I used so many oils during my labor, delivery, and recovery and they made such a huge impact in supporting my body through such an important time! When it comes to labor and delivery, you know your body best and I have full appreciation for natural remedies and modern medicine to help me bring my babies into the world safely.

-I had been having contractions on and off, but they wouldn't stay consistent. I applied Jasmine to my belly and ankles and within the hour, my contractions were consistent and getting stronger. After laboring for about 5 hours at home, my contractions were very strong and close together, so we headed to the hospital. In triage I had my husband reapply the Jasmine to my ankles to keep things moving. I also had Clary Sage on hand for this purpose, but Jasmine worked better for me!

-Once we were put in our L&D room, we plugged in the diffuser and put Envision and Orange in to help me envision the labor I desired and prayed for and Orange is very uplifting. We did ask the nurse if it was okay to run the diffuser and she didn't even hesitate to say yes. Everyone who came in and out of the room said how good it smelled in our room!

-I had my husband put Sacred Mountain on my feet often through labor, especially as things started progressing and nerves and fear began to creep in.

-Valor rolled on my neck and wrists for calming nerves and bravery.

-Peppermint for queasy feelings, I applied it behind my ears and held the bottle to sniff when needed.

-After Penelope arrived, and we were put in our recovery room, I diffused Gentle Baby for calming and relaxing. I love this smell and it made the hospital room feel more home-y.

-I also loved Bergamot or Gratitude in the diffuser during the daytime during our hospital stay.

-Stress Away for my husband. ;)

-I also made a contraction roller, but didn't end up using it a lot because my pain was so, so low in my tailbone since baby was so, so low, and turned a little funky, which some positioning and rocking took care of!

10ml Contraction Roller:

10 drops each: Copaiba and Lavender

5 drops each: Marjoram and Idaho Balsam Fir

3 drops each: Juniper, Frankincense, Helichrysum, and Valor

Top with carrier oil

Recovery

-Copaiba and Panaway for those post delivery cramps! I just brought both bottles, but it would makes sense to have a roller ready to go! Add a hot rice bag or heated blanket, this combo was a life saver!

-Copaiba and coconut oil for nipple cream-this is a GAME CHANGER. Seriously. Your boobs will thank you.

-About every time I used the bathroom after delivery for about a week I put 3-5 drops of Copaiba directly into my peri bottle with water to spray on my lady parts to promote quicker healing and recovery. Probably my best piece of advice is to have lots of Copaiba on hand when you have a baby, it's so great for pain and healing!

-I also used ClaraDerm Spray 2-3 times a day on my perineum (which I started using daily at about 34 weeks 1-2 times per day). Every momma should do this!!

**My recovery was way faster this time around and I give a huge credit to Copaiba and ClaraDerm for that!

-Lemon for taking off the sticky from any medical tape.

-Ningxia Red packets and lots of water to help my body recover!

-To help get things moving normally, a drop of Peppermint in the toilet (but also don’t underestimate a stool softener).

-Life 9 Probiotic is great to take to help keep things regular and encourages a healthy gut in mom and baby!

Other oils I brought because I didn't know how things would go and what I would want:

-Cedarwood, Northern Lights Black Spruce, and Frankincense for grounding.

-Empty vegetable capsules and Copaiba and Lavender to make "Lioness Capsules" for pain.

-Peace and Calming, Surrender, White Angelica for emotional support.

-Lavender to apply to my chest to support heart rate during contractions.

-Clary Sage: In the Gentle Babies book it says this can help encourage labor and contractions, I didn't feel like this one worked as well as Jasmine, which kicked me into labor, but I know a lot of people who have used this on their ankles and it really helped their contractions get moving!

This was by far my best birth experience of all three kids and I know that's partially my own experience as a mom, but also being empowered to know what my body and emotions needed and not be afraid to advocate for myself (or have my husband advocate for me) this time around.

You’ve got this, mama!! You’re going to do great!