Essential Oils You NEED In Pregnancy

 

Pregnancy has not always been kind to me. I’ve had crippling nausea, sciatica, exhaustion, insomnia, and just overall discomfort throughout my pregnancies.

I knew I wanted my last pregnancy to be different. When I was 5 months pregnant, I looked into the benefits of essential oils in pregnancy.

I figured that I have nothing to lose, so I gave it a try. It was a life changing experience for me. No more did I need to deal with morning sickness or back pain without any kind of hope to ease the discomfort. I knew that I could take out one of my essential oils and use it safely whenever I needed it and I would feel better.

Why You Need Essential Oils in Pregnancy

It’s really important to make sure that when you start using essential oils, that you’re doing it correctly. You will need some supplies to make sure that you are getting the most from your oils and not wasting them.

What to use

Fractionated coconut oil

You’ll need fractionated coconut oil as a carrier oil to dilute your oils. It’s easy to come by, and it’s not expensive. It helps make your oils last much, much longer. For most oils, you’ll need 1-2 drops of essential oils per tablespoon of carrier oil.

Rollerballs

If you don’t already have them, you should absolutely get rollerballs. They are absolutely great to keep on hand when you need an oil quickly. If you want to check out some recipes for daily life, you can read more here. 

Diffuser

I lived by my diffuser at night to help me sleep (I still do!) when I was pregnant. It’s like having a scented candle burning all night, but without the dangers of an open flame. For how many uses essential oils have, it’s worth the investment to have one on hand.

What is NOT safe

There is a list of oils that are questionable in pregnancy. Some, like clary sage, are great for inducing labor and helping with lactation, but unless you’re trying to induce labor, you should steer clear. Here are some of the questionable oils:

• Basil
• Birch
• Cassia
• Cinnamon bark
• Clary sage (ok if you’re past 40 weeks, or are trying to kick start labor)
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Vetiver
• Wintergreen
• White fir

There are some sources out there that say that most of these are ok for careful usage, but I always err on the side of caution, so I decided to skip them altogether.

Related Post: Essential Oil Rollerball Recipes

How to use them

There are many, many ways to use essential oils! Each pregnancy is different, but these have been my favorite ways to use essential oils in my last pregnancy.

Upset stomach/ morning sickness

Like clockwork, every night at about 9pm, I would get nauseous. But of course, being pregnant, you can’t take any medication for the nausea. These essential oils helped me to get passed the nausea and get on with my day or night.

• Peppermint: Put 1 drop in your palm and inhale.
• Ginger: 1-2 drops in fractionated coconut oil and rub in clockwise circles around your belly button.
• DigestZen: 1-2 drops in fractionated coconut oil and rub in clockwise circles around your belly button.

Headaches

Hormonal headaches were similar to migraines for me. They knocked me out for a long time and I couldn’t take medication for them when I was pregnant. Thank goodness for these oils. I swear by them even now.

• Peppermint
• Head Ease
• Frankincense

Keep both peppermint and Head Ease in rollerballs and apply on your neck, temples, or wherever you feel your headache. Smelling the oils helps, too.

Aches and pains

Even though I gained the normal amount of weight in pregnancy, I have gigantic babies. My back was aching at the end of the day from both carrying around my 9 pound 15 ounce baby in my belly and my18 month old in my arms. Again I was so thankfully for these oils.

• Align/ Valor (either or, but Align is much less expensive for the same results)
• Muscle Relief/ PanAway (Muscle Relief is much more affordable and it really works well; I’ve heard good things about PanAway, but have personally never tried it because of the cost aspect.)

Muscle Relief was my lifesaver with round ligament pains and back pains. Add 4-6 drops to a rollerball and roll onto sore area. It was amazing!

Sleeplessness/ insomnia

Falling asleep was hard for me when I was pregnant. It’s a tough situation, again, when you can’t take medicine to get to bed. For me, scents have always made me feel more calm and relaxed. So having the oils help me sleep was a no-brainer.

• Good Night/ Peace & Calming (I LOVE Good Night. It’s a less expensive alternative to Peace & Calming)
• Lavender
• Roman chamomile
• Stress Relief

Diffuse 1-2 drops each roman chamomile, Good Night, and lavender 20 minutes before bed.

Keep the same combination in a small spray bottle and fill it with 1 tsp. witch hazel and the rest with water.

Exhaustion/ energizing

Sometimes, you just need a pick-me-up. Especially in pregnancy, when you’re hardly even allowed a cup of coffee each day on top of the daily exhaustion!

• Joy
• Lemon
• Orange
• Grapefruit

Diffusing 1 drop each in the mornings is a nice way to get going in the morning. They are also great oils to put a drop in to your palm and inhale.

Allergies

If you’re like me and have trouble with allergies, you’ll need an alternative for taking Benadryl or Claritin when you’re pregnant. This really does the trick: 2 drops of each lemon, lavender, peppermint in a rollerball and apply to your temples and I put it under my nose. It really helps!

• Allergy blend (lemon, peppermint, lavender)

 

Pregnancy is tough, especially when you’re in pain and you can’t take any medicine safely. I am forever thankful for my mother-in-law for introducing me to essential oils; without them, I would’ve been absolutely miserable during my pregnancy!

Did you ever use essential oils in your pregnancy? How did they work for you?

 

 

 

I am not a medical professional and I do not represent an essential oil brand or company.