Essential Oils In Pregnancy
Congratulations! You have just found out you are pregnant. The adverts tend to tell us for all of us it will be a time when we bloom and feel wonderful, however whilst this can be the case for some of the time, it is also a time when your body is going through huge hormonal changes and therefore not all of you will feel on top of the world 100% of the time.
Finding
out that you are pregnant can bring on a whole range of mixed emotions
from sheer euphoria to instant panic. No matter how much your baby is
wanted it is going to cause changes not only to your body but also your
life. It is therefore only natural that at this time we give thought to
these changes, however nature is very good and gives you 9 months to get
used to your new addition.
Your body
will go through many changes your skin, your hair, digestive system,
you may suffer from morning sickness and nausea, and become weighed down
in the last few weeks. Your skin produces more sebum, which can cause it
to greasy, and flaky, your hair may become lank and lifeless. However
its not all bad, your skin may glow and your hair maybe the thickest
and loveliest that it has ever been.
During
your pregnancy your body has to sustain another life and your body is so
programmed that your baby wont go without but you will, your baby will get
nutrients before you do, so it is important at this time that your diet
and lifestyle are as healthy as possible during this time. Everything that
you eat, put on your skin, breathe in, is absorbed into your body will be
filtered through to baby- This is a time when you must become aware of
everything you do and think would I give this to
my baby to eat? Would I allow it to breath in these fumes?
| Most natural health practitioners consider that generally all concentrated products including essential oils, are best avoided during the first few months of pregnancy. Of course it is not an ideal world, and when certain health problems arise, the use of some essential oils may be preferable to the use of drugs. (see The Oxford Brookes University Study) The commonest problem, occurring in early pregnancy, which essential oils may help with, is morning sickness. Peppermint oil is an excellent treatment for this problem, and simply inhaling the oils vapours from a bowl of hot water can relieve the nausea. (KEEP THE EYES CLOSED WHILE INHALING.) |  |
| If you develop a cold or flu during early pregnancy and end up with a persistent cough, inhalation of essential oils from hot water may help relieve it, and thus reduce the trauma placed on the uterus from severe coughing. If severe emotional stress is a problem in early pregnancy, then it is safer to use some relaxing essential oils in baths or better still with massage, than to be forced to take powerful drugs. | |
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One of the benefits of essential oils in pregnancy is that by helping to promote relaxation, they may enable the user to reduce or remove the need for alcohol and tobacco products, which have been shown to harm the unborn child. After the third or fourth months, there are many oils which can be used in Aromatherapy treatments and some which are particularly effective for relaxation. |
| Oils which are very safe and which may
be used diluted in baths, for massage, or as room fragrances are: ROMAN CHAMOMILE,
Geranium, Jasmine absolute (very dilute), LAVENDER,
Mandarin, NEROLI, Patchouli, ROSE absolute, SANDALWOOD,
Ylang Ylang. Those oils or absolutes in BOLD are to be
preferred.
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Which oils should not be used during pregnancy: Basically those same oils which should not be used on the skin by anyone else. However there is an exception during early pregnancy, in that it would be foolish to take most essential oils internally except perhaps peppermint oil as described earlier. The reason for this is that many essential oils sold as 'aromatherapy oils' are not genuine pure oils from plants. Many contain trace amounts of undesirable chemical contaminants or chemical extenders. These traces of chemicals might be hazardous if they are consumed and particularly to a developing foetus. Oils NOT to used during pregnancy: Basil, Camphor, Cedarwood, Clarysage, Clove, Cinnamon, Hyssop, Juniper, Marjoram, Myrrh, Rosemary, Sage, Fennel, and Thyme However we would suggest that you should seek the advice of a professional aromatherapist. If in doubt you should seek the advice of a professional Aromatherapist!! |
The Oxford Brookes University Study conducted during 1990-98
Essential Oils were put to the test in Oxford, during an eight-year study involving 8,000 mothers. The study showed that Aromatherapy was effective in managing labour pains. The study was conducted by Oxford Brookes University during 1990-98 and they found that using essential oils lessened maternal anxiety and fear while inducing a sense of well-being. Fear and anxiety are two things, which can slow labour and make the mother to be unable to cope with the pain of labour. The study showed a drop in the use of opiate pain relief by those mothers who used aromatherapy during labour. The normal uptake of opiate pain relief would have been expected to be 30% in the Oxford study this dropped to 0.4%. The oils that were used included, Lavender, Frankincense, Rose, Jasmine, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Lemon, Mandarin and Clarysage. The methods of delivery used were massage, added to baths and footbaths and then as drops on the forehead and palms of the hand.
For more information on Aromatherapy from Pregnancy to Health Care for your baby we provide an excellent book called Aromatherapy For Women - By Maggie Tisserand
Read on for more Mother and Baby advice.
Aromatherapy massage during Labour
What is Aromatherapy
What are Essential oils
Baby Massage
Aromatherapy for babies
Step-by-step guide to baby massage
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