I would love to find out a bit more about this. DH is giving me a shoulder massage later on which I am really looking forward to, and I would have loved to be able to put a little essential oil in the carrier oil but don’t have many and don’t know which are safe in pregnancy anyway. I have lavender but I don’t think that’s recommended? It’s made me think about labour and how much aromas can affect me and I was wondering if anyone can give me any tips, or point me in the direction of where to find out more about it. I’m about 27 weeks now. Thanks very much
ETA please do tell me if I’ve remembered wrongly about lavender oil at this point in the pregnancy - I miss it!
A drop of lavender oil in a tablespoon of oil for your shoulders is not going to do you or baby any harm. Go for it.
In fact there is NO essential oil proven to bring on labour/miscarriage that is commonly available provided used in the normal dilutions externally. However there are oils which might cause it if you were to drink them, though that would probably be as a result of being half way to dead yourself IYSWIM - unfortunately this INTERNAL data gets extrapolated to cover all uses to the point where some people think even having them burning in the same room might do you some harm, none of this is backed up with anecdotal or empirical evidence. Some oils also have hormonal properties, but frankly the amount you are going to absorb via massage (using the usual dilutions) aren’t going to have an dangerous effect.
If you want to stay on the safe side, mandarin oil is considered to be particularly gentle and have an infinity with children. YOu might want to avoid particularly stimulating oils, but to be honest I’ve yet to meet anyone who wants to be massaged head to tow in clove, eucalyptus, rosemary etc, they have better and more appropriate applications.
So far as birth goes there are horses for courses:
Lavender - relaxes
Frankincense - euphoric, counters fear
Jasmine - relaxing, analgesic
Rose - relaxing
Clary Sage - can encourage contractions once started, pain relief
There’s lots of info out there, by the time you are in labour, nothing is going to be “dangerous” to use - however don’t put them in the birth pool - you don’t want babe’s first experience of the world to be stingy eyes eh?
I will follow this thread as I am also interested in this. I always used lavender in the bath, in the burner etc and SO miss it too (I have also heard you can’t use it when pg as it can induce labour). I am 24 wks so not far off you and would also love to use some oils during labour.
Not sure how to diffuse them in a hospital though. Only way I can think of is to put them diluted into a spray bottle and get DH to spritz it at me - but think that might annoy me so maybe another option that doesn’t involve a candle!!
I do have an aromatherapist near me so I might pop in and ask there at some point (maybe next month when I have some money to spend in her shop!!!).
Thank you MM I shall relax and enjoy a bit of lavender oil later on then! Are there any books you would recommend, both for pregnancy/labour and aromatherapy in general? It’s a subject I’ve always been interested in but never actually got round to finding out much about.
Skye Blu - just to let you know I am an aromatherapist, I trained at Neal’s Yard. Unfortunately as there is no industry standard as yet, anyone can call themselves an aromatherapist, whether they have trained for a year or not at all. Quite often poorly trained aromatherapists will be taught what is frankly BS; not to treat pregnant women or to be really unnecessarily cautious rather than give them the time and opportunity to study the facts for themselves - a little knowledge being a dangerous thing and all that - the source of much internet scare mongering too.
Put bluntly, if a massage with lavender oil could cause a woman to miscarry, would there be any need for the complicated medical procedures (or indeed the dangerous back street practices) women put themselves through to solve an unwanted pregnancy KWIM?
Sal - the only book I trust is not one you’d find on regular bookstores (as indeed generally these can be a bit undeservedly cautious - litigation culture and all that) is The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy by Salvatore Battaglia. Does what it says on the tin and backs it all up with references, the main work on essential oil safety is by Tisserand and Balacs and is frankly boring and unneccesarily technical for the lay-person however the Battaglia book references it’s safety information from there.
I used a combination of Lavendar and ylang ylang in my bath right the way through - calming and exotic! Then with a month to go I added clary sage to the mix.
Mandarin is a nice rershing one to pour a drop of into your hands - rub together then trace over your face.
Ophelia-thank you so much for the offer, I would definitely take you up on it if I hadn’t have ordered a book about it before I read your post!
Mmm, mandarin sounds lovely…
Thank you again MM
Sadly my massage didn’t materialize last night thanks to dd waking up just after dh got home (and staying awake :( ) we’re going to attempt it again tonight!
Skye-blu drops on a tissue to inhale whilst in hospital can be good, really helps you to focus on your breathing but can also be put aside quickly if you don’t like/want it any more.
Thank you ladies for your help about oils…that is interesting MM about lavender - I guess it’s obvious really. It just scares you when books etc warn you of things like that. Katespark, yes, on a tissue would be good…thank you…
Yet another question-sorry! Where do you get your oils from? I don’t know what sort of regulation there is over their production so have no idea if the quality is all the same but I’m guessing not? My local health food shop stocks a whole load -is there a way to find out how good a quality they are? Also, which carrier oil is the best? I was told you can’t go far wrong with sunflower oil-is that correct? Thank you again for all of your help, I’m getting quite excited about finding out more now as the more I think about it the more I realise how important smell is to me.
Hi Sal - a quick reply on the run, when it comes to EOs by and large you get what you pay for, a cheap lavender from H&B is not going to be the same as something more expensive from the likes of NYR. Latin names are important - there are many species of some commonly used oils and that can affect their therapeutic values. Don’t buy anything unless it has a latin name full stop. It’s a big subject and I’d really recommend that book I suggested to anyone as it deals with all of these things.
Regarding carrier oils it’s really up to you, they all have inherent properties, though be aware that a nut oil will produce a reaction if you have a nut allergy. Almond is quite commonly used, good “slippage” etc. Sunflower is good too, esp for babies whom you might choose not to expose to nut oils. Many oils you won’t want to use 100%, wheatgerm for instance is very good for pregnant skin, but it is very viscose and quite “smelly” for a carrier oil.
Thanks again lovely I wish I could afford the book, sadly the cheapest I can find it is still over £40 which I just can’t afford at the moment. I will keep my eyes open and perhaps see if family will club together and buy it for my birthday.
Gosh, I just looked it up - did I ever have that much money to spend on a book? Oh yeah, pre-kids I’d forgotten quite how pricey it was. That said when I came back form Spain I ditched all my other aromatherapy books in preference for this and I don’t regret it, it’s a keeper.
The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood is good for really getting into the many many uses of EOs, though I find the range she uses a bit limited (though that might be good for someone starting out), also she’s not exactly very scientific with her advice regarding stuff I’ve harped on about above, but I think so long as you keep the issue in mind then you can research other sources for safety info.
Sorry, it’s me again. We’re off on a long journey tomorrow and dd gets quite car sick. Am I right in thinking that peppermint is good for that? Is it ok for me? Is there anything else worth trying? Sea bands help, but only if I can persuade her to wear them so something like an essential oil would be brilliant-she can’t hold her breath all the way lol! Thank you again
Sniffing a bit of peppermint oil is fine (though choose Mentha x Piperita rather than Mentha Arvensis), however ginger would be preferable if you can get it.
NB peppermint can damage nasal tissue, especially children, don’t let it come into direct contact with her nose or any situation where it might - I find that it’s a real “clinger” so I wouldn’t give her the bottle to sniff or let her hold a tissue with it on. A drop or two on a bit of cotton wool, placed somewhere in the car (preferably the blow holes of the heater) should be fine.
