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Want to have your best birth possible? In addition to taking childbirth education classes, preparing your body physically and your mind mentally, there are natural, pregnancy-safe tools that can help with your emotions and actual pain management during labor and birth. Enter… essential oils! You can use essential oils as natural medicine for a number of ailments, concerns, and calming properties.

Essential oils help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, thus reducing perceived pain in childbirth.

The following blends, sprays, and rollerballs have been compiled to help you in managing your final stages of pregnancy, labor and birthing process, and newborn moments with your baby.  Mom, dad, doulas, and birth partners can all use these oils.   

“Contraction Helper” rollerball  

• 25 drops clary sage
• 10 drops geranium
• 10 drops myrrh
• 5 drops lavender
• Add essential oils to a 10ml glass rollerball.
• Fill the rest of the rollerball with fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil of your choice).

This contraction helper rollerball is a blend of clary sage, geranium, myrrh and lavender for mommas to use to during labor.  Clary sage is a uterine tonic that aids in bringing on effective contractions.  Geranium enhances circulation and is good for assisting momma with muscle tension. Myrrh is a uterine stimulant and can help to intensify contractions. Lavender is calming for momma.   This rollerball blend can also be used in the event of stalled labor.  Use this blend when you are ready to naturally encourage your body to get ready for labor.   

HOW TO USE YOUR “CONTRACTION HELPER” ROLLER BALL:  

• Roll onto ankles, then massage the oil into the backs of both feet (particularly the inside of the right ankle, as this is where your reflex points are located).  You can do this several times a day.
• Roll onto lower abdomen near hip bone areas in front and back.  You can do this several times a day.
• *Birth partners: continue to use this blend on the bottoms of momma’s feet right after birth.  The blend will help the uterus contract back down.

“Energy + Focus” Spray

• 5 drops wild orange
• 5 drops peppermint
• Add essential oils to a 2oz glass spray bottle.
• Fill the rest of the bottle with water.

This blend of wild orange and peppermint is for spraying on momma (and dad or birthing partners) during labor. Peppermint can reduce anxiety and is an invigorating, cooling aroma.  Wild orange is a refreshing, happy aroma. 

HOW TO USE YOUR “ENERGY + FOCUS” MIST:

• Spray directly onto momma’s face (like you would a facial toner).
• Spray onto cool, damp washcloth and apply to momma’s face or chest.
• Use as a room spray during and after labor for everyone’s enjoyment.  

Use as a “poo-pouri” in the event momma poops while laboring on the toilet. Spray into the toilet bowl prior to her needing to poop and the odor will be minimized.

“Confidence + Calm” rollerball

• Add 40 drops of Balance (the grounding blend) to a 10ml glass rollerball. 
• Fill the rest of the rollerball with fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil of your choice).

Balance blend will bring feelings of courage and confidence to momma.  This blend will support calm feelings and is wonderful for newborn baby to smell too.  

HOW TO USE YOUR “CONFIDENCE + CALM” ROLLERBALL:

• Apply to back of neck, temples, chest, wrists and bottom of feet. 
• Roll a bit onto the back of momma’s hand near her thumb so she can easily smell the aroma. 

Momma may also want to hold the rollerball and smell Balance throughout labor.   

“Bottom Blend” Spray

• 5 drops helichrysum
• 5 drops frankincense
• 5 drops copaiba
• Add essential oils to a 2oz glass bottle. 
• Fill the rest of the glass bottle with a mix of fractionated coconut oil and witch hazel.

This blend of helichrysum (the liquid bandaid), frankincense (wound healing and cellular support), and copaiba (nervous system support and reduces skin imperfections) is to protect momma’s perineum and baby’s crown (head) during birth.  This blend is also great for postpartum healing of the perineal area. 

HOW TO USE YOUR BOTTOM BLEND SPRAY:

• Spray or pour this blend directly onto momma’s perineum area when baby’s head starts to crown.  Get directions from the doctor or midwife.  Do this several times during crowning.    
• Your provider might massage all around perineum area for protection.  
• You can use this blend instead of the mineral oil that most hospitals utilize.
• This spray blend is essential for postpartum healing, especially if there was tearing and stitches.  Refill the recipe if you use it all during your birth.

For more information on ordering your own essential oils for pregnancy, birth and postpartum, please contact me or book a free one-on-one wellness consultation with me.

Parents often ask me about my favorite infant sleep books. I recommend reading up on baby sleep while you are still pregnant so you can be more prepared for when your newborn arrives. Baby and parent sleep is important for health, wellbeing, and recovery.

Twelve years ago, my husband and I were expecting our first baby girl. Most of the pregnancy books focus on everything up to and including the birth. But we wanted to know what to do with our newborn AFTER the birth.

We read infant sleep books, watched newborn care DVDs, poured over parenting magazines, signed up for parenting classes. By the time our daughter arrived, we had a plan in place to prioritize sleep. Those first 6-12 weeks of newborn sleep are usually the most challenging, and having a game plan can take away some of the overwhelm.

What we learned is that sleep is a natural process, but there are lots of things that can disrupt it. We also learned that there are several different approaches or philosophies regarding infant sleep. The cool thing about parenting is that there is no one size fits all. You get to choose what is best for your own family. But you do need to learn about sleep science and the various methods so that you can make an informed decision on how to implement your methods and shape sleep hygiene in your home.

