Way too often, I am asked, how did you use your oils for pregnancy and labour? And for too long, my answer has been a little bit here and there and a promise that I will write as detailed an account possible soon. This blog post is of course overdue, but I am feeling just a tad bit emotional today, and I haven’t written anything in far too long, and remembering my gentle birth would be the perfect pick me up..
I remember when I found out I was pregnant. I was overcome with a mix of joy and fear. After all, my first birth wasn’t exactly the best of stories and post that birth, I had 3 miscarriages, in which the third one was particularly painful and least to say, depressing. That was when I started using Progessence Phyto Plus (PPP) as I knew low progesterone levels were a cause of recurrent miscarraiges. I used PPP twice a day, each time using 2 drops each on my forearms, over my carotid arteries and inner ankles. After testing positive, I continued using PPP till the 12th week of my pregnancy when my pregnancy stabilized. I had a scare at the 8th week when I had some spotting and decided to further increase my drops of PPP to 3 drops per area. Things stabilized soon after.
Alhamdulillah, I resolved to fully empower myself that pregnancy. I attended 2 gentle birthing classes by Doula Hanani Surani and Doula Fadillah Yusope and a Breastfeeding Workshop for Expectant Mothers by Blessed Beginnings Sg (even though that would have been the second time I breastfed lol). I also attended weekly yoga sessions with Yoga Teacher Ella from the time I was 14weeks right up till the week I was due, went for BCST sessions with Yonie Bonawi and even occasionally for traditional foot massage with the therapist who is familiar with women’s conditions and pregnancy. A few weeks before I birthed, I even got a chance to do a birth balance with Renate Wennekes, a Develepmental Kineseologist and Braingym Instructor. I was superbly blessed to be able to empower myself through so many avenues. On top of all that, I was even luckier I had my essential oils that I could use daily for self care to keep me calm and in check and helped me deal with the usual pregnancy aches and pains.
In my early pregnancy, I was really adversed to the smell of gentle baby essential oil, something which I understood that it meant I really needed the oil, so on the advice of Yonie, I used it over my abdomen daily. I grew to love Gentle Baby EO and craved it daily hehe. I would use it over my abdomen and seal over it with Rose Ointment. It was calming for me and even my baby whose kicks felt nice and comfortable instead of what felt like rib-jabbing in my previous pregnancy. The additional side effect was that I did not develop any new stretch marks!
As I grew bigger during my pregnancy, I had some sciatic pain and also some pain due to stretching of my abdomen. I used Valor and Aroma Siez to help with the fatigue and pain in those areas and it felt really nice and comfortable. I also ingested the pain bomb combination using 5drops of Frankincense, Idaho Balsam Fir and Copaiba each in a size 0 capsule. These were my saviours, no panadol or painkillers needed! Sometimes, my hormones and emotions would get the better of me and for those days, I truly enjoyed diffusing and applying on my shoulders White Angelica EO. It gives me an almost instant calming effect and puts me into a deep slumber even when I have too much on my mind. Other favourite oils I always kept handy with me in my handbag were Stress Away Roll-On and Deep Relief Roll-On. Roll-Ons are the most convenient way to bring oils out to use on the go! I also drank Ningxia Red daily for energy and to maintain good health.
About 6 weeks prior to my due date (9 July 2013), I religiously sprayed Claraderm on my perineum area. I wasn’t really keen on doing perennial massages hehe but the Claraderm Spray, containing Myrrh & Frankincense, among other ingredients, in a base of Coconut Oil, helped to ensure elasticity of the skin. After all, my doctor told me to be prepared for a big baby!
On the morning of 7 July 2013, I had began my day very normally. I went for my Sunday noon religious class and was having fun learning while snacking with dear friends. I suddenly felt a small burst of water and quickly went to the loo. My pantyliner was soaked through. A little bit of my water had began to leak but I didn’t want to alarm anyone so I said nothing but texted my husband and doula. I went home when my class ended and decided to rest, that was when I felt more “bursts” and “leaks”. My doula arrived at about 4.30 pm that evening, she put on the doppler, checked my water levels through palpitations and decided that it wouldn’t be too soon – probably in 1-2days. We chatted for a bit and as she was about to leave, my waterbag burst for real. Boy, was I amazed by how much fluids a waterbag is filled with! We were in my son’s room at that time and I practically formed several icky ‘puddles’ around the room! At that point, we decided the birth was happening sooner, rather than later! We became certain I would birth that same day.
