AROMATHERAPY/ESSENTIAL OILS FOR PREGNANCY, LABOR AND DELIVERY
Always remember to use essential oils with education and care
OILS TO AVOID DURING PREGNANCY
Basil, Birch, Calamus, Cassia, Cinnamon bark, hyssop, Idaho Tansy, Lavandin, (Most EO’s you can buy “over the counter” that are labeled LAVENDER are actually Lavindin…Purchase with CAUTION!!!) Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon.
OILS TO USE CAUTIOUSLY DURING PREGNANCY
Angelica, Cedar wood, Chamomile (German/blue), Cistus, Citronella, Clary Sage, Clove Bud, Cumin (Black), Cypress, Davanna, Fennel, Laurel, Marjoram, Mountain Savory, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Peppermint, Rose, Spearmint, Vetiver, Yarrow.
From the Essential Oils Reference Book By Alan and Connie HigleyThey also site Essential Oil books by: Ann Berwick, Julia Lawless, Shirley and Len Price, Jeanne Rose, Robert Tisserand, and Tony Balacs
LABOR MISTS
Use water mixed with a few drops of whatever oil is appealing to mother **when she is in labor!! Some oils offend laboring women, ALWAYS check before spraying into the room that mother is comfortable with THAT smell at the time! Favorites are: Lavender and Grapefruit / Spearmint and Peppermint / Neroil, Bergamot and Palmarosa.
NAUSEA SPRAY
Add the following to four ounces distilled water and use in a spray bottle:
- 20 drops spearmint essential oil
- 15 drops lemon essential oil
- 5 drops sweet orange essential oil
Shake the mixture well and mist the air with it when a woman feels nauseous.
You may find that different women prefer other types of scents, so you can also try ginger, neroli, and rosewood. When making an alternative blend, keep the amount of essential oils used at less than 60 drops
RELAX AND FOCUS
This blend promotes clarity and focus.
Fill a 4-ounce spray bottle almost full with distilled water and add:
- 20 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 15 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 10 drops spearmint essential oil
Shake well and mist the labor room. You can also make a compress by misting a wet cloth with the blend and applying it to the laboring mother’s forehead or back.
UPLIFT
This mist will ground and calm the woman in transition and help lift her spirits.
Add distilled water to nearly fill a 4-ounce spray bottle. Add:
- 15 drops mandarin essential oil
- 10 drops bergamot essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops clary sage essential oil
This is a strong blend that should be used away from the mother. Never spray the mother directly.
“Aromatherapy for Pregnancy and Labor,” Demetria Clark, The Birth kit Issue 41
LEG CRAMP OIL
This oil is soothing and relaxing on tired muscles. It is not only effective for leg cramps, but also for varicose veins, varicosities, and sore backs.
Put the following ingredients into a container and shake well before using:
- 2 ounces St. John’s Wort oil
- 5 drops neroli essential oil
- 5 drops grapefruit essential oil
BELLY BALM OR STRETCH MARK PREVENTION OIL
This oil is smooth and moisturizing and can help alleviate the itching that
so often happens when skin starts stretching.
In a double boiler, melt the carrier oils listed below. Carrier oils are nut or seed oils such as almond oil, shea butter, coconut butter, or olive oil. They are pressed and not distilled.
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa butter
- 1/8 cut apricot, almond, or grapeseed oil
- 1/8 cup kukui nut oil, shea butter, or mango butter (my favorite)
When the oils have melted completely, remove the mixture from the heat. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes, then add these essential oils:
- 10-20 drops sandalwood
- 15 drops patchouli
- 15 drops sweet orange essential oil
Essential oils are distilled from leaves, seeds, roots, and flowers and are very concentrated and fragrant. Transfer the blend to a container and allow it to cool completely before using.
Additional options can be used such as rosewood, rose, lavender, tangerine, and neroli. If you blend your own mixture, be sure to keep the amount of essential oils used at less than 50 drops total.
Massage the balm over thighs, breasts, stomach, and anywhere that needs nourishing and moisturizing.
PREGNANCY
A large number of women in their childbearing years are attracted to aromatherapy and the instinct to protect a growing baby is undeniable. Any evaluation of the safety of essential oils must begin with the consideration of possible alternatives. Say a pregnant woman contracts bronchitis of the lower respiratory tract. Should she choose the appropriate use of oregano oils, despite the fact that some books recommend against it, or should she turn to traditional medicine for her condition with a round of hard-hitting, immune-suppressing, and otherwise unpredictable antibiotics? Is it safer to expose the fetus to these modern drugs or to substances that have been around for millions of years? Not much is known about the safety of essential-oil use during pregnancy. Sweeping disclaimers are constantly established, banishing every essential oil that exhibits only a hint of a problem potential from use during pregnancy. But these highly defensive statements mostly ignore the potential for problems from the conventional drug alternatives. Obviously, disclaimers really are set up to protect the vendor and are of little help for women trying to decide between aromatherapy and drug therapy. The reasonable approach is to proceed with common sense and reason, to try and maintain balance and prevent infections during pregnancy with those essences that are known to be easy on the system, which we will later classify as “tonics of life.” But, if specific or more severe conditions necessitated, one could arrive at the conclusion that even some of the more forceful use of essential oils might still be a much more reasonable approach that allopathic drugging. This is an area where communication between women would definitely provide more assurance and safety than arcane long-term research projects.
BABY WIPES
- 1/8 c (or less) v-6 or olive oil
- 1/8 c (or less) kid scents (or other chemical FREE) shampoo
- 1-1/2 to 2 c water
- 8 drops Lavender oil
- 5 drops tea tree oil (optional, helps reduce mold)
Put in a glass jar and shake…store in the jar for future use. I keep this recipe in the bottle that mom gets at the hospital (or in the HB kit) called a Peri bottle…After mom is done using it…I fill it with this mixture. I wet only the wipes I will use at EACH diaper change…that way by the end of the box…they all still smell “fresh”.
One of the BEST tricks I EVER learned is to put a LITTLE bit of olive oil on baby’s bottom BEFORE THE FIRST DIAPER GOES ON…that way the Meconium (baby’s first poop, it is like TAR!) wipes RIGHT OFF! (Repeat the applications with EVERY change until baby has passed all of the Mec…usually two days or so, when baby’s poops look like “seedy mustard”)
I am always willing to create blends for pregnant women! Call for a private consultation!
For more discussion on essential oils, visit my other website: www.jessicawild.com
Jessica Wild
Angel Dance Birth Services
Doula (Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, AZ)
Phone (480) 985-8314
Cell (480) 236-3366
www.angeldancebirth.com
Call or email for an interview/appointment
References available upon request.
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