There are so many great benefits to using essential oils. Research is getting more and more accessible, and the use of oils is becoming more common – including among pregnant women. During pregnancy, many women are more cautious than normal about what we put into our bodies. Essential oils can be a great alternative to chemicals and medicines that should be avoided while pregnant. As with anything else, it is important that you do your research before introducing new things to your body. With proper research and caution, it is possible to safely use essential oils to help relieve some of the most common pregnancy symptoms. Keep reading for some great advice from Ruth – a mom of 4, RN, and wellness advocate with doTerra – about how to safely use essential oils during pregnancy.
*please note – this post is not to be used in place of medical advice. Always remember to do your research and talk to your doctor before making health related decisions. See full disclaimer at the end of this post.
Using Essential Oils During Pregnancy
Whether it’s your first baby or your fifth, pregnancy is an exciting time in your life. The joy of growing a new life is so awe-inspiring! With being pregnant, many body changes occur in addition to just the physical growing of the baby! Pregnancy affects every part of your body, and most women experience some degree of emotional or physical discomfort throughout the different stages of pregnancy.
Use of medication during pregnancy is extremely limited due to the harmful (or unknown) effects that it can have on the growing baby. Those momma bear instincts kick in right away and the safety of your unborn child becomes top priority. At the same time, you don’t want to be miserable throughout your whole pregnancy! Good news – there are safe and natural alternatives to support your body while baby grows.
WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?
One of my favorite natural tools to use throughout my pregnancies has been essential oils. Essential oils are the aromatic compounds of a plant. They give a plant its distinct aroma. Some consider essential oils to be the lifeblood of the plant, helping to ward off predators and assisting in tasks such as pollination. The aromatic constituents of the essential oil determine it’s specific benefits. Essential oils are extremely concentrated, and when grown in their natural environment and distilled with expert precision, they are extremely potent. This just means when used in a safe manner, you will experience more health benefits using less oil.
There are many health care professionals, including myself as an RN, who are experiencing the amazing health benefits of essential oils for themselves and for their patients. You may have even seen recent news clips of emergency departments, post-op recovery units, and even ambulances offering aromatherapy as an option. Essential oils are not a passing trend. They are becoming more mainstream each and every day, as more health institutions find ways to implement them in their care processes.
WAYS TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS
Aromatherapy
Essential oils are used in three different ways. The first way that is typically thought of when referring to essential oils is aromatic use or aromatherapy. Simply smelling an essential oil can elicit a powerful psychological, mental, or emotional response. Utilizing the olfactory nerve, essential oils have a direct pathway to the brain, specifically to the limbic system, which has a variety of functions including emotions, behavior, and memory, among others functions. This is a simple, powerful, safe, and effective way to support your mood and emotions – which we know can be all over the place during pregnancy. By inhaling an essential oil you can completely change the mood and environment of your home with the dreamy aromas of essential oils. You can inhale directly from the bottle or use a diffuser to disperse essential oils into the air.
Topical Use
The second method of using essential oils is topical use. Essential oils are able to easily penetrate the skin and can be used for a more localized benefit, such as with a sore back or achy legs and feet that can often occur in the third trimester.
Here are safety precautions you should take when applying essential oils. Sensitive areas should be avoided, such as around the thinner skin around the eyes, or broken or damaged skin. You should avoid putting oils in the eyes, directly in the ear canal, or in the nasal passageway. One to two drops is all that is needed with each application. Finally, with topical usage, you should always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil. A carrier oil helps to cover a larger surface area (such as a sore back), and helps delay absorption of the essential oil to provide more lasting benefits. Sometimes essential oils are recommended as safe to be used ‘neat’, which means without a carrier oil. Repeated use without a carrier oil can possibly lead to sensitization. Pay close attention to how your body responds, and always err on the side of safety and properly dilute the essential oils you are using.
Internal Use
Because essential oils are so much more concentrated than their herbal counterparts (basil or oregano for example), they need to be used in small amounts and with caution, especially during pregnancy. That brings us to the third method of using essential oils – internal use. There are several different “models of aromatherapy” and this is where there is some level of disagreement. Here is the short version of the difference between the two main models of aromatherapy: there are those who are strictly against the internal usage of essential oils, while others promote internal usage. In my experience, people are so firmly adamant against internal usage, that they are unwilling to even hear any education regarding safe practice of this usage method. This puts unnecessary fear into this approach that can be incredibly valuable when understood properly.
