Boldy - Essential oils for childbirth : using aromatherapy to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety, and lessen pain with any birth plan

This important guide is truly a must have for all providers of womens health and for those searching for alternative therapies. It is written in a style that makes it so easy to understand and a joy to read.

Lin Lee, RN, CNM, Bay Area Maternity and Womens Health, California

This book offers clear and helpful guidance for those who wish to have a natural childbirth using essential oils as part of their pregnancy and birthing experience as well as for care of the newborn baby. Boldys firsthand experience, both as a mother and nurse, is invaluable in this regard.

Julia Lawless, author of The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, owner and director of Aqua Oleum, and international consultant for the aromatherapy industry

This is a valuable book for mothers, fathers, midwives, and nurses working in hospitals. It offers important practical information about the birthing process and the use of essential oils. It also offers a perspective on related topics like how to reduce cesarean-section births and how to deal with diapers on growing infants. [Boldys] focus on women and the birthing process offers a timely and unique angle in essential-oil literature.

Elizabeth Jones, author of Awaken to Healing Fragrance: The Power of Essential Oil Therapy; founder of College of Botanical Healing Arts, California; and founder and co-owner of Elizabeth Van Buren, Inc.

Copyright 2018 by Michaela Boldy. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Published by

North Atlantic Books

Berkeley, California

Cover design by Debbie Berne

Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Printed in Canada

Essential Oils for Childbirth:Using Aromatherapy to Reduce Stress, Alleviate Anxiety, and Lessen Pain with Any Birth Plan is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the readers discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Boldy, Michaela, author.
Title: Essential oils for childbirth : using aromatherapy to reduce stress,
alleviate anxiety, and lessen pain with any birth plan / Michaela Boldy,
RN.
Description: Berkeley, California : North Atlantic Books, [2018].
Identifiers: LCCN 2018031618 (print) | LCCN 2018034698 (ebook) | ISBN
9781623172954 (E-book) | ISBN 9781623172947 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: ChildbirthPsychological aspects. | PregnancyPsychological
aspects. | Aromatherapy. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Aromatherapy. |
HEALTH & FITNESS / Pregnancy & Childbirth. | FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS /
Parenting / Motherhood.
Classification: LCC RG658 (ebook) | LCC RG658 .B65 2018 (print) | DDC
618.2dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018031618

North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment.
We partner with FSC-certified printers using soy-based inks
and print on recycled paper whenever possible.

To Erica, Alice, Lara, and Thomas, with all my love, and to my own mother, Denise, who bought me my very first essential oils

For all the little people about to be born

T his little book would not have evolved without the encouragement and input from an amazing group of people. Input has come in so many ways and pushed this book forward to what it is today. I wish to wholeheartedly thank the following people:

Lin Lee, RN, CNM, Bay Area Maternity and Womens Health, California, for her continuing enthusiasm in my work and her honesty, patience, and incredible input of time over the years. Whenever I have needed Lees midwifery expertise for the study, my products, and this book, Lee has enthusiastically given her time. Lee has patiently read and reread my manuscript and endorsed my book.

Elizabeth Jones, author of Awaken to Healing Fragrance: The Power of Essential Oil Therapy; founder of College of Botanical Healing Arts, California; and founder and co-owner of Elizabeth Van Buren, Inc., for her encouragement. Her foresight for seeing essential oils being incorporated into hospitals has helped propel my work forward. Jones has given time to reading and endorsing my book.

Dr. Kenneth Weber, obstetrician and gynecologist, California, for giving both the initial permission for the midwives of Altos Oaks Medical Group, Inc. to incorporate essential oils into the practice and for giving permission to publish in this book the study that was undertaken when he was president of this practice.

Dr. James Byrne, MD, maternal fetal medicine specialist, and cofounder of Lucina Maternity Foundation, for his support, encouraging words, and his time given to reading and endorsing my work. Olga Libova, CNM, California, for her support with the study, taking time to read and endorse my book, and for being an amazing midwife delivering my fourth baby.

Robert Tisserand, author of Essential Oil Safety; founder of the Tisserand Institute, London; educator; and independent industry expert for taking time to read my book and in doing so giving me valuable comments and encouragement.

Dr. Balbir Nandra, council officer for Homeopathic Medical Association, UK, for his valuable expertise regarding homeopathy. Larry Jones, founder of Spectrix Labs, Inc., for helping me source GC/MS graphs. Cottie Chau, CEO of Elizabeth Van Buren, Inc., for sourcing of graphs and the reading and support of my work. Sam Neely, manager of education and technology at the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, for helping me source and gain permission to use graphs from the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

Nkosana Phiri and his team at NHS Digital for their help with ensuring the correct data were used from the National Health Services corporate information and documents.

Claudio Natale, managing director of the Massage in Schools Association (MISA) and international treasurer of the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM), for her permission to discuss the work of the MISA and IAIM.

Julia Lawless, author of The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, owner and director of Aqua Oleum, and international consultant for the aromatherapy industry, for taking time to read and endorse my book. Deira Gerritsen, cofounder and board member of Lucina Maternity Foundation, Melissa Dean, CNM, and Kerri Kastle, doula for their ongoing support and for taking time out of their lives to read my book. Helen Selsdon, archivist for the Helen Keller Archive and American Foundation for the Blind, for helping with the Helen Keller quote.