Due date…came and went…

….with no baby! But that’s ok….we’re just convinced that I have created such a wonderful and comfortable home for Baby McReynolds in the womb that he does not want to come out! Saturday night we went to a family wedding in Jasper Alabama. It was a two hour car ride…which equated to one bathroom stop each way. Wal Mart on the way there, and a Chevron on the way home. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and we wish Matt and Rebecca all the best for many years to come!

On our due date…I (somewhat jokingly) tried a bunch of things to naturally induce labor. For breakfast I had pineapple. For lunch, I had eggplant parmesan. And as part of dinner, Clint made some awesome “ABT”s (Atomic Buffalo Turds = jalapenos (from our garden) stuffed with cream cheese and then wrapped in bacon) on the Big Green Egg after smoking a pork butt. I looked some of the wives tales/myths up….and here is what I found:

PINEAPPLE: “Pineapple is not supposed to induce labor, but rather is thought to be a cervical ripening agent that stimulates prostaglandins.”



EGGPLANT PARM: “The eggplant parmesan was also in vogue for a time. While this dish may have been contributing to labor, it is probably not due to the eggplant but rather to the seasonings in the dish. Both basil and oregano are herbs contraindicated in pregnancy due to their potential ability to start labor.”



SPICY FOODS: “Certain spicy foods release capsasins, which may be counterproductive in labor. When the baby descends down the birth path, the pressure exerted releases endorphins into the woman's body. These endorphins are a natural pain-killer. In effect, the capsasins counteract the endorphins and rob the mother of her natural ability to have a pain-free birth.” … hmmm … that was not what I want!!!!



While reading and researching online…I came across this other natural inducer: Licorice! Which made me laugh because 1) I LOVE licorice and 2) I had a bunch on Saturday night at the wedding. Rebecca and Matt had a black, white and pink theme going and they had a “candy bar” which contained black licorice and Good & Plentys!


LICORICE: “Licorice, the real licorice candy, the black kind, is thought to also stimulate the production of prostaglandins. This is due to the chemical, glycyrrhizin.”
I read that eating licorice contained a warning:
WARNING: Eating lots of licorice might also result in mild diarrhea, which causes intestinal contractions that may lead to sympathetic uterine contractions. (This would not be the result I am looking for!!!!)
REFERENCE: http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/

We had a nice visit with Clint’s parents yesterday. They were in Alabama for the family wedding and planned to spend Sunday with us and depart on their drive back to Texas on Monday morning. They arrived at our house around noon on Sunday. When we returned from church, we were greeted with several beautiful flower arrangements from the wedding. They certainly add a lot of color to our home and they smell wonderful! We went to Olive Garden for lunch (that’s where I had the eggplant!), showed off the nursery, watched some TV, played Sequence and ate a wonderful smoked dinner (pork butt and ABTs!). And then of course we went for a long walk with Nash….another natural labor inducer! Here is the theory on walking:
WALKING: “Every time you walk, you are using one of the natural ways to induce labor. Yes, that's right. Walking is a time-honored method of speeding labor. It uses the forces of gravity to aid in ripening the cervix to prepare for the birth of your new baby. With every step you take you're one step closer to labor!”