Postpartum with Essential Oils: Part 4: Your Emotions

Bonding with your baby is the most natural thing in the world RIGHT?  Well not always.  As your hormones are changing and your body is hurting the exhaustion and stress may make motherhood an extreme challenge emotionally.  Thankfully, there are some essential oils that will help.  

Unity, a blend by Butterfly Express or another similar blend by any other company will help in the first few hours after birth.  It is the perfect oil to diffuse as you place your baby in their father's arms or allow them to meet their siblings for the first time.  It will help bring peaceful loving feelings to all who are in the room.  Unity contains: angelica, orange bitter, frankincense, geranium, hyssop, lavender, mandarin, neroli, palmarosa, rose, rose geranium, sage, sandalwood, spikenard, spruce and ylang ylang, all of which are high frequency oils.  


Post Partum Depression can be treated in many of the same ways as other depressions, but a hormone balancing oil can also be of benefit.  Oil blends such as Heart Song, Tranquility, Trust and Unity will be helpful.  Geranium ,a wonderful smelling essential oil, can minister to your hormones and your emotions.

To use essential oils for emotions you can dilute the oils with a carrier oil and then apply to the body almost as a perfume behind the ears and along the neck.  You can also diffuse the oil, sniff directly from the bottle or wear on a diffuser necklace.

Read More

Postpartum with Essential Oils-Part 3: Milk Supply

Breastfeeding your baby is the most wonderful and natural part of postpartum.  However it is not always as beautiful and natural as you would hope when problems arise.  Essential oils can help smooth out the process so you and your little one will be satisfied and happy.

To start off right, a few hours after birth start applying Clary Sage essential oil under your arms diluted with carrier oil.  This will help bring in your milk strong and more quickly.

If you are struggling with the amount of milk you are producing essential oils can help.  Fennel or Basil applied with a carrier oils directly to your breasts will help increase your milk.  Peppermint with a cold compress applied directly will help to reduce your milk.

That sweet little baby can at times wreck havoc so if you have sore or cracked nipples apply German Chamomile or the blend Baby Me.  Make sure to clean yourself before nursing.

Finally the worst problem you can encounter while nursing is Mastitis.  Peppermint or Lavender will be a great help for the pain. With Mastitis the best help is prevention so if your nipples start to crack treat them right away so it doesn't turn into mastitis.  Tea Tree can also be a good help in clearing up the nasty infection, so apply with a carrier oil directly on the inflamed infected tissue. 

Read More

Postpartum with Essential Oils Part 2

Our last article focused on the first few hours after birth and now let's cover a few more oils that will help in the first few days after giving birth.

If you have had multiple pregnancies your uterus may have to work a bit harder to to come back into shape which will plague you with some intense cramping/contractions the first few days after labor.  Millenia is the first oil to reach for in these first few days.  Apply it each time you start to feel these contractions to speed up and aid in the healing and folding of your uterus.  You can also use an oil for pain such as Paine or Deeper applied to the abdomen as well when each cramping happens.

Your perineum will also continue to need care at this stage.  Whether you have torn or not, apply essential oils to sooth and help heal the skin.  The essential oil Baby Me is a wonderful blend and is also helpful if you apply it to the perineum leading up to birth to help that skin be nice and elastic.  Lavender is another oil to consider to calm the inflamed and sensitive skin.  You can mix oils with a carrier and apply by hand, but if you want to prevent any unwanted bacteria in the area then mix oil with some distilled water in a small spray bottle, shake before each use and spray area when using the bathroom.

In Part 3 of this Series, helping in your postpartum recovery, we will discuss milk supply.  You can also look forward to articles on your emotions (baby bonding and depression) as well as treating the umbilical cord.

In Part 1 of this series read about  Essential oils to use in the first few minutes after your birth.

Read More

Postpartum with Essential Oils Part 1

So your beautiful blessing from God has arrived and you are done with all of the changes to you your body right?? Wrong, your body is still transitioning and may need some support along the way.  Stay tuned for several articles this week with tips on oils that will help carry you through the first few weeks after birth.

For our first article let's look at the oils that may be helpful in the first few minutes after birth.

Retained Placenta:  Rub Basil diluted with a carrier oil on your abdomen and then get up and move around  a bit.

