Your Nose As a Comfort Measure
The craze of aromatherapy, oils, diffusers and pleasing scents has taken the nation by storm in the past ten years. How can they play a roll in your labor experience? We’ll take the mystery out of using scent for a comfort measure in labor.
If you’ve ever been to a spa, you’ve noticed they rely heavily on pleasing scents to promote relaxation. These are great to bring into the hospital setting, because most of the astringent, sanitizing agents used can create scent memories that distract you in labor.
Examples of relaxing scents include
lavender
sandalwood
citrus (lemon, orange, bergamot)
peppermint
The best way to bring these scents into the space for birthing is to use a diffuser and oils, to bring scent packets from a home shop, or to add drops of oil to a cotton wipe and place it close to where you’re laboring. Often, our labor doulas will stick cotton pads scented with pleasing, relaxing oils, under the pillows that a mother is laboring on in bed to help promote relaxation.
When is it NOT helpful to use oils or scents?
We recommend not putting anything scented directly onto the skin, even with a carrier oil. Always use your scent prenatally to see how your body responds. Some scents can be overpowering at certain phases in your labor, and it’s hard to remove them once they’re on your skin! Additionally, if an oil isn’t pure or is too strong, it can cause chemical burns, allergic reactions and vomiting, amongst other things!
Most of our Maryland and D.C. area hospitals encourage scent for relaxation, but it’s always a good idea to ask your care team prenatally what they prefer you to bring for your labor experience.
Explore what memories and safe places scent can recall for you, it can be a helpful tool in a labor room for your comfort! Ask your labor doula for recommendations and ways that scent can improve your environment.
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