FROM BELLIES TO BABIES WITH ESSENTIAL OILS

This class is meant for a broad range of people – from anyone trying to conceive, to newly pregnant Moms and Dads, to new parents, as well as for the health care professional and anyone else who will care for these people, including obstetricians, midwives, nurses, doulas, birth workers etc.

As a Registered Nurse in women’s health for over 20 years, I have watched many a trend come and go. In the past couple of years, I have seen more and more families present with questions about essential oils. Essential oils are becoming more and more mainstream. Many families are incorporating them into their homes and lifestyles and want them to be a part of their pregnancy and labor and delivery experience. This class was created to help you, whether parent or professional to have a better understanding of how to support yourself and your patients in a safe, effective and natural way with essential oils during this time.

As the title suggests, this class will be covering everything from pregnant Bellies to Babies – and even a little beyond that! As you know, care of the Mother and baby begins before conception, so that’s where we are going to start. We will talk about safety of essential oils, as this is always a primary concern with pregnant Moms. Then we will go over how to support a healthy pregnancy and growing baby in each trimester. We will cover how to use essential oils during birth and finally, we will talk about birth recovery, post-partum health, breastfeeding with essential oils and baby care.

As with every class, I will include this important disclaimer: The information shared in this class is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or disease, nor is it meant to replace professional medical attention or advice. It is especially important in this class to note that all references to essential oils are to the Young Living brand ONLY. These are the only oils that I use and recommend because of their purity, quality, safety and effectiveness. Please, please, please, do not buy other essential oils and attempt to use them in the ways that are suggested in this class.

If you have not read our Introduction to Essential Oils class, I would strongly suggest that you start there. The Introduction class is really the foundation for all of the other classes.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I believe that pregnancy is a state of health! And if you’ve had the opportunity to read through our Introduction to Essential Oils class, you know that essential oils support health. It therefore stands to reason that essential oils can help to support a healthy pregnancy!

However, unfortunately, there seems to be an environment of hesitation and fear surrounding the subject of essential oils and pregnancy. Today I would like to dispel some of those fears, and maybe give a little direction to those who need it. My goal is to empower you to use essential oils confidently with yourselves, your family and your patients!

As with everything, a common sense approach is so important when it comes to essential oils. As the parent, you are the scientist in your home. It is our job, as parents to do our own due diligence in researching and experimenting to find what works best for ourselves and our families. By this, I am not talking about reading the first page of Google and all of the popular bloggers’ opinions. For the most part, Google and bloggers are not experts. For that matter, neither am I! There are better, more reliable ways to educate ourselves. You may want to start with scientific literature. There are literally thousands of very relevant, peer-reviewed studies readily available to the public online. There are dozens of excellent reference guides available. Take the time to read and learn. Then, safely experiment in your own homes. By taking the initiative to educate ourselves properly, we can break down the barriers of fear and learn what we are safe, comfortable and at peace with.

That being said, labor is probably not the best time to introduce a woman to essential oils. The ideal is to be incorporating essential oils into our lives long before even considering getting pregnant. This is for several reasons. First, every person reacts differently to essential oils, so it’s best to know which oils a woman responds to before going into labor. This can only be done over time, at home, incorporating them into the family’s daily life. Secondly, essential oils are also about living a healthy lifestyle! Our lifestyle can be compared to the soil in a garden. When planting seeds, the soil matters, right? It’s the same in humans. Creating a foundation of health and vitality can help to ensure the same during pregnancy. Health care providers are in an ideal position to help women and their partners set up healthy patterns and lifestyles before conception. Parents are especially open at this time in their lives.

There is no question that our lifestyle choices affect our children – and our children’s children. The fact is, if you are not addressing your toxic load NOW, it is increasing daily. Studies have shown that 99% -100% of women have been exposed to multiple harmful chemicals, including pesticides, insecticides, phthalates and heavy metals, during their pregnancies. These chemicals cross the placental barrier and have been found in amniotic fluid, cord blood and meconium, the baby’s first bowel movements. Exposure to such chemicals has been shown to cause preterm birth, birth defects, childhood neurodevelopmental problems and cancer, as well as adult cancer and cardiovascular effects.