Everything went on as per normal after that. I prayed Maghrib and ate a delicious meal of meatball marinara Subway sandwich brought back by my parents from JB. At about 8pm, things were not quite as per normal any longer. Contractions became intense and soon, I lost all concept of time and was fully in ‘the zone’. I can’t remember everything in sequence but I knew nothing felt better than the husband rubbing Valor on my sacrum. I kept making him rub more and the feeling was truly nice – a sort of relief and comfort. I also mixed up a “Birth Blend” which he layered over the valor. “Birth Blend” consisted of 8 drops helichrysum, 6 drops copaiba, 4 drops fennel, 4 drops peppermint, 10 drops ylang ylang and 5 drops clary sage, diluted in equal parts of V6. I believe this helped accelerate my labour as well. My husband also diffused Stress Away to help calm me down. I clung on to him and did hip rotations to help each contraction pass. In between I drank water and ate dates to fuel my body with energy. By 10+ pm, I was screaming that I could not take it any longer. At that point, we decided to transfer to the hospital for the birth. It was an exciting taxi ride to the hospital. The driver was nervous but trying to mantain his cool while driving quickly but safely to the hospital. All praises to God, I was at 9cm by the time I arrived at the hospital. I was blessed to have a doctor who was quite willing to give me free space to birth as naturally as possible. I continued using Birth Blend during the last few moments of my contractions before I was ready to breathe the baby out. Following tips from the book “Hypnotbirthing: The Mongan Method” by Marie F. Mongan and breathing techniques learnt during prenatal yoga, I gently breathed baby out. My husband diffused White Angelica when we were at the hospital and put Joy on his palms and made me inhale deeply. Before I knew it, I heard the sounds of the sweet birth cry at 11.45pm on Sunday, 7 July 2013.
The baby was placed on my chest and the hospital did not even rush me to weigh him or get him checked. They gave me time for skin to skin bonding with my baby as I tried to birth my placenta. The birthing of the placenta was difficult and following the advise of my doula who noticed I had not peed for far too long, my doctor inserted a catheter to help me clear my bladder. I asked my doula to use “After-birth blend” to help me tone the uterus and expel placenta. The after birth blend was a mix of 10 drops Geranium, 10 drops Lavender and 10 drops Jasmine. The blend was applied topically over my lower abdomen. Soon after, I birthed my placenta and my baby began to breastfeed. It seemed so natural to him as he stared at me with his tiny eyes that could barely open for long at that point – and I understood what I had learnt all this while, truly a natural birth helps a baby survive so beautifully and easily in his early days of life. His latch wasn’t perfect but it was okay. I was empowered and felt like I could survive any challenge. The important point was that he was latching and my mature milk had come in just before day 3. We worked together, and within a matter of days, his latch was as perfect as could be. No sore nipples for me, alhamdulillah.
I anoited baby’s head with Sacred Frankincense a few hours after he was born and continued to do so for a few days. His skull was forming beautifully and the fontanels closing up. We also cleaned his cord stump with Diluted Myrrh and it fell off within a matter of a few days. I loved how he smelt, essential oils and a tinge of heaven.
This birth meant so much to me in so many ways. I began to learn that I could do anything with His blessings once I set my intention, prayed hard and often, and empower myself with knowledge. When I do not limit myself to conventional care, so much more is achieved. Abdullah is 16 months old today and is the light of our eyes, especially his older brother who has learnt to interact better with other children through interaction with his own sibling. When I get tired after Abdullah messes up my entire room, I realised at the back of it, I am super blessed to have an independent and fiesty baby who loves exploring. Abdullah has taught me that I can birth naturally and that I am stronger than I think I am. For that, I am forever grateful. My dream, for now, is to inspire other mothers, especially those with prior traumatic births, that you can get your dream birth as well. Believe, pray and let nature take it’s course.
Oily Mum Musings 