Because I have used essential oils as a matter of course after the birth of my three children, and have never experienced any post partum infection, I was very surprised to read a recent article in a nursing journal. The article was reporting on an epidemic of puerperal fever in a British maternity hospital, where several newly delivered mothers had developed high fevers, having been infected with streptococcus. The cause of the infection was eventually traced to a hospital cleaner who was suffering from a chronic vaginal infection and had unwittingly charged the air with this infection. Antibiotics were given to all of the infected women, and I presume that the problem has been taken care of for the time being. However, if one member of staff can do so much damage surely any visitor, nurse, doctor, or consultant, could do likewise, owing to the sad fact that staff often have to work while unwell, due to staff shortages. How many visitors would submit to a medical inspection every time they visited a person in hospital? Accepting, that the atmosphere is never going to be sterile, but that mothers, and babies are at risk and must be protected, should we not be insisting that essential oils be employed routinely in maternity hospitals? This could easily be done by giving the mothers regular sitz baths which incorporate essential oils, and by infusing essences into the atmosphere to combat airborne bacteria and viruses. Several British ?maternity hospitals encourage newly?delivered mothers to take aromatic baths, and the use of essential oils is acknowledged by midwives
And nurses to be beneficial.

Another protective which I would like to see in the future, is for doctors, midwives and other staff directly in contact with newly-born babies, especially, those babies who are premature and more vulnerable to infection, to gargle with antiseptic essential oils such as lemon, bergamot and tea tree, because the throat is usually the first site of infection.

After giving birth to my children, getting to know them and putting them to the breast. the first thing I did for myself was have a sitz bath with cypress and lavender. Cypress is astringent and causes the raw blood vessels to close over, and lavender oil is very healing, and gently encourages the growth of new skin at the same time as protecting the raw area from airborne infection. A new plastic bowl is ideal for a sitz bath. If you are small like me, then a washing up bowl if adequate. For larger ladies a baby bath would be necessary, or if it seems preferable, just two or three inches of water in a regular bath will suffice. Until the stitches were removed, I liked to have a sitz bath after every visit to the toilet. As the perennial skin beats more quickly when subjected to regular aromatic baths. the stitches (if any have been required) may thus disappear or (if necessary) be removed by the midwife a few days earlier.

SORE NIPPLES
Prevention is better than cure, and a regime for preparing the nipples for the onslaught of a hungry baby is definitely advisable. Babies have a very powerful grip, and suck extremely hard. I know of several women, who, although desperately keen to breast?feed their babies, were unable to because of the pain and the bleeding. Most of the essential oils are too strong for use on this sensitive area, and would also be inadvisable for the baby to swallow. In fact a nasty tasting oil may make the baby reject the breast. I would therefore recommend that only lavender or rose oil be used. A very dilute mix ? one drop to one teaspoon nut oil ? should be massaged into the nipples immediately after a feed and the nipples and aureole should be carefully washed before each feed.