So what does this all have to do with essential oils? Well, quite simply, for every essential oil you use, that’s one harmful synthetic chemical that you are not using.  We have the ability to choose what we clean our homes with, what we are using to freshen the air, what we wash our bodies with, what we brush our teeth with, what makeup we put on, the food that we are eating  – we are in charge of what comes into our homes. We have the ability to decrease our exposure to harmful toxins, thus decreasing our toxic load and our family’s exposure.

Here are a few toxin-free alternatives that I use in my home. I have been using them for years, and they are all from Young Living. Why? Because Young Living is a company that has earned my trust. I have visited Young Living’s Farms, and I have personally witnessed their guarantee of quality and purity in action.

Now, like many of you, I’m a busy Mom. I work full-time night shift, I homeschool my children and I run a business on the side, so the thought of researching every bottle of soap and deodorant that came into my house was very overwhelming. Quite frankly, I didn’t have the time to do it. So this is what I did: I got this Thieves Essential Rewards Kit from Young Living. Each item shown is made from plant-based materials, without dangerous or synthetic ingredients. They each include Young Living’s well-known Thieves blend of essential oils, which is known to support a healthy immune system!

The kit includes 2 Thieves Household Cleaners, which are the best multipurpose cleaners I have ever used, 2 Thieves Foaming Hand Soaps – you will love these, they are so luxurious, 2 Thieves Waterless Hand Purifiers – great for on-the-go, 2 Thieves Sprays – also great to carry in your purse, a Thieves Mouthwash – you can literally FEEL the clean with this, Thieves AromaBright Toothpaste and a 15 ml bottle of Thieves Essential Oil.

Young Living also has a complete line of makeup and bath and body products, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, as well as laundry soap, dishwashing soap – you name it, there is a safe and effective alternative that you can use! Isn’t that a massive jump forward in getting rid of the toxic chemicals in your home?

Something else you may need to consider before pregnancy is hormone balance. Many women spend years of their adult lives trying to prevent pregnancy using synthetic hormones. We are also exposed on a daily basis to hormone-disrupting chemicals. It is therefore no surprise that the majority of us women are hormonally imbalanced! And this only get worse with age!

There are several essential oils and essential oil blends that can actually support the body in creating hormone balance. For men, there are a couple of blends which we love.  Our favorite is Shutran, which my husband uses as a cologne. The essential oils in this blend serve to boost feelings of masculinity and confidence, and it smells absolutely amazing! The second one is called Mister, another great hormone balancer for men.

For the women, I strongly recommend Progessence Plus. I use this serum on a daily basis and would be in panic mode if I didn’t have it. It was a game-changer for me when working to maintain hormone balance! It contains wild yam extract along with several essential oils to draw the serum into the skin. It is also fantastic for the skin. It contains Frankincense which smooths the look of fine lines and keeps your skin looking young. Another option is clary sage essential oil. This is often used by Midwives to promote labor. It is also a fantastic oil to promote hormone balance in women.

Before getting into which essential oils to use throughout pregnancy, let quickly review which Essential Oils to Avoid or Use With Caution. Before transcribing this list (which I caution you may not be comprehensive), I again encourage you to know your source of research and their philosophy as it applies to health and essential oils. There are at least 3 different schools of thought when it comes to essential oils, and there are different grades of oils. Be sure the research you are referring to comes from the French model, which is the model that Young Living goes by (not the English or the German). As well, remember that you are the scientist in your own home. Never use oils in a way that makes you uncomfortable, and discontinue use immediately if you notice a reaction that you are uncomfortable with.

