! I know I'm not the only overdue pregnant lady here. So here are some tricks I've learned to bring on labor naturally:
1) Exercise! Many women have said that long bouts of mild exercise (walking, mostly) can bring on labor.
2) Sex! Yes, very awkward, uncomfortable, "I feel my most un-sexy" sex.
Sperm is considered a prostaglandin that can help dilate the cervix. Good luck to you with that. #lightsoff
3) Red Raspberry leaf tea
Again, has been rumored to soften the cervix. My doula recommends it so I've been drinking about 4 bags of it since week 39.
4) Dates!
Dates, again, can help with cervical softening (effacement). It has been said that eating 6 dates a day can help. Also, they're disgusting.
So, I made this bread chock full of them. I found this recipe on a blog called "What Would Cathy Eat", naturally, of course looking for the lowest sugar recipes. Plus, I loved that it already had walnuts in it, which can help baby's brain development.
Dates already contain a ton of sugar and I didn't want to bother dusting off my food processor to make actual date bars. Which are also loaded with sugar.
Here is the original recipe:
http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011/05/whole-grain-date-walnut-bread/
I increased the amount of dates (again, getting desperate at this point) to 2 cups rather than 1. I also added 2 tablespoons of brewer's yeast in hopes of increasing my milk supply, along with 2 scoops (1/2 cup) of protein powder to boost my stamina in labor. (Which is hopefully coming along soon!)
Whole Grain Date Walnut Bread
2 cup chopped dates
Wet ingredients:
1 cup boiling water 1 egg 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup protein powder (any flavor will do, I used chocolate)
2 tbsp brewer's yeast
2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup chopped walnuts
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a bread pan with cooking spray or coconut oil.
Combine the chopped dates and boiling water in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients.
Once these are prepped and your dates are ready, stir the dates (along with the water) into the wet mixture. Then, fold this in to the large bowl of dry ingredients until well mixed. Fold in walnuts.
Pour into your bread pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy with some coffee and while pacing over a phone filled with anxiety-ridden text messages. Kidding. (Kind of.)
A better use of your time would be to check out all of my Prenatal and Postpartum resources!
Click here for a copy of my most Popular (and FREE) books on how to train for each trimester and exercise considerations for each.
You can also grab a copy of my book, "The Complete Guide to Postpartum Fitness" so you can start preparing for Postpartum fitness as well.
Have additional questions? Please reach out! I'd be honored to be a part of your journey. The waiting game is TOUGH but I know you've got this, mama.