Nearing your due date probably has you looking for tips to ensure labor starts on time, whether that's because you are concerned about the complications of a postdate pregnancy or because you are ready to put the back pain, hip pain, difficulty sleeping, difficulty getting out of the bed, frequent peeing, and everything else that comes with the final weeks of pregnancy behind you.

As an acupuncturist, one of the common reasons women seek acupuncture is to help induce labor, but when I tell them the true secrets to getting labor to start on time, they are always surprised.

So, today you are going to learn the top tip I have learned in years of practicing Chinese medicine, combing through hundreds of pages of ancient texts that pre-date modern day induction techniques by thousands of years, and that I have seen work over and over for hundreds of my patients.

The number one tip to ensure timely labor….

Eat a lot of protein!

When I calculate the protein intake of most of the women who see me for labor induction, they average about 30-40 grams of protein per day. This is way too low for the needs of labor, about half of what most women should eat.

There are several reasons why protein is important for the end of pregnancy and labor.

• It's important for the production of hemoglobin and the delivery of oxygen to your body's cells and tissues.
• It helps control fluid volume and water balance, including swelling in the extremities.
• It provides long burning fuel to your body's cells and tissues during a long labor so you don't reach exhaustion before your baby is born, especially if you won't be allowed to eat during labor.
• You will recover from labor faster if your protein stores are high as the amino acids that make protein are a key component to healing smooth and skeletal muscle, skin (in case you experience a vaginal tear) and venous tissue (think hemorrhoids or preventing post-partum hemorrhage).

After reading those benefits of protein, you might be thinking you could use some of those things now, and you would be right, you should be increasing your protein intake even before labor is imminent.

Use our free guide to find the protein content of common foods so you can assess your daily intake and see how much protein you are averaging on a day to day basis. You can download your own copy by clicking here to access your copy immediately.