My personal belief is that internal use is a powerful and effective way to use essential oils. That does not mean I throw all caution to the wind when using essential oils internally. There is a time and place for them, and through my years of experience, I have learned when that is for my body. I have also personally spent many hours reading scientific research studies on essential oil usage to know what essential oil is going to be most effective for my needs, and I encourage you to do the same.
ALWAYS THINK ABOUT SAFETY
When it comes to using oils when you are pregnant, here is what I recommend – err on the side of safety and caution. Caution is especially important during the first three months of pregnancy when your baby is developing rapidly. Use only pure therapeutic grade oils, with purity verified by third party testing. Dilute your oils heavily (use more carrier oil). Apply topically to the bottom of your feet (a safe and absorbent area to apply oils). Use oils aromatically as a safe alternative method to boost your mood and energy or help you sleep. Bottom line – avoid internal use if your personal research has concluded that it’s not right for you. You have to power to choose what is best for you and your pregnancy.
Not all essential oils are safe for internal consumption. Verifying a “Safe for Supplemental Use” or “Supplements Facts” label on an essential oil bottle serves as your guide that an essential oil is safe to take internally. Also, having a reliable reference book to help you discern which oils you can take internally, as well as addressing specific conditions will be invaluable to successfully and safely using essential oils throughout your pregnancy.
OIL SUGGESTIONS DURING PREGNANCY:
Here are some suggestions of oils that can help with some of the symptoms associated with pregnancy.
Intermittent nausea – try peppermint, ginger, lemon, or digestive blend. Add 1-2 drops in an empty vegetable capsule & take, add 1-2 drops to a cup of tea or water and sip, or dilute with a carrier oil and apply topically. Use as a preventative and as often as needed.
Mood Support – try frankincense, copaiba, wild orange, or grounding blend. Take 1-2 drops frankincense and/or copaiba internally in AM. Apply wild orange and balance AM/PM and throughout the day as needed. Diffuse citrus oils throughout the day.
Leg/Muscle Cramps & Spasms – try cypress, lavender, marjoram, copaiba massage blend, or soothing blend. Dilute and apply topically as needed, and preventatively if you know you will be on your feet most of the day, or if you know you tend to get leg cramps overnight.
Digestive Support / Promoting Regularity – add lemon oil to your drinking water (1 drop/8oz water). Try peppermint, ginger, fennel, or digestive blend. Take 1-2 drops of an oil in an empty vegetable capsule, or dilute oil of choice and apply topically in a clockwise motion on your abdomen.
Additional natural support for happy tummies – high quality supplementation with whole food nutrient complex (delivering basic multivitamins & minerals), essential oil omega complex (providing essential fatty acids), celluar vitality complex, (supports energy levels), digestive enzymes (helps break down proteins, fats, complex carbs, sugars, and fiber), & probiotics (provides prebiotics & probiotics necessary for happy gut health).
Low Energy – try any citrus oil (grapefruit, lemon, wild orange) + peppermint, or an invigorating, encouraging, or joyful blend. Diffuse 3-4 drops in a diffuser, or inhale straight from the bottle. I like to put a couple drops of oil in my palm, cup my hands around my nose, inhale deeply a few times, and then apply to the back of my neck. Instant wake up!
Additional natural support for energy – High quality supplements. This includes the same supplements listed for digestive support. High quality supplements are vital for momma and growing baby to have the nourishment you both need. I also recommend an energy+stamina complex, which supports healthy mitochondria function, (the energy producers), in your body’s cells.
Muscle Aches & Soreness – try peppermint, cypress, marjoram, frankincense, copaiba, massage blend, or soothing blend. Dilute & apply 1-2 drops topically to area of soreness as needed.
Pregnancy is a beautiful time to be cherished and enjoyed, and not a time to suffer through! Essential oils are powerful tools that can naturally aide your body as it creates life’s greatest miracle. My hope is that you feel confident to safely use essential oils to support your body throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
If you’d like to learn more, please visit my website – www.mydoterra.com/ruthcaldwell
About Ruth
Ruth Caldwell is a stay at home mom to four young wildlings, who has been joyfully married for 9 years. She is a Registered Nurse with a passion for research, adventuring, cooking from scratch, and living a naturally minded lifestyle. She loves exploring creative homeopathic, domestic, and child health opportunities and sharing her experiences with others. You can join her on Instagram (@essentialdropsofjoy) and at www.mydoterra.com/
Disclaimer – one quick Google search will show that there is a lot of conflicting information on the inter-webs about safety when it comes to natural alternatives, specifically essential oils, which is the focus of this article. The information provided is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. Always have an open conversation with your doctor, midwife, or healthcare provider when it comes to alternative therapies that you are using!
