Labor Inducing Pregnancy Pizza

Here's the story of my labor inducing "Pregnancy Pizza".

When I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with Asher, I was very afraid of going over 40 weeks and ending up having to be induced in the hospital. So, I tried to find what information I could on safe ways to "naturally" induce labor to help get things moving along.

Among the various tips, tricks, and "labor inducing foods" I found were:

• Going for walks
• Sitting on an exercise ball (supposedly helps move the baby into position)
• Eat Pineapple (pineapple promotes the production of prostaglandins which ripen the cervix)
• Eat eggplant or, even better, eggplant parmigiana

I did all of the above. Starting at 38 weeks (because these things can take time), I ate pineapple like it was going out of style. Same with eggplant parm. I ate it in sub form. Mmmm. With a husband in the Italian restaurant business, I had to find out why eggplant parmigiana was on the list. I had this food on speed dial, but if it was simply a myth, the last thing I wanted was to be dealing with nightly heartburn from the tomato sauce along with all of the other wonderful last-week-of-pregnancy discomforts.

It turns out that the oregano and basil in the red sauce have both been known to stimulate uterine contractions. At 39 weeks pregnant, that's all I needed to know. I called John up that evening and told him to bring home a Margherita pizza with EXTRA oregano and basil.

That night, contractions started! They were inconsistent and very far apart, but they were happening (and painful). It lasted throughout the next day when I had some leftover basil and oregano laden pizza for lunch. That night, I had him bring me another "pregnancy pizza". The painful contractions were still happening, but some were up to an hour or more apart and some would only last a few seconds. I heard stories all the time about people thinking they're going into labor and then it just STOPS. So I figured this was inevitably going to stop, too. The following evening, after a leftover pizza slice for lunch, more increasingly painful and now consistent contractions, I was heating up a slice for dinner and my water broke! (This was 6pm on a Friday that I had to call John to leave the restaurant and come home immediately. Talk about timing!)

To make a long story short, Asher graced us with his presence at 5:59am the very next morning. He was 6 days early.

It's hard not to contribute the start of my labor to the magical "Pregnancy Pizza". We'll never know if that's what truly got things moving. As tasty as that pizza is (I'm having him bring me one home right now), it's a seriously delicious myth to bust.

If you live near Melbourne, FL, go to San Remo Italian Restaurant and ask for the "Pregnancy Pizza".

* RECIPE *

LABOR INDUCING PREGNANCY PIZZA

• 14oz pizza dough (homemade or store bought for 16" pie)
• 1/3 cup pizza sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, fresh or shredded
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 550 degrees or as high as your oven will go. Use a pizza stone to prepare and cook the pie.

1. Knead, roll and stretch the dough to 16" in diameter and 1/8" thick.

2. Spread the pizza sauce on the dough lightly and evenly, leaving a 1/2 inch or so along the edge for the crust. Sprinkle with the garlic and oregano. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (or if using fresh, arrange the cheese slices along with the tomatoes) then the basil.

4. Cook the pizza for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Carefully remove pizza from the oven and drizzle with the olive oil. Cut into 6-8 slices. Enjoy!




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Why My Angel-Baby Scares the Crap Out of Me

My baby is an angel. No, really. Yes, he has his moments like all babies do. But he sleeps through the night 99.9% of the time. 12 hours +, people. He's happy everyday. He smiles at everyone. He patiently waits while I prepare his bottles (sometimes). He sits happily in my lap when I am watching TV or eating or working on the computer. He cries maybe 3 minutes a day on average. No, I'm not bragging. Read on.

I'm telling you this because I am scared #$%*less to ever have another baby because you know that ISH ain't happenin' twice! Since having a baby, we've now been exposed numerous horror stories from other parents who've had difficult babies. Babies who had colic and cried all day or babies who would not sleep. There have been a few nights when our little guy has woken up for an hour at 4am and just a handful where he has woken a second time and I am an absolute sleep-deprived zombie the next day! Even with our sleeping champ, my house is currently a disaster and I still have a hard time keeping up with daily duties like laundry. How in the world would I handle a baby who wakes up multiple times a night or does not go back to sleep or cries and cries and cries???

Let me back myself up a bit. I feel like I have 3 kids already in some ways. I have 2 pugs that are so high maintenance, they are like children. Ok, I'm slightly exaggerating; but at least combined they are like one child. They are allergic to anything and everything, so we have to homemake food for them and heat it up twice a day. Luckily, John can make and freeze large batches once a week at the restaurant. If they don't get their homemade meals, they start losing their hair and smelling really, really bad. The grass makes them itch so they poo on the porch - yay. They have been to the vet more than Asher has been to the pediatrician in the past 5 months. They always have ear infections and even need a special shampoo. They try to eat anything of Asher's, so I have to make sure to move all of his things to an unreachable-by-pugs spot before leaving the room with him. The get into the bathroom trash at least 3 times a week even though it's gated off (I need to get a trash with a lid in there... it's on my list.) And here's the real kicker - they randomly get fits of vomiting and diarrhea such as this morning when I let them out of their cage only to release poo-covered dogs to go running through the house. That's right - think mop, vacuum, mop again, the disposal of two rugs, and some serious dog baths before Asher's morning bottle. I think it was a test of my patience and strength. I hope I passed.