People often get caught up in worrying that they do not have a specific oil for a specific purpose. This is a very medicalized and pharmaceutical way of thinking, and does not generally apply to the use of essential oils. We are used to treating specific symptoms with specific medications. Essential oils are completely different from pharmaceuticals! They are adaptogenic, so they respond to frequencies in the body, supporting the body where it needs to be supported until that need is met. When someone asks me what essential oil they should use, my response is always “What do you have available?”  Use what you have available. That being said, obviously you can’t use what you don’t have, so be prepared! We are going to go over some of the essential oil essentials in the next few slides. This will help you with the basic necessities.

Never assume that your response to an oil is going to remain the same throughout pregnancy and labor. Moms may have a very different response to oils when pregnant, so use common sense. Always smell an oil first. I suggest smelling the lid, so the smell isn’t so intense. Then start with 1-3 drops in the diffuser to try it out, or diluted on the soles of the feet. Always stop if you experience an unwanted reaction to it.

Now let’s talk about how we can help ourselves and our patients and their families maintain vibrant health during their pregnancies with essential oils. I like to start with supplements because every woman (even those who don’t get prenatal care) know to take a daily prenatal vitamin. Typically we absorb about 15% – 20% of a supplement and we excrete the rest. This is where essential oils are so incredibly powerful. –When added to a supplement, essential oils can actually increase bioavailability up to 70-80%! All of Young Living’s supplements are infused with essential oils for this reason. This is why I recommend these supplements so highly. They are game-changers!

There are a couple of daily core supplements that are very beneficial to pregnant women (and anyone in general). As a healthcare provider, it is important to me to be healthy and alert, so I take each of these every single day.

The first is NingXia Red. This is an antioxidant drink. It has an ORAC value (which is the test to measure how many antioxidants are in a product) of over 30,000, which is fantastically high. It has a high protein content (80-100 gm / day), which is obviously needed to build tissue while pregnant. If nauseated, a NingXia slushie works great. Best of all, if you’ve ever delivered a Mom who has been getting her nutrition from NingXia Red, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say you can tell by the placenta. It is a beautiful, healthy organ. NingXia Red makes a difference!

The next is foundational supplement is Omegagize. This Young Living’s fish oil supplement, which also contains CoQ10, Vitamin D and essential oils, which increase absorption. Pregnant Mothers need fats, but not all fats are created equal. There are several considerations when choosing a fish oil supplement. The first is does it actually have DHA? It has been found that the presence of DHA in many prenatal supplements is merely a marketing gimmick. Most contain very little DHA at all. Secondly, fish are known to contain high levels of mercury, heavy metals and other contaminants, which we are always warning pregnant women against. Yet many companies use these very fish to create their fish oils! Young Living harvests their fish oil from small fish in pristine waters, so there is no opportunity to accumulate these toxins. It is free of heavy metals, PCBs and dioxins, and is an abundant source of EPA and DHA.

Next is a quality probiotic. There are literally thousands of studies that have been done addressing why probiotics are required for health. When in-utero, a baby’s gut is empty. When the baby is born, he is colonized with his first bacteria from the Mother’s vagina and rectum. So, the quality of the Mother’s microbiome directly affects her baby. Life 9 is Young Living’s probiotic. This is a time-released capsule that delivers the probiotics to where they need to go, instead of landing in the stomach and being broken down there like so many other brands. It is a high-potency probiotic that combines 17 billion live cultures from 9 beneficial bacteria strains that promotes healthy digestion, supports gut health, and helps maintain normal intestinal function for overall support of a healthy immune system.

The first trimester is often about getting in a healthy diet and managing the nausea and vomiting that we so often see during this time. A few essential oils that a Mom may find useful are Cardamon, Ginger, Peppermint, or Spearmint (if she finds Peppermint to strong), and a blend called AromaEase. This blend actually contains all the essential oils mentioned plus Fennel, so it’s a fantastic option.

