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PREPARING FOR THE BIRTH
By the time you reach your seventh month of pregnancy, you will begin to prepare yourself, both mentally and physically, for your upcoming birth. You will be drinking your Raspberry leaf pregnancy tea either alone or as a blend, depending upon your midwife. These leaves contain a substance called fragrine which relieves uterine pains by dilating the pelvic muscles. Use 1 teaspoon of raspberry leaf tea in a cup of boiling water. Steep and drink at least a quart of tea a day.
A week or two before your due date, start to soften the perineum by using an oil made of 5 drops rose Maroc to each 1 teaspoon almond oil. This tiny amount will last you the seven or so applications you will need but is very difficult to measure and store, simply because of its size. It is a suggestion that this can be stored in an eggcup covered with plastic wrap. Once a day, rub a little oil along the perineum - the line of muscle and fibrous tissue which bridges the genital area and the anus. This will encourage elasticity in the area and help you to prevent tearing during childbirth.
THE BIRTH TIME HAS ARRIVED
Finally, after waiting all this time, you are now in labor and your midwife is on her way or soon will arrive at your home. The baby has decided that it is time to arrive and your body has responded by letting go, thus having contractions with dilation and effacement. The baby has spent several weeks preparing for his entry into the world and hormones released from the adrenal glands have been stored in the baby's body ready for the moment when he will have to rely on his own heart and lungs to sustain life. The mother's uterus has been having trial runs of contractions (getting ready pains or Braxton Hicks contractions) during her pregnancy. Sometimes these contractions were noticeable, sometimes they were not. Either way, they have been preparing your body for the birthing experience. Increased levels of progesterone have been softening up the pelvis, the uterus, and cervix, as well as the surrounding muscles and ligaments.
"Labor", as it is so aptly known, is work. Probably the hardest work that a woman will do in her lifetime. What the midwife does is make the experience as easy as possible - for both the mother and the baby. Birthing practices (obstetrics, as known by medical professionals), often changes from year to year and is often determined by a great deal by the expectations of the mothers. Midwives involved in homebirths are usually holistic, non-interventive oriented, and believe that birth is normal and safe for most women. Physicians involved in allopathic approaches often approach birth as a medical condition that needs to be managed and looks at birth as a disaster waiting to happen. Many practitioners from physician to midwife are usually somewhere in between and women, no matter what they have for expectations, can find a birth attendant that suits their specific needs and desires. The suggestions given can be often used, no matter which end of the birthing spectrum your attendant may be coming from.
To ease the mother's work during labor, massage is widely recommended. This can be done by your midwife, birth attendant, a doula, or a partner or friend assisting the mother in her labor. Using a special mix of essential oils, the benefits of massage can be increased greatly with the benefits of the oils. The oils will contribute to the cleanliness of the air and ensure the baby will be greeted with a pleasant aroma at the time of his arrival.
During labor it is recommended to use Moroccan rose or geranium - either individually or blended together on a one-to-one basis, diluted in any base oil. If you still have any of the Massage Base Oil, that would work well. Although these two oils work well together and are wonderful for labor and birth, you need to adjust your oils to your own needs at the time of labor. What may work in early labor may change as the birth approaches to another scent. The midwife, partner or other should be open to change and listen to the mother's preference at the time and place she happens to be. The massage oil can be used on the back through labor, but use it only once or twice on the abdomen during the first stage. The essential oil will help the uterus to do its job, but you don't want to overdo it because the baby will have to do his part of the job during the second stage.
ROSE
- Uterine relaxant.
- Helps ligaments to soften, enabling the pelvic bones to expand; and to regain elasticity after the birth.
- Natural antiseptic.
- Slight analgesic effect.
- Good cardiac tonic.
- Works on the nervous system and facilitates easy breathing, especially during panting (if this is used to stop pushing). Its calming effect increases the oxygen supply to the blood and brain and helps the woman to avoid hyperventilation.
- In low doses (1-2 drops per day on a diffuser) it has a sedative and calming effect; in higher doses, it is a stimulant.
- Antiseptic; disinfectant.
- Confidence.
- Antidepressant.
- Circulation stimulating.
- Slight analgesic effect.
- Calming.
- Antiseptic; antibiotic; disinfectant; slight antiviral properties; anti-inflammatory.
- Promotes healing of open wounds - can be used instead of antiseptics.
- Accepted by everyone.
- Good for headaches, fainting, and bringing around after shock.
- Analgesic.
- Calms the central nervous system; alleviates anxiety.
- Increases circulation - good for blood supply.
- This essential oil must not be confused with sage. Don't use sage for the baby's sake - it leaves too high toxic residues in the body. Clary sage is a milder version, although still should be used with care.
- Helps respiratory, muscular, and uterine systems.
- Mild analgesic.
- Facilitates birth; uterine tonic.
- Euphoric.
- Helps breathing by calming the lower part of the spinal cord.
- Circulation-stimulating. One of the best circulatory oils - and if the circulation is good, breathing will be easier.
- Good for uterus and endometrium.
- Contractive effect - pulls together dilated tissues, so excellent for after the birth.
- Good for the whole female reproductive system.
- Antidepressant, known for its uplifting effects.
Babies are remarkably aware of the environment outside the womb. It is thought that they are also aware of the emotional state of the mother and the sounds that she hears. The baby is also aware of the smells its mother inhales. If she is aware of this, the mother can prepare the environment so that it will be reassuring for the newborn baby. For a few days before the birth, at least, spend some time quietly relaxed listening to soft and gentle music, rubbing your tummy and letting your baby know that everything is all right. The same music can be played during your labor, thus reducing the contrast between the womb and the outside world. While relaxing, listening to music and communicating with your baby, burn the essential oils you will be using during your labor in a diffuser so that all the senses become inextricably linked in baby's mind: relaxation, welcome, music, and aroma. When your baby is born it will be into an environment he or she recognizes as being related to the mother and, moreover, to the mother being relaxed.
Oils used during labor and birth should be diluted. You do not want an overpowering aroma in the room when the baby arrives, but just enough to make the baby feel welcome, familiar and cleansing to the air. Mix your chosen essential oil or oils with a small amount of water and use on a diffuser or on a common cotton-wool ball under the pillow or on a radiator. Again, don't overdo it. You don't need a great deal and you don't want your midwife to get too relaxed and spaced out. Lavender and Neroli make excellent birthing oils, used together or alone. Be sure to talk to your midwife before hand about having the oils, diffuser, music, and low lighting. This will help her to help you prepare for the birth.
It is also soothing and important for the baby to be placed close to the mother's heart, skin to skin if possible, at the time of the birth. It is comforting for both the mother and baby and an aid to bonding.
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