Whether you are down to the wire or you still have plenty of time before your big day, you are probably scrambling around trying to figure out every natural way to make your home birth a bit easier and essential oils can be a huge helper! So how exactly can you use them to have an easier home birth?

You can use essential oils for everything from fear to pain, and everything in between during your home birth. They can help you out tremendously by calming you, helping you focus, and easing your pain naturally.

Keep reading to find out which ones to use and how to use them to achieve the easiest home birth possible.

Why use essential oils for a home birth?

When you think of your perfect home birth, you probably imagine it as a natural process with as little intervention as possible.

Essential oils help you achieve this by giving you a natural way to handle an abundance of things. It essentially lessens your chance of requesting pain medication during your home birth and makes it a much smoother experience overall.

Essential oils:

• Relax you
• Energize you
• Help you focus
• Relieve stress
• Soothe you
• Ease pain

They have been used for thousands of years as alternative medicine and continue to be used to this day for that very same reason (along with so many other uses).

I am going to let you in on one of the best-kept secrets: how to achieve the easiest home birth possible with the addition of essential oils.

Whether it be to relax you or to ease your pain, there’s an essential oil for every aspect of your home birth.

How to use essential oils for an easier home birth

There are many methods for enjoying the benefits of essential oils during your home birth. Some of them include:

• Diffusion- Dropping 6-10 drops into an essential oil diffuser. This method is great for relieving stress and anxiety as well as keeping you focused and alert.
• Massage oil- Pain relief is the main benefit of making a massage oil. You can do this by diluting 15-30 drops of essential oil in a tbsp. of fractioned coconut oil (or another carrier oil). Mix well and massage into the back, sides, hips, thighs or anywhere on the body you feel pain.
• Hot/cold compress– You can make these by soaking a rag in a water/essential oil mixture. You can either use a hot compress (for sore muscles and joints) or a cold compress (to reduce swelling and control pain).
• In your birthing tub/pool- If you opt to have a water birth, you can utilize the benefits of essential oils by dropping 10-20 drops of essential oil into your birthing tub.

Here are the top 7 best essential oils to make your home birth easier.

1. Eucalyptus Globulus for home birth

Eucalyptus oil has natural antiseptic, analgesic, and energizing properties that make it a must have for your home birth.

It aids in an easier home birth because it:

• Relieves stress and anxiety. Stress management is important for a home birth because it is an extremely stressful time in a mommas life.
• Helps manage pain using its main component, 1,8 Cineole, which accounts for up to 90% of the contents of Eucalyptus oil. (Source). When inhaled, Eucalyptus oil has been shown to significantly decrease VAS (Visual Analog Scale) pain scores during labor. (Source)
• Keeps your blood pressure in check. High blood pressure (hypertension) is an extremely dangerous condition (especially during a home birth.) Eucalyptus oil has been proven to notably lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure just by inhaling the aroma. (Source)

Set a stress-free, uplifting, and energizing environment, while also relieving your pain, by diffusing Eucalyptus Globulus in your birthing room.

Stress and fear are often associated with pain so reducing your stress in theory, reduces pain as well.

You can also use Eucalyptus oil in a topical pain reliever by creating a massage oil. It works even better when mixed half and half with Peppermint oil, which brings me to the next oil on my list.

2. Peppermint oil for home birth

Peppermint oil is an extremely versatile oil and a vital component to natural home birth because of all the beneficial properties it carries.

Peppermint essential oil can help to ease a home birth because it:

• Eases pain both topically and through inhalation.
• Relieves nausea and vomiting by simply inhaling the oil straight from the bottle or diffusing it into the air.
• Increases focus and concentration so you can keep your mind off your fear and pain.
• Energizes your mind and body- Birth is a tiresome process and takes a toll on your body as well as your energy level. Diffusing Peppermint oil in your birth room gives you the energy and vitality you need to keep going!

Peppermint has been shown to reduce pain in home birth through topical application thanks to the cooling and anti-inflammatory properties in its main component, Menthol. (Source)

3. Chamomile oil for home birth

Extremely calming and sedative-like, this oil acts as a natural stress and pain reliever upon inhalation.

No wonder it’s one of the most recommended oils for a home birth.

Choose between both Roman and German Chamomile. They each have numerous benefits [that you may not be aware of] that make them perfect for helping you achieve the easiest home birth possible.

Chamomile aids in an easier home birth because it:

• Relieves nausea and vomiting- Stop these common symptoms associated with natural childbirth by inhaling it straight from the bottle or blending it with Peppermint, Ginger, and Lavender to maximize the anti-nausea benefits.
• Naturally boosts mood– Chamomile carries natural mood enhancing qualities that give you a positive, happy, and optimistic outlook.
• Acts as a topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic- Great in Sits baths or in the birthing tub to relieve any swelling and pain. You can also blend with a carrier oil along with other pain-relieving oils and massage into the skin to receive these benefits.

