Essential Oils for Pregnancy & Childbirth Part 2
EO Resources for Mom's to Be!
But first, some backround and heartfelt credit to an EO friend, Mindy Hoggan of Rodeo Trails and Gypsy Trails. Mindy put this information together for her dT group and graciously agreed to let me share it with everyone. We share the same love of therapeutic grade EOs, people and wide open spaces. The companies we prefer have no bearing on our friendship or this blog post. We're simply friends united in spreading valuable information about therapeutic grade essential oils and their amazing properties, period :) If you have any questions for Mindy you can reach her at her blog link posted above. Please enjoy and bookmark this resource!
Much of the following information comes from a great book written by Stephanie Fritz, a midwife - which I recommend often:
Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies ~ author Stephanie Fritz
Book available {HERE}
Nausea and Indigestion
Apply 3‐5 drops of Peppermint, Ginger, Fennel or DigestZen on abdomen. For some – just open the bottle and inhale for relief, or apply a small amount under your nose.
Morning sickness ‐ Lavender, Sandalwood and Ginger into FCO and massage abdomen.
Put 3‐5 drops of Fennel, Ginger or Peppermint into a capsule or, 1 to 2 drops each Ginger and Lemon, mix in water with honey or stevia for nausea if preferred.
Muscle Aches, Leg Cramps & Stretch Marks
Stretch Marks -apply Lavender and Myrrh to skin with FCO
Leg Cramp and/or Swollen Ankles -soak feet in warm bath with 5 drops Geranium, 10 drops Lavender, 2 drops Cypress.
Sore muscles:
Deep Blue Blend {Spark Naturals Amend}
Marjoram
PastTense Blend {Spark Naturals Relief Headache Blend}
Geranium
AromaTouch Blend
Lavender
Peppermint
Wintergreen
Swelling & Water Retention
Apply 3-5 drops of Lemon, Grapefruit, Cypress, or AromaTouch with FCO, rub hands together then massage feet & ankles.
3-5 drops of Grapefruit, Lemon and/or Lime into every glass of water (3-4qt a day)
Elevate legs 3” above heart
In the Event of Miscarriage
Apply Clary Sage to lower abdominal area to promote uterine contractions and assist in passing remaining tissue.
Apply Deep Blue Blend, or a combination of Lavender and White Fir to abdomen for pain relief. Continue application of blend of Clary Sage, Geranium and Lavender to balance both physical and emotional needs.
Best Choice of Oils for Labor
Balance – Apply to feet to help instill confidence throughout the labor process.
Serenity Blend or Elevation – Reduces anxiety, stimulates circulation, calming or gives energy, whichever is needed.
Deep Blue, PastTense, Peppermint (in moderation, can reduce breast milk) or White Fir to ease pain from back labor.
Recipe once Labor has started:
15 drops carrier oil plus...
5 drops Ylang Ylang
4 drops Helichrysum
2 drops DigestZen
2 drops Peppermint
2 drops Clary Sage
Massage on inside of ankles, lower stomach & lower back for nausea and muscle pain.
For Perineal Support
Helichrysum to create a lubricant oil for crowning.
Mix 20 drops with 2 Tbs. FCO and apply all over perineum area.
Helps to stretch tissue while minimizing swelling, and avoiding tears.
Helps prevent bruising of baby’s head.
Oils for Baby
Directly after birth, 1 drop Frankincense on the crown of head and spine. Myrrh on umbilical cord to help seal tissue and protect all systems of the body.
Balance on feet to ground and align baby and Melissa on bottoms of feet.
Postpartum for Mom
White Fir and Lavender on tummy for after pains.
Immortelle Blend 20 - 30 drops, fill rest with FCO in empty 15 ml bottle with spray top. Use for Peri spray may also be used on circumcision.
Balance Blend to feet morning and evening for grounding.
