(Recipe shared by Robin Elise Weiss, LLC About.com Guide)

So several of my students ask me, “Lisa, what can I do to get labor going?”  There are definitely some acupressure massage points that can get things going…and let’s not forget  the whole “frequent sex thing too”…( PROSTAGLANDINS, remember? I’m definitely writing a blog about labor induction methods because the email for info has been quite overwhelming…Oh, you tired pregnant postdate women. J) But here’s a favorite that you may want to consider trying, “Labor Inducing Ginger Cookies”, I say, hey, if anything, it’s definitely worth making to eat regardless if you start contracting or not.

“There are lots of things that supposedly cause someone to go into labor, but a variation of these cookies has been floating around the Internet for a long time. Supposedly it’s the spice from the ginger that works its magic on your body and causes you go to into labor.  Personally, I think it’s the cayenne pepper.  Regardless of which spice gets things moving, but they are certainly tasty! Supposedly after eating these, you’ll go into labor within 24 hours. Please only try this at your due date or later.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 30 cookies
• Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups  flour
  • 1 cup  brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup  molasses
  • 1/4 cup egg whites
  • 8  tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon  ground ginger (fresh works best)
  • 3/4  teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2   teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2   teaspoon salt
  • 1/2   teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional– but adds an additional kick, quite a  kick, actually…it’s probably the kick that gets labor “kick-started”, get it??)

Preparation:

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda and spices together in a bowl, mixing them together and set them aside. Then cream the sugar together with the butter.  Slowly cream the molasses into the butter mixture. Once that’s incorporated,  add the egg whites.

Next you will add the dry ingredients a bit at a time to the wet mixture. This is usually best done by hand with a utensil. Once the mix is together, you will place 1 inch balls of dough onto your parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake these cookies for 9-11 minutes, depending on your oven times. I usually recommend you watch the first batch to figure out a more precise time for your oven.

Once the cookies are done, they will be slightly browned on the edges. Bring them out and allow them to cook on the cooling rack. Feast away!

If spicy isn’t your flavor choice, have some cold milk on hand to help cool your tongue.”

Enjoy! Hoping for a happy labor day!!