4. Geranium Essential oil for home birth

The sweet floral aroma carried by geranium is both grounding and restorative. It is well known for promoting emotional wellness, making it perfect for your home birth.

Geranium makes home birth easier by using it’s:

• extremely potent antiseptic, analgesic, and antispasmodic properties, all which aid in easier home birth.
• grounding quality. Geranium relieves both nervous anxiety and fear upon inhalation so diffusing it for this purpose is best.
• strong aphrodisiac properties. This makes it perfect for an orgasmic birth because the sheer scent of it can boost libido and put you in the mood.

Geranium can very well be used on its own during home birth but when mixed with Lavender and Rose oil, it creates a perfect home birth blend full of antiseptic, pain relieving, and mood boosting qualities sure to give you the home birth you imagined.

5. Lavender Essential oil for home birth

You knew it was coming! This is an all-around beneficial essential oil, well-known for its stress relieving and sleep-inducing benefits.

It is an absolutely perfect essential oil to make for an easier home birth for everyone involved.

Lavender works in a variety of ways by

• Relieving pain- It’s been proven to ease aches and pains in studies.
• Calming the mind and body- Reduces stress and anxiety associated with your fears of pain and thoughts of what is to come by relaxing you.
• Reducing the risk of perineal tears because of the relaxing effect it has on the body.

Inhale the exotic aroma of Lavender essential oil and let it take you to a happy, painless, and empowering place for the most amazing and natural experience of your life.

Tip: Lavender essential oil is also perfect for perineal tears or lacerations postpartum. Just use it by dropping a few drops of Lavender oil in your sits bath along with a few drops of Chamomile. This not only helps heal the perineum but also relieves pain and inflammation.

6. Clary Sage oil for home birth

Clary sage is by far the most beneficial oil to have next to you during your home birth.  It is thought to help the uterine, respiratory, and muscular system during labor. (Source)

Clary sage should be avoided during pregnancy because it causes uterine contractions which can induce labor.

That is the very reason it is so important during birth and delivery.

Clary sage has a lot of benefits that can make your home birth easier,

• It speeds up delivery by increasing oxytocin levels which, in turn, make contractions more productive. (Source)
• It relieves pain through massage because of its antiseptic properties. (Source) When you begin to feel contractions, massage a mixture of clary sage and carrier oil into your lower abdomen.
• Promotes relaxation during childbirth which can also speed up the process.
• Regulates blood pressure by relaxing the veins and arteries allowing blood to flow normally. It could also be attributed to its anti-inflammatory properties by reducing swelling and inflammation.

7. Grapefruit oil for home birth

With its deliciously citrus aroma, it’s no surprise this essential oil made it on the list. This oil is perfect for labor and delivery as well as post partum.

The addition of Grapefruit essential oil can help make your home birth easier in various ways.

• By encouraging happy vibes in the room, brightening the air, and letting you release all negative feelings and have a positive outlook.
• By relieving stress and anxiety with its fruity uplifting scent.
• By helping you fight fatigue. It has natural energy boosting qualities that help you keep going when all your energy would normally be drained.

As soon as you begin to feel any negative feelings or start to get worn out then you know it’s time to pull out your Grapefruit essential oil.

Tip: If you feel any baby blues after giving birth, this is the most beneficial oil to use because it helps you fight depression by naturally lifting your spirits and making you feel happy.

Home birth blends

Certain oils blend well with each other and others not so well. Here are 3 blends perfect for making your home birth easier, PLUS they smell great together!

Home birth blend #1

These three oils together create a lovely floral aroma that will fill the birthing room with passion, a sense of calm and peace while also relieving pain and uplifting your spirit.

Diffuser Blend:

• 5 drops of Geranium
• 3 drops of Rose
• 5 drops of Lavender

Massage oil:

1 Tbsp. of fractioned coconut oil or other carrier oil mixed with

• 10 drops Geranium
• 10 drops Lavender
• 7 drops Rose

Home birth blend #2

The fruity mint serenity created by the combination of Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Grapefruit work together to lift your mood, help you focus, and also relieve labor pain. It also decreases stress, regulates blood pressure, and relieves inflammation.

Diffuser blend:

• 6 drops of Peppermint
• 4 drops of Eucalyptus Globulus
• 2 drops Grapefruit

Massage oil:

1 Tbsp. of carrier oil mixed with

• 12 drops of Peppermint
• 8 drops of Eucalyptus Globulus
• 6 drops of Grapefruit

Home Birth blend #3

This blend is specifically to support the relief of contraction pain and help make for a quicker labor. Either diffuse it at the beginning of labor or as soon as you start to feel labor pain. You can also massage into the abdomen, temples, neck, or the bottoms of feet to feel relief.

Diffuser Blend:

• 6 drops Clary Sage
• 4 drops Lavender
• 5 drops Geranium

Massage oil:

1 tbsp. of carrier oil mixed with

• 12 drops Clary Sage
• 8 drops Lavender
• 10 drops Geranium

Enjoy!

I hope these essential oils help you significantly throughout your home birth journey!

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