Employing the help of a midwife can be a great way to receive personalized care throughout your pregnancy and delivery. Midwives are often familiar with alternative treatment options, so consulting with your own midwife about essential oils that might be used during labor prior to your delivery date could be beneficial.
Here are three essential oils you will want to discuss with your midwife to determine how they can be used to help make your labor and delivery less traumatic.
1. Lavender
The healing properties of lavender oil can be harnessed to help make your delivery less painful. As the uterus contracts, some women experience pain that resembles menstrual cramping.
Scientific researchers testing the effectiveness of lavender oil on menstrual cramp pain discovered that women who were not exposed to lavender oil were 6.8 times more likely to experience painful cramps.
By combining lavender oil with a carrier oil (like sesame or almond oil) and rubbing the mix on your lower stomach and back, you could help alleviate some of the cramp-like pain associated with delivery. Be sure to ask your midwife about incorporating lavender oil into your birth plan.
2. Peppermint
If you are worried about becoming nauseated during your labor and delivery, it can be beneficial to ask your midwife to keep some peppermint essential oil on-hand. Peppermint is an aromatic oil that can be beneficial when inhaled.
To help keep your nausea at bay during your labor and delivery, place a few drops of peppermint oil onto a fresh tissue and hold it under your nose. The fragrant oil will help relax your stomach muscles and soothe any associated nausea.
You can also ask your midwife to have an essential oil diffuser in the room where you will deliver your baby. Peppermint oil placed in the diffuser will ensure you enjoy the nausea-reducing benefits of peppermint throughout the labor and delivery process without the need to continually apply fresh oil to a tissue.
3. Clary Sage
If you find that you need to strengthen your contractions in order to move your labor along, but you don't want to rely on pharmaceuticals to accomplish this task, then some clary sage essential oil could be beneficial.
Having your midwife rub a few drops of clary sage (combined with a carrier oil) along your abdomen or on the inside of your ankles can help contractions become more regular. You can also try ingesting one drop of clary sage essential oil in a glass of milk to strengthen your contractions.
Be sure to ask your midwife about his or her experience using essential oils. Having access to lavender, peppermint, and clary sage oils during your labor and delivery could make the process of delivering a child less traumatic for you in the future.
Talk to a professional like George L Stankevych MD to learn more.
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