Essential Oils for Pregnant Women
by Mrs. BWF on January 30, 2012 ***I am not a midwife, doctor, herbalist, shaman healer, nurse, wizard, or anything else in that regard. The information in this blog post is just that…information. This post is simply a gathering of info on different essential oils that may be beneficial to you in your pregnancy. Look into them further and discuss with your care provider if a certain oil’s safety is in question. (Was that a wicked disclaimer, or what?! Moving on!) Pregnancy is amazing. Our bodies are constantly changing as this new life grows inside of us! Throughout your pregnancy, and these changes, you may experience some discomforts, sickness, moodiness, etc. What if an essential oil can help you? Here are a list of oils that you may want to consider having around in your home. Some oils can be used topically, ingested and diffused. *Before we get to the goods, please note to check into oils on your own and to dilute oils when necessary. Geranium properties are antibacterial, an anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, refreshing, relaxing, sedative, tonic, and even as an insect repellent. Geranium can be used topically, use 5-10 drops to 1/2 tsp. olive or coconut oil and massage perineum. You can do this towards the end of pregnancy and/or in labor. You can also use geranium in a diffuser during pregnancy and post partum for calming, stress reducing and stress relieving effects. Ylang Ylang properties include antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, sedative meaning to increase calmness), and tonic. It can also help with high blood pressure! It can help with rapid breathing, balancing equilibrium, frustration and even sex drive problems! Whoohoo! To use ylang ylang, apply topically with no dilution necessary to reflex point or area of concern. You can also diffuse it. Lavender is a commonly known essential oil and widely known to be relaxing. It is also an analgesic, anticoagulant, it has antidepressant and anti-fungal properties along with antihistamine and anti infectious. Lavender also can help with inflammation and more. Applying a good quality lavender topically with no dilution is fine. You can apply it to reflex points or directly on the area that is bothering you. Also can be used as an aromatherapy and diffused. Frankincense is an oil I just recently discovered. Some friends were talking about it, and other than knowing of it from the Bible, I did not know it was a healing essential oil! It is an anticancer, antidepressant, anti-infectious and anti-inflammatory oil. It is also an immune stimulant, among other things. Frankincense is a holy oil in the Middle East and has been such throughout history. It can also help with asthma, depression and ulcers, along with allergies, headaches, promotes healing, hemorrhaging, herpes, high blood pressure, jaundice. To be honest, the list is long. Frankincense can be applied topically directly to area or reflex points. Also may be diffused. This oil is expensive, but very worth having on hand! Grapefruit is wonderful. It owns antidepressant, antiseptic, disinfectant, diuretic, stimulant and tonic properties. Grapefruit essential oil is balancing, uplifting and can help relieve anxiety. Also may help with fatigue and headaches Using it is simple, as it too can be used topically on reflex or problem areas. Lemon seems to be a very popular craving in pregnancy. On top of satisfying women’s taste buds everywhere, it has anticancer, antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antioxidant, antiviral and astringent properties! It is very invigorating, refreshing and cleansing. The amount of things lemon essential oils can benefit is numerous. Just a few things it can help with are food poisoning, lowering blood pressure, help with liver problems, arthritis, and muscle aches and pains. It can help with cellulite, digestive issues, sore throats and also cleaning (might as well smell yummy when doing work!). To use, apply lemon oil topically to area needed or reflex points, diffuse it, or put a drop or two in your water or pregnancy tea (once again, make sure it is a high quality and digestible oil and double check w/your care provider). Roman Chamomile is anti-infectious and anti-inflammatory along with having calming and relaxing qualities. It can help with emotional balance and help combat depression, insomnia and stress. When applying Roman Chamomile, dilute it with a ration of 1:1, one drop of oil to one drop of oil. If you are sensitive to it topically you can diffuse it. Melaleuca (also known as Tea Tree Oil) is an awesome anti-bacterial and anti-infectious oil! It can help with burns, infections and more. If you are dealing with anything from a cut, burn, tooth infection or yeast infection, melaleuca can help. To use tea tree oil, you can apply it right to the area. If a sensitive area, you may want to dilute with coconut oil. It can also be diffused. (I have personally seen great results with this oil time and again. I have applied it directly to an infected tooth with a q-tip. It slightly numbs and pulls out infections at the same time!) Balance is amazing. It is not only great for pregnant women, but for everyone in your family. It brings calmness, peace and relaxation. It can help with harmonizing different physiological systems in the body to restore balance. It contains spruce, rosewood, blue tansy, and Frankincense, along with coconut oil. Balance can also effect different muscle, bone, skin and nervous system problems. It is applied the bottom of the feet (your pores are largest there and it absorbs best there), but can also be applied to heart area, wrists, neck, and your temples. Diffuse as well! Being self reliant and promoting your body to heal or stay healthy is priceless. We all want to feel great all the time, but especially when pregnant. High quality essential oils can help you do just that. Look forward to more posts on essential oils for labor, birth, post partum healing and breastfeeding! *A huge resource for this information was the book, Modern Essentials, the 3rd Edition. Published by Abundant Health. | 
