essential oils pregnancy/labor/postpartum

[Guest guest]

hello,

 

hope all are well! i know there is a lot of knowledge on this list

about essential oils. anyone care to share their recommendations

about good oils for pregnancy and for labor? i would love to have

some in my birth kit besides lavender! also, how do you use them, in

a diffuser, or a carrier oil? i have the postpartum modules and will

dig through there to see what i can find as well. thanks!!

 

-shannon

 

www.hakimamidwifery.com

[Guest guest]

Hello Shannon -

 

Yes it is a favorite topic as these concentrated gifts of the plant kingdom can

be so potent and effective. Preference and effect still varies from woman to

woman, so I carry several and let them choose often, or choose by condition and

dosha of course. Lavender has so many applications, some prefer jasmine, or a

blend of uplifting pitta/vata reducing florals which are supportive to emotions,

hormones and femininity. Some love vetiver's grounding, root chakra, gently

hormonal and antidepressive unctuous effects (an inexpensive one as well).

Often several emotional oils or blends find their way into use amongst several

family members around a birth.

 

How have you used the lavender around birth?

 

I'm told lavendin is contraindicated for pregnancy. And that many " 100% pure

lavender " oils (as example; frankincense is often similarly adulterated) are

only 10% essential oil, and often now, made from lavendin where the camphenes

are cooked off, and then a synthetic addition of marker lavender smell is added.

It is difficult even for a good gas chromatograph reader to tell the difference

between this and real lavender!

 

Many oils are hormonally supportive. some mothers like clary sage others find

it heavy (has some tamasic quality, which can be countered with mint or melissa

added). Midwives avoid it until labor as it often will help jumpstart a stalled

labor, though its properties, it turns out, make it useful throughout pregnancy,

and stabilizing until it is time. Dr. Young gave it to his wife with first baby

at 52 and second at 56 throughout pregnancy, in capsules for hormonal support,

and then with one of them during a stalled labor after giving her some time to

rest, he put again in capsules with peppermint, to effectively kick her back

into completing effacement and delivery quickly for natural childbirth.

 

Several oils are very soothing to the skin and stretch marks, best added to a

thick oil or balm for massage/effleurage, like that.

 

Peppermint has been sometimes effective with breech babies, applied on belly

near baby's face. Other times myrrh over whole belly may work. Some mothers

like refreshing mints in the labor room, others prefer a calming or hormonal or

grounding oil. Keep away from the babies for direct inhalation as they are so

intensely refrigerant and penetrating, favoring diffusion (simple way - shake a

few drops in the room) as very refreshing and enhancing to alertness, reducing

to overheating from exertion, stimulating to nervous system and even helpful

with nerve pain. Spearmint also has thyroid and other hormone support (along

with myrtle, a gentler cooling oil helpful for respiratory, hyper and hypo

thyroid and other endocrine system supports).

 

There is much to say for sure, about the three trimesters and about labor

supports with essential oils. The AyurDoula training unit which spends 75 pages

(including many stories) talking about essential oils for preconception through

infancy is called PTEO - Perinatal Uses of Essential Oils. Do you have it?

 

If you do not know if your essential oils are synthetic/ " enhanced " or organic or

not, I would dilute a lot with carrier oil, or diffuse. Otherwise you can

receive some more potent gifts from the oil in many directions - for pain,

relaxation, stimulation, hormonal balancing, emotions, and immune protective to

name a few ways. Use on accupressure points, diffuse, wear, and apply topically

near desired area needing support - dilute or not depending on the oil's

properties, 1:1 or 1:4 max for most potent use. Myrrh, helichrysum are very

skin and raw tissue friendly and do not need dilution if clean oils, safe on

perineum. Lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang, jasmine, geranium, vetiver, -

almost as gentle - some conditions may call for slight dilution.

 

Time to rest now - please carry on the conversation, yes!

 

Ysha

 

> i know there is a lot of knowledge on this list

> about essential oils. anyone care to share their recommendations

> about good oils for pregnancy and for labor? i would love to have

> some in my birth kit besides lavender! also, how do you use them,

[Guest guest]

Hi Shannon -

 

We have a new group member today whose recent post on an essential oils forum

caught my attention. She shared about her protocols with essential oils during

recent pregnancy and I hope she will repost her experience here, as she is very

experienced and practical with their properties. My work more with postpartum

takes me a little out of so much direct experience.

 

Warmly,

Ysha