Essential oils in labour

[Twitchett22]

Anyone had any experiences of essential oils working for pain relief during labour? I've never been into aromatherapy and all that so I don't really know what I'm talking about or looking at. Just interested to know if any of them are useful, even for a short time just to put off having any medical pain relief for a bit longer?

I don't know much about stuff like this, but I remember the midwife had an oil burner thing during my labour. Tbh I totally forgot about it for an hour or two then she had to get rid cause the scent suddenly hit me, really strong, and I just couldn't stand it haha. Sorry it's not really positive x

I honestly can’t imagine caring through all the sweat, tears and pain, it would be like the walls being a different colour. I’d have no clue. There’s no time to appreciate things like smells

I took a range with me intending to use them but I couldn’t have cared less about them during the labour unfortunately! I think my husband wasted some lavender over me at some point and it didn’t help! Sorry not positive! (My labour was horrific so probably not true for everyone)

The trainee midwives I had tried to shove these up my nose on cotton wool. Im.afraid I needed the hard stuff!

I packed lavender oil but it didn’t even come out of the bag, and like PPs I have also had friends who had to ask for oils to be removed halfway through as it made them feel sick. Possibly sensory overload as there’s so much else going on? From my experience there’s no way it would have helped with pain relief/control, but that really is just me.

However, having baths with tea tree oil afterwards was an absolute godsend. It is antiseptic, healing, and although I thought it would remind me of teenage acne Body Shop products, the scent was actually weirdly uplifting and restorative.

I used clary sage oil to bring on labour (was overdue) and then to strengthen contractions during prolonged second stage. Also used rose and lavender oils for massage. I had an amazing doula who really knew her stuff. First stage at home was amazing.

(All sounds lush and wafty I know... ended up mooing while pushing on all fours on an ambulance trolley going through main entrance of hospital to labour ward, wrapped in a towel. Zen.)

Also massive yes to tea tree oil and lavender in the bath afterwards and also on lady pads. You can apply it direct to any grazes/small tears too.

If you've done any hypnobirthing, using the calming scents when you're practising can help when you're in labour and smell the same thing. I think it was rose?

I also was sniffing Clary sage to bring contractions on for both my labours as both of mine started with waters breaking and if you're not in established labour soon thereafter it can be an infection risk.

They knocked me sick. I still can't have a whiff of frankincense without gagging I have to read candles and perfumes very carefully before I smell test them.

A friend told me she would sniff lavender oil first, give it half an hour to see if it worked, then try a massage, then move to Paracetamol etc etc just as a way to pass the time really, but if it doesn't work i won't bother haha.
Id like to avoid pethidine and an epidural as much as possible, although if i need it I'll have it. Was hoping if i can pass the time by using other things it would stop me jumping straight for the hard stuff ha but i can imagine how the smells would probably make you feel worse!
I'll give hypnobirthing and entonox a whirl and go from there

Yes I had it while in labour in the birthing pool. Just agreed in the hope it would make the modwife be nicer to me it did sweet FA for either
Maybe if she had actually spent her time examining me properly fkdisjjsksk

Midwife gave DH lavender oil mix and asked him to massage top of my hips while I laboured on knees- was wonderful, didn't stop pain but gave a lovely sense of calm

I always take a bottle of lavender oil with me to hospitsl (whether for labour or some other likely stay)

It's antmicrobial (a plus) and possibly calming/balancing (also a plus, if this works for you) and will do no harm

Just make sue you use it on a tissue, so it can easily be chucked away should you suddenly and violently go off it (as Imhave heard sometimes happens)