I know from personal experience that during the first trimester, it can be difficult to get in the proper nutrition, so I like to mention Young Living’s Pure Protein Complete. This is a comprehensive protein supplement that comes in a Vanilla Spice and Chocolate flavor, and provides 25 grams of protein per serving. Ancient peat and apple extract, along with a powerful B-vitamin blend, work together to support ATP production, the energy currency of the body. We could all use a little more energy, as Moms and as health care practitioners, right?

In the second trimester, Mom is usually feeling a little better. The focus shifts to skin support, structure, and processing feelings. There are many essential oils that are incredible for the skin. My favorites are Frankincense and Myrrh. Young Living has several different lotions to support the skin, that don’t contain the usual petrochemicals and toxins. A favorite to apply to the belly is Tender Tush. This was actually made to soothe and protect a baby’s diaper area, but it’s great for Mom as well! It’s an oil balm made with natural vegetable oils and pure essential oils, including Frankincense, Lavender, and Ylang Ylang to moisturize, soothe and nourish the skin. There are no synthetic perfumes, mineral oils, artificial coloring, or harsh chemicals, so it is a great option! There are also a couple of incredible-smelling options from Young Living’s Seedling line, including the Baby Lotion and Diaper Rash Cream.

The second trimester is a time where Moms and Dad are processing their feelings about pregnancy. Pregnancy as like a magnifier. Whether you are dealing with physical or emotional issues, pregnancy tends to magnify them. For example, if you have a tendency towards a certain symptom or illness, it will probably be manifest during pregnancy. This is the same with emotions. Emotions are like a big suitcase that you carry around with you. If these emotions have not been dealt with before delivery, that suitcase is guaranteed to fly open at birth. It is therefore so important to take care of your emotions before that time comes.

Essential oils can have an incredibly powerful impact on feelings and emotions. Essential oils directly affect the limbic part of our brains, which is the seat of our emotions and memories. This is where fear and anxiety are stored along with any unresolved negative memories. Simply taking the time to inhale an essential oil in a safe environment, can help to release these negative emotions and memories, leading to healing and growth. Young Living actually has an entire kit, dedicated to this. It is called the Feeling Kit, and it comes with several oils and a protocol for how to use them to support emotional health.

I also like to mention Orange Vitality essential oil here because hydration is a common issue with pregnant Moms. Orange Vitality essential oil (or any of the citrus oils), when added to water can help to increase water intake.

There are so many ways that essential oils can help support a Mother in her third trimester. At this point, baby is growing quickly and proper nutrition is so important. In our day and age, even if we are eating a healthy organic diet, we still end up deficient in minerals, simply because our soil is deficient. To help with this, Young Living has a fantastic mineral supplement called Mineral Essence. This is a balanced ionic mineral complex enhanced with rejuvenating essential oils. Now, I’m not going to lie, this is not my favorite-tasting supplement, so I put it in 00 veggie capsules and take it that way.

Sleep starts to become a rarity in the third trimester. I really wish I knew about essential oils when I was pregnant, because they are incredibly effective with relaxation and sleep. Tranquil Roll-On is one of my suggestions. It is a blend of several oils that comes in a convenient roll-on. You may also consider Lavender, Cedarwood or Peace & Calming. These are all favorites of mine.

Lemongrass essential oil applied topically is a great oil to use to support the legs and the circulatory system.

At this point, you may want to start considering how to prepare the perineum for delivery.  ClaraDerm or Tender Tush can be used for this.  Please do not use Mineral Oil. This is a cheap petroleum-based product, meaning it’s a by-product of gasoline production. Even when purified for cosmetic use, it still contains dangerous contaminants, which accumulate in our bodies, and even more concerning, in a Mother’s milk supply. ClaraDerm and Tender Tush are natural products and can actually be used safely on baby after delivery as well.