We haven't been talking about expanding our cozy little family any time soon. I never imagined stopping at one, though. I feel like Asher might be lonely without a sibling to play with or grow up alongside. I grew up the middle girl of three girls, and we had our fights and your normal familial disagreements that may or may not have gotten physical from time to time, but we have so many wonderful memories with each other. We text or talk to each other almost everyday. We share silly jokes that no one else gets. We're there for each other when we need advice or just to vent. I would hate for Asher to miss out on that.

In all honesty, I know its something we could handle, either way; we would make it work like so many have done before. Every baby is a blessing, even the difficult ones. Maybe we are blessed to have had our first be easy so that we can settle into this new life and all the changes that come along before having our world flipped upside down by a little night partier. I mean, at least we have most of the basics down and know some of what is coming our way. Praise-worthy parents who have been there can assure that you find ways to adjust, you learn to make it work. And, yes, those early days do pass and these are only short stages that do not last a lifetime. In fact, they pass more quickly than you can even imagine. That still doesn't ease my anxiety that we may down the road end up with a tiny little tornado that keeps us up all night or drives us to invest in earmuffs. It makes me happy that we are in no rush to add another to our roster. Or maybe we will pull our chips while we're still ahead and our magical number will just be one.

Have any of you dealt with a difficult baby or was there a big difference between your babies' temperaments? Pin It Now!

Pregnancy, Labor & Delivery

I am so happy that I had a very easy pregnancy. During the first 3 months, I did have some nausea in the mornings and was pretty tired, but once 14 weeks or so came around, I felt more like myself again.

Around 36 weeks, though, things got uncomfortable. Right after my baby shower, I got a horrible cold that turned into a sinus infection and then into an ear infection! I was miserable! I couldn't hear out of either ear and literally had to hold a heating pad up to the side of my head to slightly mask the pain. I finally gave in and got a z-pack. Then, the symptoms started to return and I had to get a second z-pack to fully knock it out. Luckily, z-packs are safe to take during pregnancy. I was TERRIFIED of going into labor while so miserably sick!

Photo taken by my mom 9 Days before Asher was born.

The last week of pregnancy was mainly uncomfortable because:
1. I had to pee every 15 minutes.
2. I had a difficult time getting up (see #1).

Even at 36 weeks pregnant, I did have an AMAZING baby shower. Both my mom and my mother in law put so much effort into throwing me the best shower possible. I love them both!

Diaper cakes made by my mom! She's so talented!

John and I made the wooden signs that added to the vintage, chic look of the decor. We sell similar items in our store. :)

John's mom was the life of the party, helping coordinate the games and keeping a smile on everyone's face.

My wonderful mother!

Me with my two sisters!

The belly cast made the perfect "guestbook". This will be a wonderful keepsake!

{ My dress was designed by Olian and rented from Mine for Nine. }

PRODUCTS THAT GOT ME THROUGH PREGNANCY

Adidas FitFoam Flip-Flops - A must have for sore feet!!
Yoga Pants - Lots of them!
Pea in the Pod Linen Pants - Especially during the last 4 weeks when nothing else would fit!
'Words with Friends' App for iPad or iPhone - When you're couch-bound, this game is a must.
Mine for Nine - Perfect for wearing designer maternity clothes or a designer dress to your baby shower without breaking the bank.


I WISH...

I had taken monthly belly pictures! Here is the closest thing I have to a belly timeline...

...sporadic pictures, some with the iPad. I highly recommend documenting your belly's growth! It would be so fun to look back on my growing belly and see the monthly change wearing similar outfits, taken in the same spot, or even with cut props or signs. Next time!

We were expecting a Valentine's Day baby, but Asher decided to make an early arrival. Although I had been having irregular contractions for about 2 days, I told my husband to go ahead and work at the restaurant Friday night on the 8th. I figured they would stay irregular and it couldn't possibly be the real thing yet. As luck would have it, at 6pm my water broke - during dinner rush on the busiest night of the week! John quickly hurried home and we rushed to the hospital. We checked in at 8pm, I started pushing around 5:30am, and at 5:59am Saturday, February 9th, baby Asher was born. :)

We've all seen the hospital bag lists available on various websites. I won't go through everything I brought with me since these lists are so readily available, but here are some uncommon items I brought that I am SO glad I did:

- One roll of soft toilet paper (trust me, you'll be happy you have it!)
- My cute hospital gown from Gownies

I wish I had brought a cute receiving blanket to make those first pictures more personal. Other than that, there wasn't really anything we weren't prepared for. That said, I did not realize just how absolutely exhausted I would be after giving birth. I'm glad family and visitors were respectful and gave us some time to rest up.

How was your pregnancy or birth experience?

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