**This recipe is not to be consumed unless you have consulted with your doctor and you are past your due date**
I was 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant with my second child and I was miserable. Every joint in my body ached. My pelvic pressure was unreal. I was so sleepy, yet unable to sleep due to being so uncomfortable. Needless to say, I wanted that baby OUT!
I so badly wanted to meet my son, but he was warm and cozy in the womb and did not seem to have any reason to want to start making his way into this world. While I had opted for a hospital birth with my first son, I decided I wanted to birth my second son in the comfort of my home where my partner and eldest child could participate. This decision led me to hire a midwife.
I do not know how I got so lucky with Beth, my midwife. She was patient and explained everything so well to me. Any pregnancy anxieties I had were quickly calmed by a call to Beth.
A great deal of anxiety came at the 41 week mark. I was uncomfortable. I was huge. And I did not feel like I was anywhere near going into labor. That’s when Beth mentioned making a batch of Labor Lemonade.
So just to be clear, this does not actually taste like lemonade. She simply stated that it had a nice ring to it and if she called it by the ingredients that were really in it, the expectant mothers might not want to try it. She has had a great success rate with other mothers who are in my same position. Most have gone into labor at home within 24 hours, if not less.
When I consulted with Beth on sharing the recipe, she had a stern warning to NOT drink this before you consult with your own midwife and/or physician. This drink should not be consumed before your due date.
Here are the Ingredients for Labor Lemonade:
-8 oz. Pure Lemon Verbena Tea
-12 ounces apricot juice
-2 tbsp Castor Oil
-2 tbsp almond butter
We started this recipe by gathering all the ingredients, plus a blender. We first made the tea and let it brew for about 7-10 minutes. We then added the tea and all other ingredients to the blender and blended until it was a smoothie-like consistency. I drank this over ice right before bed.
By 6 AM the next morning, I felt different. I could tell things were in motion and we were going to be meeting our soon soon. By 11 AM, I called Beth to let her know my contractions were consistently 6 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. By 3:30, our son was earthside! The Labor Lemonade did the trick!