HERE ARE MY TOP 5 FAVE BOOKS ON INFANT SLEEP:

• Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman. This book is a fun listen on Audible. I really enjoy Pamela’s story-telling approach. Her experiences resonated a lot with me because my two children were both born in New Zealand. The culture is different than America. We have much to learn about parenting approaching in other nations.
• The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. The inventor of the SNOO bassinet. The book provides a great overview of popular settling strategies (in this case, the 5 S’s – swaddling, side or stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking). You’ll get a great overview of techniques to calm a newborn or infant. Settling takes practice and every parent or caregiver needs to calmly and confidently find their groove.
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A New Step-by-Step Guide for a Good Night’s Sleep by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. I recommend this book because of the comprehensive overview of infant sleep. It is packed full of information from a pediatrician. You will learn a lot!
• On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep by Dr. Robert Bucknam and Gary Ezzo. My Momma sent this book to me when I was pregnant with our first daughter. Gary Ezzo is the guy that crafted the eat – play – sleep cycle routine. Make sure the book you read is co-authored by Dr. Bucknam. The “old” version has a negative reputation due to its dogmatic scheduled approach. The new editions do provide a great framework for structuring your day. Type A parents are usually attracted to the parent-directed flexible routines provided. The book does not offer much on settling techniques, so it does need to be just one piece of your baby sleep reading repertoire.
• Holistic Sleep Coaching: Gentle Alternatives to Sleep Training for Health and Childcare Professionals by Lyndsey Hookway. While this book is written for professionals, I have included it here to introduce you to Lyndsey Hookway. She is a British nurse, IBCLC and holistic sleep educator. For those that resonate with responsive parenting, you will be empowered with an alternative approach to mainstream infant sleep messaging.

I wanted to include an honorable mention book that might be hard to access in America. Baby Whispering by Sharlene Poole was so helpful for me as a new mother 12 years ago. I learned so much from this woman when I was pregnant the first time around. She offers practical tips on how to prepare for a newborn.

I hope you find these books helpful. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg. I’ve read countless articles, studies, more books, and taken classes. You’re not going to learn it all overnight. But this is a great start.

Let me know what you think.

To the gift of infant sleep,

Jenna

P.S. If you’re currently dealing with a little babe that isn’t sleeping, check out my sleep packages. You might not have the time or energy to DIY this thing. I’M HERE TO HELP.

Did you know that essential oils are an evidence-based way to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, thus reducing perceived pain in childbirth?! In addition to the emotional and physical benefits of these plant-powered tools, you can create a spa-like atmosphere in your labor space. Using oils can bring your birth experience to the next level. 

I was first introduced to doTERRA essential oils by my Auntie Sue when I was pregnant with my second daughter in 2013. She sent me lemon, lavender, and peppermint with an info sheet on how to use the oils in pregnancy and my upcoming birth. As I prepared for labor, I made a spray bottle of lavender and peppermint. During our amazing birth, my best friend and husband misted the room spray over me while I labored in the shower and birth tub. It smelled SO good in there and helped me to relax and ease into the experience. I continued to use the room spray after our baby was born because it made me feel so relaxed. 

For the past 8+ years, I’ve been using these oils at the request of my birth doula clients. Essential oils are a powerful tool to use for birth. 

The following list of essential oils has been compiled to help you in making selections for your birth. Uses include aromatic, topical and internal. 

FRACTIONATED COCONUT OIL

• Use as a base for massaging during labor  
• Use to dilute essential oils when applying topically
• Used to top up rollerball blends 

BALANCE (THE GROUNDING BLEND)

• Promotes feelings of courage, confidence and calm 
• Great in a rollerball or diffuser (“Calm & Confidence” blend)
• Good for mom, dad, support people

WILD ORANGE

• Uplifting and eases feelings of stress
• Mixes with peppermint for the “Energy + Focus” spray

PEPPERMINT

• Invigorating / energizing 
• Good for nausea 
• Diffuse 3 drops peppermint + 3 drops lavender for a familiar, calming aroma in the birthing room 

CLARY SAGE

• Uterine tonic – makes contractions more effective 
• Calms nervous system, relieves anxiety 
• Main oil in the “Contraction Helper” rollerball

LAVENDER

• Calming
• Mix with peppermint for a spa-like labor room diffuser blend experience 

DEEP BLUE RUB

• Address aches and pains in muscles 
• Good for lower back during contractions 

FRANKINCENSE

• Supports feelings of anxiety
• Key oil in “Bottom Blend” spray
• Perineum and skin healing 

HELICHRYSUM

• Perineum and skin healing
• Key oil in “Bottom Blend” spray

COPAIBA 

• Helps calm, soothe the central nervous system 
• Great for immune function 
• Key oil in “Bottom Blend” spray

OREGANO AND MARJORAM

• Immune support
• Used in pain support capsules (2 drops each of frankincense + oregano + marjoram in a veggie capsule)

SIBERIAN FIR

• Good for pain management during back labor 

BLACK PEPPER 

• Massage into lower back for back labor pain relief

MYRRH 

• Intensifies contractions – great for stalled labor 
• Heals umbilical cord stump (for baby)

JASMINE TOUCH

• May reduce contraction pain

You can make your own labor and birth rollerball and spray blends with these oils. Read more about those here. 

Remember to bring a diffuser with you if you want to use the oils aromatically in your birth room. Another option is to bring cotton rounds, drip the oils on the cotton, and hold those near your nose. I personally prefer a diffuser for the ambient aroma and like to use specific oils close up at different stages of labor. 

For more information on ordering your own essential oils for pregnancy, birth and postpartum, please contact me or book a free one-on-one wellness consultation.