Preparations for Baby, Herbs and Oils

It's been hard to truly concentrate on my holiday crafting, knowing that I want everything to be just right for this birth. In all likelihood, we have a month or more before baby comes, but this one could be the exact opposite of big brother, and show up in a surprisingly early manner. The nesting instinct combined with Pinterest has led me to develop quite a huge list of projects I want to have for the birth. Right now I'm focusing on the herbs and the essential oils - anything on my list that contains these two items is getting knocked out this week.

Red Raspberry Leaf Ice Cubes

Red Raspberry leaf is an herb quite admired for its toning qualities. I've been drinking a tea of RRL and other herbs throughout my pregnancy, but in the last few weeks it's recommended that you increase the amount to help get the uterus prepped for hard work. I ran across this recipe for RRL ice cubes that contain honey. I'm an ice chewer all the time, and especially when I'm pregnant, so I figured having these in my arsenal for labor would be an excellent idea - a strong dose of the herb, plus the energy from local honey.



Frozen Pads

Search "Padsicle" on Pinterest, and a million pins will pop up for these herb soaked, witch hazel doused, frozen pads. I had these in the freezer last time, and even though my perineum was intact and not birth-battered, they were a big comfort.


Perineal Crock Pot

A warm compress for the perineum during labor? A mix of essential oils to help protect the skin and promote stretching? YES PLEASE. My crock pot is all ready, just needs water added!


And speaking of the perineum...

Perineal Massage Oil

Many midwives (and mamas I respect) recommend perineal massage in the last few weeks of pregnancy. There are quite a few recipes out there, so I decided to go with oils I know are good for skin - lavender, frankincense, and helichrysum. I've added some vitamin E oil, and put them all in a high quality carrier oil. 



Smoker's Basket

Over half of my birth support team smokes, and I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke. I'm putting together this little basket of happiness to help me stay in my fantasy world where no one I know ever smells like smoke.

Smoke Away Spray - a little recipe I found on Pinterest (of course) with melaleuca, rosemary, and eucalyptus oils. 

Cinnamon and Clove Toothpicks - Another Pinterest find, I remember men in my family chewing those cinnamon toothpicks, and they always smelled so good. I've been loving cinnamon essential oil lately, so it was an obvious choice!





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