Why essential oils for labour, birth and post-partum?
The short answer? They work to support so many facets of the journey.
The longer answer:
Essential oils are concentrated liquids extracted from plants.
They are made up of various components commonly referred to as “constituents”, each of which has its own unique characteristics.
Your body has millions of receptors that bind to these constituents, communicate with your brain and then signal a response in your body.
These signals can go to your muscles, organs, or—in the case of your olfactory (sense of smell) receptors—the amygdala in your brain, which is part of the limbic system and is involved in such functions as emotion, memory, focus and mood.
The type of constituent determines the response your body has.
For example, beta-caryophyllene is a key constituent of copaiba essential oil. Beta-caryophyllene is recognised for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and it’s the reason copaiba is recommended for use in managing discomfort, swelling and bruising.
Botanicals have been used for health and healing by cultures all over the world for millenia to support physical and emotional wellbeing, supplement diets, enhance mental aptitude and facilitate worship.
The science
But it’s not just cultural and historical usage that drives people to try essential oils. They also have a mountain of research behind them. If you love learning the science behind the suggestions, here are some great places to start:
- Aromatherapy During Labour for Pain Relief
- An investigation into the use of aromatherapy in intrapartum midwifery practice
- Labour pain control by aromatherapy: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Efficacy of aromatherapy for reducing pain during labor: a randomized controlled trial
- A 2020 meta-analysis of 32 randomised controlled trials around essential oil use found that aromatherapy with different essential oils could alleviate anxiety significantly no matter the reason of anxiety
- An investigation into the use of aromatherapy in intrapartum midwifery practice – during the years of the study, the use of pethidine in the study center declined from 6% to 0.2% of women. The study also showed that aromatherapy may have the potential to augment labor contractions for women in dysfunctional labour
What’s in the free guide?
In my labour, birth and post-partum guide, you’ll find safety notes and dilution ratios, plus essential oil blend recipes for relaxation, labour, back pain, physiological third stage, after-birth pains, perineal and wound care and anxiety/stress.
I’m so excited to support your wellness and birthing journey through the power of essential oils.