Geranium, Lavender, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang Diffuse 2-3 drops of each to promote peace & calm
Postpartum Depression – Lemon, Vetiver, Balance Blend, Elevation Blend
Blend 1
1 drop Rose
1 drop Wild Orange
3 drops Sandalwood
Blend 2
1 drop Lavender
3 drops Grapefruit
1 drop Ylang Ylang
Blend 3
1 drop Bergamot
1 drop Grapefruit
1 drop Clary Sage
1 drop Wild Orange
3 drops Frankincense
Breast Feeding
Dry, cracked nipples dilute 1:1 drops of Myrrh, Geranium or Sandalwood with FCO
Mastitis (breast infection) Melaleuca, Thyme, Clove, Rosemary or Wild Orange and Lavender - Massage into breast and lymph nodes under armpit.
Increase milk flow: 2-3 times a day massage EITHER Fennel, Basil or Geranium or Clary Sage into breast tissue – avoid nipple. May also mix 2-3 drops DigestZen with 1 tsp honey 3-5 times a day.
Decrease milk supply: Peppermint - 2-3 drops 3-5 times a day
Well Baby Care
Overall wellbeing - Frankincense on back
Balance on feet every day to balance all body systems
Jaundice - Geranium and Lemon on feet to help support liver in breaking up bilirubin.
Colic or Tummy Aches - DigestZen, or Fennel on tummy - 1:1 ratio with FCO if needed.
Diaper Rash - Sandalwood or Myrrh in FCO and lightly coat area
May also use Immortelle, Lavender, Helichrysum or Melaleuca
Teething - 2 drops of Clove to 1 tbsp FCO and apply to gums.
Baby Powder Alternative - Add 20 drops of Lavender to 8 tbsp Cornstarch
Establish a Daily Health Routine for You & Your Baby
- Apply Balance & On Guard to feet every morning
- 2 to 3 drops Frankincense under tongue a.m. and p.m.
- 10 drops of Grapefruit in a capsule or under tongue
- Slim and Sassy 3-5 drops 3-5 times a day
- Zendocrine 3-5 drops in capsule or topically on liver area
- Lemon in ALL your water (drinking 3-4 qt daily)
- Lifelong Vitality Pack (the BEST prenatal vitamin)
- PB Assist+ daily & TerraZyme with every meal
- Apply to feet before bed, a few drops of favorite “stress free” oils
Roman Chamomile, Bergamot, Frankincense, Lavender, Serenity, Vetiver
Just a few of the oils that should be on your nightstand and why:
Frankincense -diffused for beautiful calming & connection & neat applied to any skin issue including prevention of infection on developing belly button.
Myrrh- apply a drop onto belly button site to help with drying & encourage healthy & faster breaking away of umbilical cord.
Eucalyptus- a drop on baby's feet to clear up congestion in lungs.
AromaTouch- soothe sore neck & back muscles.
Balance- soothing to even the most sensitive spots (like hemorrhoids)
Lemon & Geranium and/or Zendocrine- on baby's feet to help the liver get going and avoid jaundice
On Guard- diffused when visiting family members came down with the flu while visiting our newborn:)
DigestZen- to keep things regular.
Sandalwood & Frac. Coconut Oil (with occasional Helichrysum)- to ease into breastfeeding.
Citrus Bliss & Lavender & Frac. Coconut Oil- to promote healing and keep breastfeeding joyful.
Solace- apply to back of neck to help hormones adjust & get into balance.
Rose- behind my ears to prepare for birth.
Here's to amazingly peaceful births!
MORE ABOUT Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond!
dōTERRA's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Hill, explains how to safely use essential oils on newborns.:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFi_k-T8sRU&feature=share
Everything Essential ~ Pregnancy :http://www.everythingessential.me/HealthConcerns/Pregnancy.html#page=page-2
Camp Wander ~20 Ways to Use Essential Oils for Pregnancy & Childbirth :http://campwander.blogspot.com/2012/10/20-ways-to-use-essential-oils-for.html?spref=fb
Using Oils During Pregnancy :http://free-essential-oils.com/2012/04/09/using-essential-oils-through-pregnancy-and-delivery/
Pregnancy Document put together by Carly Roth in the Elevate by DoTerra Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/elevatedoterra/doc/230452893739778/
Pregnancy Document put together by Carly Roth in the Elevate by DoTerra Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/elevatedoterra/doc/230452893739778/
EO Legend:
_________________________
SN Zen is similar to dT Balance
SN Shield is similar to dT On Guard
SN Amend is similar to dT Deep Blue
SN Relief is similar to dT Past Tense
SN Bliss is similar to dT Serenity
DIY Recipes:
___________________________
DIY AromaTouch
DIY DigestZen
DIY Immortelle
DIY Shield/On Guard
Once again, in my opinion essential oil use during pregnancy is much safer when you're only using 100% PURE Therapeutic Grade Oils. Everything I share with you is to be used ONLY with 100% pure essential oils.
