Essential Oils for Pregnancy

Post by Guest Writer, Jenni of Mom Essentials

I’ve been pregnant seven times. I didn’t know much about essential oils until I was pregnant with my fourth child. From then on, I was hooked.

I started using herbs and plant medicine after my second child, because I got somewhat disillusioned with many aspects of conventional medicine. I never felt that the many medical doctors I had seen were ever able to get to the root of my various health troubles.

The funny thing was, my husband was in medical school at the time I started learning herbal medicine. We butted heads for a while, but now we see eye to eye on the majority of issues.

When my midwife introduced me to essential oils during my fourth pregnancy, it was just an extension of the herbal studies I had already done. Essential oils come from plants, but they are far more potent than a teabag of ground leaves. It is estimated that one drop of essential oil is equal in medicinal strength to twenty-eight cups of herbal tea!

So when I started using essential oils, and they worked so powerfully and effectively without negative side-effects, I knew I had found a new love! I have been teaching people about essential oils ever since!

I’m all for using essential oils to enhance life, make the air smell good and boost my mood. However, high quality essential oils can also help us manage and resolve our health issues. Just like herbs, there are essential oils for every illness and malady. It just takes a little effort to learn about them and how they can benefit us.

In this article, I am going to share with you the basic three ways to use essential oils, and which essential oils are regarded as safe during pregnancy and some ways they can be used.

3 Basic Ways to Use Essential Oils

1)    Smell Them (Aromatic)- Just take off the lid and inhale straight out of the bottle, or put a few drops in a bowl of boiling water to diffuse them into the air, or use a diffuser which is more efficient at spreading the oil molecules through the air. This can change the mood, help with illness and purify the air in a room.

2)    Apply Them Topically- Gently rub on skin at problem area or apply to bottoms of feet. The feet have large pores and many nerve endings, so the oils are immediately absorbed into the blood stream and circulated throughout the entire body. Some oils are so strong that they need to be diluted with a “carrier” oil (water doesn’t work for diluting oils). Olive oil or other cold-pressed vegetable oils are excellent, but can be a bit heavy or greasy. I prefer fractionated coconut oil, which absorbs quickly and helps the essential oils penetrate better. Essential oils are wonderful for use in massage. Avoid getting the oils close to eyes. For pregnancy, the general recommendation is 1-2 drops of essential oil diluted in 1 tablespoon (TB) of carrier oil, applied to the skin or in a bath.

3)    Ingest Them Internally- Essential oils can be added in small amounts to drinking water or put in an empty capsule as a dietary supplement. This is an excellent way to boost energy, cleanse the body of pathogens and fight infections. Just make sure you use high quality oils (I only recommend doTERRA brand for internal use) and know which ones are safe. I would not take essential oils internally during pregnancy except diluted with extra virgin olive oil, in small amounts, short term for acute problems.

5 Essential Oils Generally Regarded as Safe During Entire Pregnancy

1. Ginger – I have used this, both the dried, ground root and the essential oil many times during pregnancy, for tummy issues and calming early contractions. It can be overpowering, so should be diluted. It can help with morning sickness and nausea, as well as edema.

For morning sickness, add 2 drops to a bowl of boiling water and set by bed overnight. A drop can also be put on a tissue to smell for nausea. For edema, add 3 drops to 1 TB carrier oil, and massage it on legs from the ankles upward. I would only apply it to my stomach if I had bloating or tummy ache. A couple drops can also be put into a footbath.

2. Wild Orange – Can also help with nausea, but I love it especially for uplifting my mood and boosting my energy. To accomplish this, I put a few drops in my water with an herbal sweetener called stevia. It tastes so good! This also helps with indigestion, edema, morning sickness, and colds. I usually don’t use this one topically. You can, but just don’t expose the skin to the sun afterward. If I want it topically, I rub a drop into my palms or the back of my neck at the hairline.

3. Lavender – This is the calming oil. It can help with sleeplessness, depression, anxiety, hypertension, stretch marks and early labor. Put 3 drops into 1 TB carrier oil and rub into bottoms of feet and heart area for hypertension, feet and shoulders for insomnia, behind ears, on neck on tummy and feet every 20 minutes for nausea, on abdomen for stretch marks, and on legs from ankles upward for early contractions (not on abdomen, 10 days at a time). Do not use old or cheap lavender for these issues or it won’t work. You can do a smell test with a high quality oil like doTERRA’s against others and often the others will smell rancid. Find something that will work the way you want it to.

4. Melaleuca (Tea Tree) – The best oil for yeast infection is melaleuca.  But lavender can also help.  They’re both very anti-fungal.  You want to mix 5 drops total = 3 drops melaleuca + 2 drops of lavender with a couple tbls of either carrier oil or some Epsom salts/bath salts.  Put them in a warm bath and soak in that at least 10 minutes and that will really help to kill the infection.

Topically, you can use aloe vera gel and mix in a few drops of melaleuca and lavender and apply to the external area vaginally 3-4 times a day. The melaleuca can tingle a little bit, so I would definitely mix it with 2 TB of carrier oil and then just add a few more drops of essential oil if it’s bad.  The nice thing about the oils is you can always dilute them a little more if they feel too strong. Melaleuca is also excellent for congestion. Dilute and rub over neck, chest and behind ears.

5. Sandalwood – A more costly oil, sandalwood can also help with nausea, indigestion, heartburn and stretch marks. Dilute 3 drops in 1 TB carrier oil and rub on affected areas. This smells so wonderful!

I LOVE having natural tools that work effectively, which is why it’s important to invest in the highest quality possible. And since only small amounts of essential oil are used, they will last a long time if kept out of heat and light when possible.

There has never been a time in the history of mankind, when such powerful and effective tools have been so easily available. Essential oils can definitely be a great blessing in our lives.

If you want to learn more about the difference between cheap and high quality essential oils, you can read my article: “Why Spend More For Quality Essential Oils?”

Jenni Wilson helps moms be more confident in their natural home medicine. She is a happily married, mother of seven energetic kids. She has a master herbalist degree and is working on certification in aromatherapy. She is a family health coach and life-change mentor, passionate about empowering people to be teachers, chefs and doctors in their own homes.

Jenni is teaching a teleclass on “Best Herbs and Essential Oils for Labor and Delivery” with guest midwife, Camille Wilcox, which will be held TODAY, Wednesday, March 21st at 7 PM Mountain Standard Time. Bonus Q&A at end of class!

IN THIS CLASS YOU WILL LEARN:

• How to avoid the annoying, often harmful, sometimes dangerous side effects of pain drugs and medications during childbirth.
• Other options in labor and delivery besides those generally offered in hospitals.
• What natural tools can prevent episiotomy, check hemorrhages, manage labor pains, decrease stress during delivery, help speed up dilation and contractions, help cervix to open and increase comfort right after birth.
• Which natural tools are good for newborns right after birth and in their first month of life.
• What tools lend support in the case of miscarriage.

Plus, get information on how to get  her Mom Essentials Doctoring Ebook for FREE (value $19)!

As a special for Frugal Granola readers, Jenni is offering a 15% off discount for the class. Use code CLASS15. If you prefer, you can use the code to purchase the recording & transcript of the class instead of attending the teleseminar tonight!

You can follow Jenni on her Mom Essentials Facebook Page. Also, make sure to get her free report, “10 Flu Remedies from a Doctor’s Wife” on her website.