During my second Un-medicated Birth, I used "Clary Sage Essential Oil."
I wasn't very familiar with Essential Oils, before my Midwife had mentioned it at my 40 week appointment. Some of the other Midwives at the practice had just come back from a workshop where "using Clary Sage Essential Oil for pain management" had been discussed.
I found a Study of over 8,000 women in the U.K conducted over 8 years that showed that Clary Sage can be useful during Labor, so I decided to give it a try.
"The evidence from this study suggests that aromatherapy can be effective in reducing maternal anxiety, fear and/or pain during labour. The use of aromatherapy appeared to facilitate a further reduction in the use of systemic opioids in the study centre, from 6% in 1990 to 0.4% in 1997 (per woman). "
My first Labor lasted 20 hours and my second was 5 hours. My Midwife said she had expected it to last about 10 hours, since often Labor times are halved at second Births.
I think eating Dates and drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea had an impact. Letting go of my Fear definitely played a part.
Who knows, how much the Clary Sage helped ease any anxiety or fear I felt. But, it smelled good. It helped cover up certain other smells.
Afterwards, I used it to help with my Afterbirth Pains. For the first three days, they were as intense as my Labor contractions.
Every time, I would steel myself for the pain, by dabbing some of the Clary Sage mixed with Olive Oil under my nose.
Here is a post that explains various methods of application. Luckily, I enjoy the smell of Clary Sage - I know it can be pretty strong for some folks. Remember Essential Oils should be put in some type of Carrier Oil before putting it directly on your skin.
Have you used Clary Sage before? I'd love to hear about your experience.
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