Hemorrhage:  Of course be careful with this one and yield to your midwives direction, however having these oils on hand at your birth may save you a trip to the emergency room.  Ylang Ylang and/or Helichrysum can be helpful by causing the uterus to clamp down.  Apply by diluting with a carrier oil and applying to the abdomen. You can use Geranium in the same way .  Geranium oil also aids in the contraction of the uterus, pulls together stretched and dilated tissues and constricts abdominal blood vessels. Cayenne Pepper tincture or capsules will also help slow a hemorrhage.  Combine the tincture with water or juice.  You can go as high as 30-40 drops and continue often until the bleeding slows. Shepherds purse tincture under the tongue can also help.  I'm sure you are hoping and praying for an uneventful delivery, however make sure you are prepared with at least one oil/herb for hemorrhage.

Re-Aligning your Body:
Millenia is a must have for post postpartum.  It will help to fold and firm the uterus.  It also helps your pelvis and hips move back into their proper position.  Dilute Millenia with a carrier oil and apply to abdomen, lower back and along your hips.  Do not use Millenia until the placenta has been delivered or you.

Check back later in the week to read more about  postpartum depression, bringing in your milk, baby bonding, umbilical cord care and perineum care.

Read More

Lavender Bath: Labor and Relaxation

"I'm not getting out of this tub pregnant" was my first thought as I felt the intense relief from active labor contractions 2-minutes apart. I had just switched my laboring position from squatting with a stool to soaking in a hot bath of therapeutic-grade Lavender essential oil. I had mixed 12 drops into 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt & then added it to a full tub of water. The salt binds with the oil then dissolves into the water to disperse the oil. Without the salt, the oil would just float on top of the water as oil & water don't mix. I hadn't intended on having a water birth, but that gift of relaxation after 36 hours since my water broke was all too convincing. Lavender is calming to the nervous system, thus reduces pain & undoubtedly played a major part in the 45 minutes I spent in the tub before my baby girl was born underwater. The smell alone will act on the bodies' tension by stimulating the brain centers that control the bodies' stress response. Aside from being gentle enough to use neat & diluted on children, it is an easy to recognize sweet, floral smell that takes me back instantly to a feeling of relief when I catch a whiff of it. The beauty of it is you don't have to be in labor to experience a spa-like retreat in your own tub for cheap!

Written By: Skye Burditt

Read More

Childbirth Series

Another helpful tool in child birth is the lavender bath. In interview ing the mothers I know I have gotten an overall consensus that laboring at home is the easiest kind of natural labor to endure. Flat on your back in a bed is the most painful position to endure the pain of contractions and labor. When choosing to have your baby at home with a midwife you can choose where you labor and what tools you use to help ease the pain and discomfort. One tool you can use is a lavender bath. Lavender bath's are good for late in labor just before transition when the pain is at it's peak. To make the lavender bath you fill up your tub with hot water and then mix 2 TBSP of Epsom Salt with 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil. Then dump the Epsom salt mixture under the running water so it will dissolve. You can spend as little or as much time in there as you choose A friend of mine who just delivered her baby was in the Lavender bath the last 45 minutes of Delivery through transition and actually delivered the baby in the tub. She testifies that the lavender bath took her contractions down about 4 notches and helped her relax making the pain very manageable. She was also able to stay more calm during this intense time. If you plan to use a lavender bath during your Labor make sure to have the oil and Epsom Salt near the tub so it is ready when you hit hard labor

Read More

Childbirth Series

My best friend that I thank the Lord he has brought into my life, has just recently given birth to a beautiful baby girl. My friend went through a natural at home birth with a plan to use essential ois, so over the next few articles I am going to share with you the oils she used and the success it brought her.

One of her favorite oils during labor was geranium. Geranium is from the plant family Geraniaceae and originates in India and Egypt. Geranium is noted in several essential oil reference books for it's power in regards to women's health issues including hormone imbalance, PMS and general menstrual problems. It is also an antispasmodic, which means it prevents or relieves muscle spasms and contractions. It is also increases blood flow. These two properties are what inspired my friend to try this oil during her labor. Geranium will stimulate circulation, ease breathing and regulates pulse and blood pressure during contractions. She chose all through her labor to diffuse Geranium in her bedroom which is where she planned to give birth. She observed that when the diffuser was running with Geranium her contractions were very regular. They came in slowly gained momentum, peaked and then went out slowly. They were predictable and she was better able to prepare for them and handle them. At one point she had forgotten to refill the diffuser and she noticed that during that time her contractions were more erratic. They would start suddenly and become painful very fast. So from this experience my first Labor recommendation would be to diffuse Geranium right next to where you choose to labor and have someone assinged to keep it running. Please check back soon for another article on Essential oils during labor.

Read More