Guide to Using Essential Oils During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the best things that can happen to a woman; however, the experience is certainly not the easiest for many. Every trimester comes with its own share of challenges. Early pregnancy is probably the hardest; many have to grapple with nausea and general queasiness. Many women discover that ‘morning sickness’ is actually ‘all day’ sickness. In a bid to find some relief and comfort, many turn to essential oils. Some quarters suggest that oils like lavender can ease nausea and improve mood during early pregnancy. However, the major concern with these potent oils is safety.
The following information guides you in this regard. Are essential oils safe during pregnancy? Which oils should you avoid if any?
Essential Oil Use During the First Trimester
The first trimester is the most defining stage for a developing foetus. To this end, anything you put in or on your body can affect the growing baby. Essential oils are highly concentrated and some have been shown to cause uterine contractions. To be on a safe side, medical experts advise women to avoid all essential oils and aromatic products in early pregnancy. There isn’t enough research to explain exactly how these oils affect early pregnancy and in this regard, avoiding them is a sure path to protecting your growing baby. Also, aromas in the first trimester can trigger nausea or make it worse. Therefore, avoid using essential oils in the first thirteen weeks of pregnancy. If you have any questions, consult your healthcare provider.
Essential Oil Use During the Second and Third Trimesters
By the second trimester, your baby is more developed and less likely to be harmed by aromatic oils when used properly. Therefore, this is the stage to start exploring all manner of oils that are safe. There are many benefits of using the right oil including calming your nerves, relaxation and aiding sleep. Some of the best oils to use at this point include lavender, chamomile and ylang ylang. As alluded to above, you want to avoid oils that cause uterine contraction. The best oils to use therefore include lemon, lime, lavender, bergamot, geranium, ginger, patchouli, rosewood, ylang ylang, tea tree, sweet orange, neroli, mandarin and more.
Essential Oils to Avoid During Pregnancy
Oils that are not recommended during pregnancy are quite a number. They cause uterine contractions as mentioned above; and this can lead to miscarriage or affect your pregancy negatively. Therefore, avoid oils like clove, rosemary, cinnamon, clary sage, basil, coriander, nutmeg, pine, cedarwood, bitter almond and more. If you are not sure about an oil, get expert information from a professional.
Apart from avoiding certain oils, it is critical to use essential oil properly during pregnancy. Wrong usage will have bad consequences. The following tips show you how to use these potent oils in pregnancy.
The Right Way to Use Essential Oils During Pregnancy
When using permitted oils on skin, you should always dilute with carrier oils such as coconut, jojoba, olive and more. A single drop of any oil is good enough for use during pregnancy. Less is more and whenever you have any doubt, consult an expert. Diffusing the right essential oil in your space is good. You should never ingest these oils when you are pregnant. In fact, essential oils should not be ingested whether you are pregnant or not. Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer for optimal safety.
Benefits of Essential Oils During Pregnancy
Reduce Stretch Marks
Not all women are lucky where stretch marks are concerned. Many have to contend with this problem as the belly expands. However, you can start preventing and repairing stretch marks in the second trimester by using a blend of essential oils. One of the best concoctions is lavender and rose oil. Mix with carrier oils like almond and coconut to have a great stretch mark burster. A drop or two of lavender and rose oil are enough. Applying the remedy to the affected areas twice a day will make a huge difference.
Manage Nausea That Lingers
For a good number of women, nausea from the first trimester lingers on. If this happens to you, consider using sweet orange oil or mandarin oil. Use a high quality diffuser and enjoy the benefits. Lift your mood this way while reducing nausea naturally.
Treat Swollen Ankles and Feet
Geranium oil with lavender mixed with coconut or jojoba oil is a great combination to treat achy ankles. As pregnancy comes to an end, your feet are hit the worst. Soothe your feet this way and make your journey easier. Massage the blend to the affected areas at least twice a day for best results.
Other Benefits
Pregnancy is filled with many other challenges including heartburn, varicose veins, water retention, haemorrhoids and general discomfort. Lavender, geranium, chamomile and peppermint are some of the best options to ease your suffering. During labour, essential oils like lavender have been used to create pleasant experiences by reducing stress and anxiety.
