Pregnant women to be given aromatherapy treatment to help them go into labour

PREGNANT women are being given free massages and aromatherapy on the NHS to help them go into labour naturally.

Expectant mums who go past their due date are also being given the alternative treatment by midwives.

The experimental pilot scheme is being hailed as a radical breakthrough in the treatment of mums who go over their full term.

Around a quarter of pregnant women fail to go into labour by their due date and have to be given medical help such as drugs to trigger the birth.

But that can lead to complications such as increased pain or need for a caesarian section, so many women are keen to try to keep their births as natural as possible.

Scientific evidence on whether complementary therapies such as aromatherapy can kick-start labour is limited.

However many women turn to alternative medicines such as drinking raspberry leaf tea or having massages in an attempt to have a healthy delivery.

The radical plan has been rolled out at by NHS Tayside at maternity units in Angus, with progress likely to be keenly monitored by health chiefs across the country.

Women throughout the region are now being offered the service if they go five days beyond their expected due date of 40 weeks gestation.

They are offered aromatherapy massage using essential oils, and acupressure, in which light pressure is applied to certain points of the body such as the palm and foot, as well as being given an examination by the midwife.

In its first four months, the scheme saw the number of women being medically induced because they were past their due date

drop compared with previous years.

From January to April 2013 there were around 126 medical inductions compared with 79 over the same time this year.

NHS Tayside head of midwifery Justine Craig said: “The complementary therapy is offered to women who are considered low risk, who are over their due date by at least five days.”

She said the teams of midwives had undergone approved aromatherapy training so they could specially blend soothing concoctions for mums-to-be.

Massage essential oils which are often used during childbirth include clary sage for the induction and acceleration of labour, lavender for relaxation and helping with the actions of the womb, and frankincense for emotional stability.

Other oils include black pepper for pain relief and grapefruit and sweet orange for reducing stress.

Women using the service described it as “a lovely experience” that left them “feeling in control and focused”.

Rachel Burrows from online parenting site Netmums said: “Mums swear by alternative therapies.”