An Eggplant Baby?!
Labor Induction with Eggplant Parmesan?
When it comes to pregnancy and labor prep, our team at Acupuncture Northwest & Associates is pretty in the know. We have a range of treatments and tips to help a woman’s body prepare for labor, especially when their baby has stubborn ideas about staying put. We’ve even had a patient’s water break while still on the treatment table!
But our interests were piqued when we heard through the grapevine that eating Eggplant Parmesan could induce labor. What? How had we not heard of this!
We traced the recipe back to Dr. Meghan McKeever of Seattle OB/GYN, who has been giving the recipe out to her patients for years. Extremely curious, we invited her into our Seattle office so we could learn more about her practice as an OB/GYN and, of course, about the recipe!
It all starts with a small Italian Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. According to Dr. McKeever, the local spot became famous for causing women to go into labor after eating their Eggplant Parmigiana recipe. Unbeknownst to the owner and chef of the restaurant, a few women started to notice the correlation, and word spread. Soon after, the restaurant caught on and put up an Eggplant Baby wall, hanging pictures of all the babies born after their mothers had eaten the dish. They even went as far as to offer a free meal if the mother didn’t go into labor within 48 hours after!
Fast-forward to Dr. McKeever herself being 39 weeks pregnant with her first son. She was completing her residency at the University of Rochester in New York, and a fellow resident (and now current colleague at Seattle OB/GYN!) Dr. Jennifer Droz made the recipe for her as a joke. However, less than 48 hours after eating the Eggplant Parmesan dish her water broke! A happy coincidence, she convinced herself.
Three years, and one move to Seattle later, Dr. McKeever was pregnant with her second child. In tradition, at 39 weeks Dr. Droz made the eggplant recipe for her and – low and behold! – she went into labor 12 hours later.
Though not scientifically based, even Dr. McKeever had to admit 2 out of 2 wasn’t too shabby. Ever since she has been giving out the recipe to her patients at their 39 or 40 week mark. She says it sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t – but what better way to spend your time at 39 weeks and 6 days than cooking a homemade recipe? Or, better yet, watching a loving family member make it for you!
So that’s the story on Eggplant Parmesan to induce labor. We like to think of it as yet another example why the doctors at Seattle OB/GYN are some of our favorites. They think out of the box, and truly take their care to the next level!
To this day, if you go to the Scalini Restaurant website, you can look up their Eggplant Parmigiana recipe, and see a full page dedicated to the Eggplant Parmesan babies.
At Acupuncture Northwest & Associates, we love to see our third-trimester patients starting at week 35 for labor prep. Research has shown that acupuncture started at this time can reduce labor time, and the need for intervention. However, what better thing to add to our treatment plan than a tasty Italian dish! We expect to be seeing plenty of Eggplant babies in our future ?
Below is a link to the Scalini Italian Restaurant website, as well as a copy of their Eggplant Parmigiana recipe.
Written and researched by Natalie Willits from our Seattle office.
Website: http://www.scalinis.com/
Recipe: http://www.scalinis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/eggplant-recipe.pdf
