Aromatherapy for Pregnancy

A feature article by an Alumbo member, Mar 21, 2008         

Summary: Aromatherapy involves using essential oils in their original form or in mixes, lotions, candles, etc., to help heal the body, relax and lift one’s mood. Essential oils come for plants and are excellent for helping to keep the body and mind balanced. Pregnant women may especially benefit from aromatherapy because they are going through great physical changes and may feel especially achy, stressed and vulnerable. Well, with the proper precautions taken, pregnant woman can still take advantage of all of the healthful and psychological benefits of aromatherapy. In this article, we will discuss three guidelines to enjoying aromatherapy while pregnant.

 
1.Dilute, Dilute, Dilute: Because essential oils are concentrated they will need to be diluted before they are used. For pregnant women, dilutions for essential oil blends should stand at 2%. This means that one should use 10 drops of oil in 2 TBS of carrier oil. For a bath, using 5-10 drops of essential oil should be safe. 2.Avoid These Essential Oils: There are certain essential oils that should be avoided while one is pregnant. During the first 3 months of pregnancy, essential oils should be completely eliminated. Afterwards, you may begin to use essential oils, just be sure to dilute them and to avoid certain ones all together. Some of those that you should avoid are lemongrass, parsley, peppermint, thype, basil, cinnamon, clary sage, cypress, jasmine, clove and myrhh. These oils have been chosen because they have certain properties that are believed to cause negative side effects in pregnant women. This includes cramping, blood thinning and contractions. 3.Oils That Are Great For Pregnant Women: On the other hand, there are some essential oils that are beneficial to pregnant women. They include chamomile, which has great anti-inflammatory properties and helps to ease muscular aches and other common pains. Eucalyptus is another essential oil that is recommended for pregnant ladies. It is also believed to reduce swelling and ease congestion. This might come in handy when you catch a cold or flu and aren’t able to take over-the-counter medications. Lavender is always a very popular essential oil. It is good for mild depression, helps one to relax, is soothing for common aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Grapefruit helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, helps the digestive tract and aids pregnant women in not retaining water. Neroli is excellent for keeping ones’ mood up, relax and also to keep the skin from getting dull because it aids in cell regeneration. Tangerine will help you avoid those stretch marks that are a common side effect of pregnancy. It also helps in keeping mommies to be cool and calm. Aromatherapy can be a fantastic way for moms to relax and ease common pregnancy related stress, aches and pain. Because pregnancy requires that soon-to-be moms forgo many drugs, over-the-counter and prescription, good alternative treatments will be very important. Aromatherapy is an affordable and effective way to treat common ailments safely and enjoyably. This is even more valuable when women are pregnant and often not feeling their best. George Key is the publisher of a great Aromatherapy Resource, AromatherapyPoint.com. Visit his site and read the comprehensive Essential Oils Safety Guide, in order to learn the precautons you should observe for safe Aromatherapy.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Email this page to a friend Display printer-friendly version Rate this item / View member comments Report irrelevant / inappropriate content Return to the Alumbo! home page