There are so many areas that can use support during labor. Let’s start with emotional support. As mentioned previously, many women bring emotional baggage with them. If these emotions have not been dealt with, this baggage tends to burst open during labor, often manifesting itself in the physical. This could be as slow or stalled labor, or difficulty coping. Essential oils that can help with emotional balance are Valor, Awaken, Surrender or Release. Calming oils are Peace & Calming, Stress Away, Frankincense and Bergamot, to name just a few. Diffusing any citrus oil is a way to create an uplifting environment for Mom and birth workers. I love Citrus Fresh, a blend of citrus oils, for this.

Next is structural support or musculoskeletal support. Great oils for this are Valor, PanAway, Deep Relief Roll-On, Copaiba and Frankincense. The essential oil En-R-Gee is great to help with energy.

Clary Sage, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine all have a hormonal effect with women in labor. Be sure to start very small and diluted.

There is a frequent need for digestive support in labor. You can use the same oils that we mentioned for support in the first trimester – AromaEase, also DiGize, NingXia Red and AlkaLime which supports normal acid-base balance.

For immediately postpartum, there are a couple of blends that you can make up ahead of time to support and comfort the perineum.

The first is Peri-bottle Blend: Combine equal amounts of Frankincense, Geranium, Helichrysum, and Lavender essential oil with Witch hazel / Epsom salts. This can be put in a spray bottle and sprayed on the perineum as needed.

For the Bottom Blend: Combine together equal amounts of Cypress, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Melrose, and Peppermint essential oil. Dilute it with Coconut oil and Witch Hazel for soothing relief.

A couple of great oils to use in the postpartum period for emotional balance are Gentle Baby and / or Joy. These are incredibly powerful oils are can be a huge help if needed.

Breastfeeding can certainly be supported by essential oils as well, however, it is important not to interfere with imprinting and bonding. Avoid applying essential oils directly onto the breasts. They can go on the soles of the feet and will be just as effective at supporting milk supply.

A great blend you can mix up to help with supply is an equal amount of Basil, Fennel, Lavender, Ginger, Digize (this contains Anise). Dilute this with Coconut oil and put in a roller bottle to apply to the feet as needed.

One of the questions I get asked the most, and it’s a very valid question, is: “Is it ok to use essential oils on my baby?” The response to this question goes back to the quality and purity of the oil and it’s distillation process. We also covered this in our Introduction to Essential Oils class, so if you haven’t had the chance to read through it, I highly recommend it. Pure, unadulterated essential oils are the most natural thing to use on a baby. Just be sure to use very small amounts and dilute heavily.

Some very gentle, yet effective essential oils to use are TummyGize, which is already diluted and supports normal digestion. Gentle Baby is soothing and calming. SleepyIze is also already diluted and helps relaxation and sleep. And of course Lavender and Frankincense.

Young Living also recently released an entire line of baby products, which I am so excited about, called Seedlings. It includes baby lotion, baby oil, baby wash and shampoo, baby wipes and a diaper rash cream. All of these are all made without alcohol, parabens, synthetic fragrances, artificial dyes, or other unwanted ingredients. The entire line is formulated with 100% plant-based ingredients and pure essential oils, so this is a perfect solution for the little ones.

So that’s a quick overview of how to use essential oils in pregnancy and beyond. If you don’t have essential oils yet – you should! They literally support every system of the body, which we all need, right?!  If you’d like to get started with essential oils, here’s my referral link to help you get started. Be sure to choose the Wholesale option to be able to get the Premium Starter Kit, which is what I have shown here. The Wholesale option will also get you 24% off for life. There are no weird strings attached, in fact it’s the way I got started and it’s just the smarter deal.

If you are a Healthcare Professional, or a Mom who likes a visual aid, I want to give you something that I hope can help you. I made this poster for an event with the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and I can’t tell you how many midwives asked if they could buy my poster. It’s not for sale, but I would like to give this poster to you for free. You can choose one or both of the downloads. One is for the 20” x 30” poster and one is for an 8.5” x 11” size which is easier for sharing or personal referral. I recommend Mpix.com for printing. I got the poster done on double weight matboard with a lustre coating and it looked beautiful.