Benefits of Aromatherapy For Pregnancy
Aromatherapy offers many health benefits to pregnant women. You can use them during prenatal period, labor, and postnatal period to help you deal with stress, to prepare your body for labor and delivery, and get relief from fatigue and tiredness following a delivery.
Using essential oil therapy during the prenatal, labor, and postnatal phases can:
- Promote relaxation
- Reduce stress
- Reduce stretch marks
- Ease pain and cramping
- Provide relief from nausea, headaches, and other ailments experienced during pregnancy
- Speed up recovery following delivery
Essential oils you can use during pregnancy
Here is a list of essential oils that are adjudged safe during pregnancy:
- Calendula – minor infections, skin irritations, wound healing
- Clary Sage – headaches, muscular pain, labor
- Peppermint – headaches, alertness, morning sickness, nausea
- Chamomile – labor, muscular pain, perineum healing, morning sickness
- Cypress – prevention of stretch marks, edema
- Juniper Berry – edema
- Ginger – morning sickness
- Mandarin – stress, prevention of stretch marks, and depression
- Lavender – labor, muscular pain, headaches, perineum healing, stress
- Neroli – anxiety, depression, prevention of stretch marks
In addition to the above, other essential oils you can use during pregnancy include the following: benzoin, bergamot, lemon, tea tree, grapefruit, orange, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, and spearmint.
Safety and Precautions
Before using any of the aforementioned essential oils or other essential oils during pregnancy, read the label for any warnings. In addition, consult a certified aromatherapist before using essential oils during pregnancy.
The use of certain essential oils during the first trimester of pregnancy is not recommended. These include, among others, the following: rose, chamomile, and jasmine.
A few essential oils that are useful during the prenatal stage, labor, and postnatal stage
1. Essential oils for relaxing and soothing tired muscles
The following formula is used for relaxing tired muscles and treating a sore back and leg cramps.
Ingredients:
- St. John’s Wort oil (2 ounces)
- Grapefruit essential oil (5 drops)
- Neroli essential oil (5 drops)
How to prepare:
Put all the three ingredients in a glass container and mix them
2. Essential oils for preventing stretch marks
The following formula is used for preventing stretch marks and alleviating itchy skin.
Ingredients:
In this combination, both carrier and essential oils are used.
Carrier oils
- Raw coconut oil (1 cup)
- Raw cocoa butter (1/4 cup)
- Grapeseed, almond, or apricot oil (1/4 cup)
- Mango butter, shea butter, or kukui nut oil (1/8 cup)
Essential oils
- Sandalwood essential oil (10 to 20 drops)
- Patchouli essential oil (15 drops)
- Orange essential oil (15 drops)
How to prepare:
Put all the carrier oils in a double boiler and melt them. Remove the mixture and place it in a container. Allow it to cool for 20-30 minutes. Next, pour all essential oils into the container and shake it to mix the contents. Use the mixture only after it has cooled completely.
Note: In place of the essential oils listed above, you can use other essential oils such as rose, tangerine, lavender, neroli, and rosewood. If you are preparing your own blend, ensure that you limit the quantity of essential oils to less than 50 drops in total.
How to use:
Apply the balm over your stomach, breasts, and thighs.
3. Essential oils for treating nausea
The following combination is helpful in the treatment of nausea.
Ingredients:
- Spearmint essential oil (20 drops)
- Orange essential oil (5 drops)
- Lemon essential oil (15 drops)
How to prepare:
Place the oils in a container. Shake the container to mix the contents.
How to use:
After mixing the contents, add them to a bottle that has a sprayer on it. Spray the blend in the air.
Note: If you don’t like the scent of these essential oils, you can prepare your own blend using the following essential oils: rosewood, ginger, and neroli. When preparing your own blend, ensure that you don’t use more than 60 drops of essential oils.
4. Essential oils for soothing pain during contractions
The following combination relieves pain during contractions
Ingredients:
- Frankincense essential oil (2 drops)
- Mandarin essential oil (1 drop)
- Lemon essential oil (1 drop)
- Grapefruit essential oil (1 drop)
How to prepare:
Place the oils in a container. Shake the container to mix the oils.
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