While pregnancy is a joyful time for many – it also comes with a lot of physical discomforts, mental stress, and even anxiety. One way to ease these things are essential oils for pregnancy!
In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits of using essential oils for pregnancy, how to do it safely, and learn specific essential oil blends for common prenatal symptoms.
Then, we’ll turn our attention to birth and look at specific essential oils for labor and delivery too.
Before we dive in, I do want to put out a disclaimer that you should not use essential oils during pregnancy without discussing this with your provider.
While there are many that are considered safe – there are some that should be avoided entirely, which we’ll discuss below. Let’s dive in!
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Essential oils are too often categorized as “alternative” when in reality they’re a great tool for all!
Easy to access and becoming more mainstream, essential oils can help you address a variety of pregnancy discomforts – from physical to psychological.
You just want to make sure you are using essential oils that are considered safe for pregnancy and that you’re doing so in a safe manner!
According to the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists’ (IFPA) Pregnancy Guidelines, essential oil use for aromatherapy and massage can be safe for pregnant women.
Here is a summary of their safety recommendations:
I encourage you to read and interpret their guidelines yourself, and remember to always discuss essential oil use with your provider before jumping in!
Related Reading: How to Relax During Pregnancy? Tips You Need
There are some essential oils that should not be used in pregnancy. Often, this is because they can stimulate uterine contractions, or because they may be toxic or dangerous to you and your growing baby.
Here is a general list, but please know this is not definitive:
Fortunately, there are a lot of essential oils that are safe for pregnancy and effective for symptom management!
Here is a list, again not meant to be definitive:
During pregnancy, essential oils should never be ingested – but aside from that, you’ve got some options! Let’s take a look at the ways you can safely use essential oils during pregnancy (and labor!).
You can diffuse essential oils (or essential oil blends) with an essential oil diffuser. With these, you typically add a few drops of essential oil into the water reservoir of the diffuser. It then sends a cool mist of scented vapor into the room.
You can also add a few drops of essential oil to water in a spray bottle and spray your pillows, linens, etc. Dark glass spray bottles are ideal because they protect the essential oils from deteriorating in sunlight.
Essential oils should only be applied to your skin via a carrier oil. A carrier oil is a base oil that is totally safe for the skin and dilutes the potent essential oils you want to use. Remember above, we talked about a dilution of 1% essential oil within a carrier oil! That’s how strong they are.
A few great carrier oils include sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, and fractionated coconut oil (which stays in a liquid state when cool).
You can create your own blend, or purchase a pre-made massage oil that includes essential oils – like this one for sore muscles.
Use your oil like you would lotion after a shower or bath, before going to bed, or for a massage!
Another way to use essential oils during pregnancy is to smell them directly. This is a great strategy for nausea, stress, anxiety, and headaches.
There are a few ways to do this:
Adding essential oils to your bath can be a heavenly way to relax during pregnancy. To do this, add no more than 3-4 drops to your tub.
Related Reading: Are Baths Safe During Pregnancy?
The best essential oils for nausea include:
To use for nausea, aromatherapy is the way to go! As mentioned above, you can do this with a diffuser, smelling sticks, cotton ball, or fan.
Related Reading: Top 10 First Trimester Tips for Beating Nausea
For pregnancy headaches, lavender and peppermint are the most common and safe choices.
You can massage lavender oil (diluted in a carrier oil) into your temples or wrist. Peppermint oil in a carrier oil can be used on the wrists as well.
Stretch mark blend for pregnancy:
Apply a small amount daily and massage gently to affected areas.
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Varicose vein support blend:
Mix well and keep refrigerated. Use as a light massage over the affected area once a day. Cypress oil is particularly good for reducing swelling!
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Some essential oils to include in your aches and pain blend:
Add a total of 12 drops of essential oils to 2 tablespoons of carrier oil.
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A lot of women are interested in learning how they can incorporate essential oils into their labor.
I had the opportunity to speak with doula, Elizabeth Joy, on Instagram Live where she taught me all about essential oil use for pregnancy and birth.
Here were some of her top suggestions for their use during labor:
I used this blend during my second birth and put everything you need to make it into my Amazon Storefront. I really enjoyed incorporating this into my labor toolbox!
Here is the blend that I used:
Add all drops in a 2 oz bottle, fill to the top with a carrier oil, and roll bottle to mix oils.
Perineal massage aims to prepare your perineum for the intense stretching that occurs during birth.
Basically, you routinely stretch the tissues, muscles, and skin that surround your birth canal to get it ready for the big day.
Related Reading: How to Prevent Tearing during Birth
Now you have a better idea of how to incorporate essential oils into your life as a pregnant mama. You’ve learned the ways they can address physical ailments, ease stress, and promote better sleep. We also touched on how you can utilize essential oils during labor!
Learn more about managing pregnancy discomforts and the pain of labor in these articles:
And know that our online birth classes are here for you when you’re ready to take your birth education to the next level. Let’s erase the unknowns and get you feeling confident!