During the births of my two children, one at a birthing center located inside a hospital and the other at home, I was encouraged to use aromatherapy and essential oils!
To help encourage labor, I made a roller of clary sage and geranium. I inhaled the blend and rolled on my inner ankles before labor started and several times throughout labor.
I was introduced to the benefits of clary sage during my first birth when my labor stalled. The nurses rolled clary sage all over the insides of my ankle because the inner ankle and the pelvic floor are connected! Isn't it amazing how the body is all connected!
So why clary sage? Clary sage essential oil is thought to stimulate labor by increasing the oxytocin level which creates uterine contractions. A study done in 2020 suggests that olfactory stimulation of clary sage essential oils increases salivary oxytocin. and a study done in 2017 showed that the cortisol level decreased in both groups (with clary sage and one without) postinhalation.
In other studies, geranium oil lowered pain scores, reduced stress and anxiety and even lowered diastolic blood pressure.
I know some will say that this could be just a placebo, however in all of these studies there were no negative effects on these laboring mothers. To me, that's a huge win!
Tadokoro Y, Horiuchi S, Takahata K, Shuo T, Sawano E, Shinohara K. Changes in salivary oxytocin after inhalation of clary sage essential oil scent in term-pregnant women: a feasibility pilot study. BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):717. Published 2017 Dec 8. doi:10.1186/s13104-017-3053-3