I appreciate Mindy's generosity in sharing her group's teaching tools and, I greatly appreciate Stephanie Fritz's expertise as a practicing midwife using only pure therapeutic grade essential oils, her knowledge and her discoveries. Her book is an invaluable resource for expecting Mom's and beyond, I urge you to add this one to your library!
As always, enjoy 10% off every Spark Naturals order:
coupon code: campwander
posted by Rebecca @ 7:05 PM
11 Comments
11 Comments:
Thank you for this wonderful post, my daughter is expecting her first child and her friend that had a baby could not continue to breast feed because her milk slowed down to much and she does not want to have that same problem - you mentioned above the increase in milk flow using fennel, basil, geranium or clary sage and I was wondering if you used it with or without FCO. Thank you again for all this great information.
Colleen, my daughters had great success with a Fennel - just a drop applied neat to the sides of their breasts...not over the nipple :)
Nice blog really useful this post for new mom..
Rebecca, do you know if lemon oil affects tooth enamel? I told my dentist I drink it everyday and she acted concerned.
Thank you so much for the wonderful advice :)
It doesn't appear that you have any formal training in Essential Oil chemistry, do you?
No I don't, thanks for asking.
I just had a c-section almost 3 weeks ago and had planned on using many of these same things during my stay. Unfortunately I aspirated and went into respiratory distress a few hours after the c-section and had a nurse forbid me from diffusing EOs because she thought the zen and lavender I was diffusing helped contribute. No Dr or respiratory therapist backed her opinion, but I did as she told me and did not diffuse any more. I use lavender and shield topically at night when that nurse was not around among a few other things here or there.
After the incident I still had water on my lungs and a rattling as I breathed so I was given nebulizer treatments and an inhaler to take home with me. Every 6 hours I had to use it because breathing became difficult after just sitting up and after a couple of days it dawned on me to diffuse eucalyptus over night. (I started building my EO collection mid Aug so I still tend to forget to use them!) I woke up feeling perfect and have not needed the inhaler since. Eucalyptus is on the 'night stand' list but I would encourage everyone to bring it with to the hospital just in case!
Lemon, Grapefruit, Cypress did not seem to help with water retention. Everyone is different so I will still be passing it along to other pregnant people I know.
The other salve that SAVED me was 30 drops of myrrh in 4 oz of your naked salve to relieve the itch the spinal gave me! Benadryl was the only thing that helped with my first 2 c-sections. This time I only had Benadryl at night since waking up to put the salve on repeatedly hampered my sleep.
A little over 24 hours after birth I used a roller bottle with fennel, clery sage and almond oil to help with milk production. My milk came in 4 hours later! Pretty amazing considering the nursery nurse said she has never seen a c-section mom's milk come in before leaving the hospital (the normal stay is 3 days.) The night before I was to leave I started pumping and left the hospital with over 3 oz! I continued using it 3-4x a day for a week until I got a clogged duct and then stopped. I was going well for awhile without it, but it suddenly slowed down when I got sick. Your shield tea fixed my sore throat and I just started using fennel again. Too bad it smells like black licorice!
One last note, I have read that fennel in large amounts can cause contractions like rosemary and clery sage. I dont really have any background in EOs, but I have avoided them just in case.
Liz, thank you for sharing your experience Im sure it will help someone :)
i read somewhere that peppermint should be avoided during pregnancy?
Use in moderation as it can reduce breast milk. If that's the case, fennel can help increase it again.
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