Transition

The Transition Stage in child birth is so perfectly named.  A passage from one state to another.  The welcoming into motherhood, the entrance into the secret society of being a parent.

During transition I lost it.  It was the first time I laid down during labor.  I had been counting by three’s during each contraction and I was working through them.  Walking around the room in between each one, leaning over the counter and counting during them.

After a few minutes of lying down I started to feel like I was going crazy.  I couldn’t remember what I needed to do.  I lost my focus which was so important to me.  I needed someone to guide me back to my special place.  I told my partner that my hair hurt.  My attendants told me that I was in Transition and that I was doing great.   I told them that my thighs were on fire.  Someones soft hands covered my feet in cooling lotion and finally someone asked “this may be an awful idea but a shower might feel good.”  I don’t think I have ever moved as fast, almost leaping off the bed to the shower.

During Transition, essential oils may help with grounding or to bring a birthing woman back to herself.  Inhaling White Fir can be very powerful.  White Fir with its earthy scent connects me with nature, where I feel the most powerful.  One of the citrus oils, Wild Orange, Lemon, or the blend Citrus Bliss can also be very powerful.  The crisp fragrance of refreshing oranges may uplift the anxiety and mental stress going through a woman during this shot period.  The blend Balance may also help a women through this intense moment of her labor.

Other oils to diffuse would be Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Roman Chamomile and Frankincense.

Some women during transition feel nauseous.  Breathing Peppermint may help.

Basil or Black Pepper with Frankincense may help with the pain.  Applying to the abdomen, lower back or thighs.

This is a wonderful site for more information on using essential oils for labor.

 

 

This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Please consult qualified healthcare providers for your own personal advice.

The Frist Stage of Labor

Wow!

That is what I think of when I remember the last few weeks of pregnancy.  I got so huge the last month.  We had a full size mattress at the time and I remember feeling like it wasn’t enough room for both my husband and myself.  I ended up sleeping on a blow-up air mattress because my soft bed felt so hard on my swollen body.

The question that kept running through my brain was when would labor start.  I was so excited and also very nervous.  I talked to many women about their experience, I read a ton of books and blogs.  There was a point when all I wanted to do was to go into labor and I tried all the tricks.  I was walking about five miles day.  I cleaned all of the floors on my hands and knees with a rag and a bucket.  I rested.  I meditated. I massaged the labor points on my ankles.  I would have done a hand stand if I thought that would help.  It wasn’t until I was doing a modified child pose when I said aloud to my unborn child “Fine! Come whenever you want, stay in there forever!” that I had my first contraction.

My contractions started about 10min a part and they felt like menstrual cramps.  It was 3 in the morning and they didn’t really hurt, just like a mild cramp.  I tried to sleep but I was so excited and nervous that I couldn’t.  Finally at 5:30am I woke up my partner, mostly out of excitement.  By this time my menstrual feeling contractions were about 2 minutes apart.

The first stage of labor is a mixed bag for women.  I have heard all kinds of stories about how labor stated.  Mine felt like menstrual cramps that became stronger over the day.  At 1pm they changed.  I could no longer talk through them.  This is when my labor really started.  We had our baby at a birthing center and the drive there sucked.  Trying to sit in the car was the worst part.  As long as I was walking, kneeling over the couch, bending over a counter I was ok.  During this phase essential oils are great!

Lavender or Clary sage, Balance, Whisper or Ylang Ylang  may help with labor pains.

Before the bag of waters breaks adding 2 drops of lavender with 2 tablespoons bath salts may feel wonderful.

Applying Balance to the bottoms of the feet can be grounding for the laboring mother and her attendants.

Making a warm compress with 2 drops Lavender or Clary sage essential oil and applying to the abdomen, back or thighs is also nice.

During Labor Massage Oil Blend

6 drops Ylang Ylang
4 drops helichrysum
4 drops fennel
3 drops Clary Sage
2 drops peppermint
2 tablespoons Carrier oil
Apply as often as wanted in areas wanted.

Speed Up Labor Blend

2 drops Clary sage
2 drops Lavender oil
2 drops Whisper
1 tablespoon carrier oil
Apply on ankles, lower back and abdomen.

Perineal Support Blend (during labor)

5 drops Clary sage
2 drops Geranium
2 tablespoons carrier oil
Massage on the the perineal area may help to prevent tearing.

Breech Baby

3 drops Myrrh
2 drops Peppermint
1 tablespoon carrier oil.  Rub onto belly to help baby turn.