Conclusion
The right essential oils used at the right stage of pregnancy can make a difference. However, it all starts with getting the right aromatherapy diffuser and quality essential oils. Choose a trusted company to source these products. Then, follow all the safety rules and avoid using oils during the first thirteen weeks of pregnancy. After giving birth, you can use these oils to reduce stress and boost recovery. Just make sure to seek expert advice from a professional before starting an essential oil protocol during pregnancy.
Great idea!
Surprised to learn that using sweet orange oil or mandarin oil helps with nausea
so many great ideas thanks
Thanks for the article I will pass this on to my daughter .
I wish I had known all this when I was pregnant!
Great benefits!
Great information
Not pregnant but good information.
We try to keep things as all natural as we can in our family so I’ll pass this onto my daughter
Great info!
Good to know. thank you!
I wish I’d known this 20+ years ago when I was pregnant with our sons. I would always light a lavendar candle during my morning sickness routine for something light, calming, and pleasant to smell in between the sickness spells.
thank you for the helpful info
Wonderful info
It’s good to know which oil word for each ailment !
Good to know which ones to use and to avoid! This would be in handy in the future! Thanks for the information! 😀
Great article!
I wish I knew about this when I was pregnant.
Awesome info thank you
Sharing this with all of my moms-to-be
useful info, will see about trying it
Good information
Oil is essential
i didn’t know you could use them very handy
Wished I would have known a long time ago!
I wished my daughter in law knew this while she was pregnant
Had no idea. Good information.
I wish this was around back in the early seventies when we had children
Wonderful information!
thank you for the information
I will forward this post to my friend and his pregnant wife
I’m 72 and long past pregnancy. I wish I had something like this back then.
Excellent information, thanks for sharing!
Aromatherapy during pregnancy is so soothing and great for relaxation. I recommend it to everyone
My daughter is pregnant and has health issues, this would certianly help her.
Such a great idea. I never thought about how smells mattered in pregnancy in relieving symptoms.
love it
I’ve sent this to my wife, very informative.
Hope it helps out for some people!
This is great thanks for the info.
Good information.
Great information! I could have used an essential oil to help with my nausea.
Good Info
Great info
I wish I had known this and used the oils when I was pregnant.
Definitely will tell my daughter-in-law
I used essential oils when I was pregnant, and found them very soothing and helpful.
My cousin is pregnant I will definitely share this article with her!
My daughter-in-law will appreciate this information!
I’m sure pregnant women will appreciate the great resource!
What a great article for pregnant women!
I actually was unaware of half the things here haha
This is such important information to know during a pregnancy!
Oh man
I wish I knew about these back when I was having my babies.
Does hair naturally become brittle and weak during pregnancy? I know of a few women who have struggled with this. Wondering if essential oils could help…
So many essential oils for pregnancies. Very interesting. Wish I had none 40 years ago.
Really are natures wonders – stretch marks morning sickness relief without pharmaceutical
I enjoyed this article.
That infographic about how to safely use essential oils during pregnancy is great. It summarizes everything you need to know so clearly.
I’m not pregnant but have that are so will share with them and let them know about stretch marks
Wish this was around when I was preggo !!
Good to know.
Good to know.
good info
To late for us … but sury a good info
Thanks for the informations!
a great article, thanks for sharing
Great guidelines. I will definitely benefit from it when planning a pregnancy.
Great article
ok
Helpful – may be worth cross referencing with russet and and young’s recommendations and also Eric Zielinski’s healthy power of essential oils. A blanket no to all oils in the first trimester seems a little odd – especially given all the other crap we come into contact with on a daily basis (plastics, glyphosate, pesticides etc)
Even without being pregnant, it is interesting for stretch marks 🙂
good to know
Great info that I wish I had known about 25 yrs ago
Like it for swollen ankles and stretch marks.
Good information
my wife swore my essential oils during pregnancy
Awesome information, thanks for sharing it!!! Definitely wish I knew some of this during my pregnancies many years!🥰
This is great. Thanks for the share
I wish I had this information when I was pregnant 30 years ago – 😆
💁🏼♀️ No biggie, I can at least share this with other mama’s-to-be….💞