Diffusing essential oils is an excellent way to support everyone in a birthing room.  My first choices are White Fir, Elevation, Serenity, and On Guard.  For myself I would choose one that empowers me.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Please consult qualified healthcare providers for your own personal advice.

Pregnancy, Birthing, and New Baby! Stephanie Fritz LM, CPM

Certified Midwife Stephanie Fritz LM, CPM says this for Pregnancy.  Thought I would pass it along!!

EVERYDAY Routine for the Pregnant Women

Morning:

The Life Long Vitality Pack – The very BEST prenatal vitamin

PB Assist+ Balance and On Guard on bottom of feet every morning

Lemon in ALL your water (may use ANY citrus oil)

3-5 drops Frankincense under tongue

10 drops Grapefruit under tongue or in a capsule

Slim and Sassy 3-5 drops 3-5 times a day

Zendocrine oil blend 3-5 drops in a capsule or on liver area

Evening:

Serenity, Lavender, or other oils to help reduce stress 5 drops on bottom of feet before bedtime

As Needed During Pregnancy:

AromaTouch, Cypress, or citrus oils for occasional swelling

DigestZen, Ginger, Peppermint, Fennel for nausea, heartburn, gas or bloating

Deep Blue or Past Tense for headaches

Birth

Helichrysum with Fractionated Coconut Oil on the perineum during crowning and birth of baby’s head for bruising, swelling, and bleeding.

White Fir and Lavender on mom’s tummy for after pains

Frankincense on baby’s crown/head, and back

Myrrh on baby’s umbilicus to help cord dry quicker and seal the opening to prevent any infection going into that main entrance to the body.

Balance and Melissa on baby’s feet

Geranium and lemon on baby’s feet if jaundice to help support liver in breaking up bilrubin.

Fennel, Basil, or Clary Sage on mom’s breast to help increase milk supply.

Immortelle (20 drops) or Frankincense & Lavender 10 drops of each in 15ml empty essential bottle with a spray top (from aromatools.com) fill up to top with water. Use this to spay on perineum after birth to sooth and heal during postpartum time.

Moms that have their babes circumcised have used this same spray on the circumcised area; they know from personal experience how soothing it feels.

Note: These suggestions are for educational purposes only and are not meant to prescribe, diagnose, or treat any medical condition, disease, illness, or injured condition of the body. This information is not intended to be a substitute for medical counseling. Anyone with any medical condition, disease, illness, or injury should consult a qualified health care professional.

Pregnancy~The First Trimester and All Day Sickness

The first trimester is an exciting time.  Getting your head around the idea that you are going to have a little one.  Realizing you are bringing a new being into life.

It is also a sensitive time.  Your new embryo growing deep in your womb, creating its own home, a place that it will reside in for the months to follow.  With your senses enhanced, smells and tastes can turn your sensitive stomach, or can be so wonderful that you cannot put them down.

I had many questions that I didn’t know the answers too.  I wanted a list of the can’s and cannot’s!  I had internal conflicts with some of the answers that I found.  Some of the can’s seemed to be screaming at me “No!” and some of the cannot’s seemed to be ok… I was so confused.  Fourutnaly I had a great midwife that I trusted and could work thourgh all of these concerns with.  I encourage everyone to do the same.  Pay attention to what your body feels is ok and not.  Also find someone that you trust to go over things with you.

When using essential oils in the first trimester, take it slow.  Close your eyes and inhale each oil before applying.  Listen to what your body is telling you.  Always make sure you are using pure oils.  If you pick up an oil and it doesn’t feel right, don’t use it.

Morning Sickness or All Day Sickness, is one major complaint of the first trimester.

Citrus oils can bring relief to nausea.  Grapefruit is a favorite.  Just smelling the crisp scent can enhance my emotional well being and calm rumbling tummies.

Ginger is great for upset stomachs.  I love to add a drop, with a spoonful of honey and some fresh squeezed lemon juice in a mug of warm water.  This is so soothing to the belly.   I also love it cold!  I skip the honey and just give it a good stir.

Peppermint another oil that may help with All Day sickness.  I love just smelling it!  doTERRA’s peppermint has such a unique smell.  When I take a whiff, I smell peppermint hot chocloate.  It is lovely, reminds me of snowy days in Idaho.  I have some friends who find a hint of vanilla in a bottle of doTERRA peppermint essential oil.  Peppermint it also very energizing and is great for the exhaustion that many women feel in the first trimester.