Essential Oils & Morning Sickness
This is a sensitive topic for me to discuss as I suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, an extreme verision of morning sickness and causes one to vomit several times per day during pregnancy. I am often very hesitant to offer any type of promise in terms of morning sickness, since I never had complete relief from nausea and vomiting until weeks 14-22 of my pregnancies.
That being said, there are several published studies, not to mention generations of herbal traditions across cultures, that yes essential oils can relieve “morning sickness.”
What is Morning Sickness?
The term “morning sickness” is a bit of a misnomer since it often occurs at all times of day, however it is often most severe early in the morning. This is likely related to one of the many suspected causes of morning sickness or Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP) lower blood sugar. Though it is also believed to be caused by hormonal changes, Although the exact cause of NVP and HG unknown, it is widely accepted that gestational vomiting results from various metabolic and endocrine factors, many of placental origin. The most implicated factor is human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG).
Aromatherapy for Morning Sickness
Evidence Based Birth did a research review on aromatherapy in pregnancy and they looked at the topic of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. It included three studies cited below. These studies found no significant difference between peppermint oil in water vs saline in water on the floor of participants bed, though on day 4 there was a decrease in the severity of nausea in the peppermint group. The other study found no significant difference in peppermint oil vs almond oil for NVP. . The third study found a significant difference between the control group and the group that used lemon essential oil.
Interestingly, there have been multiple published studies on the topic of post-operative nausea and vomiting. These studies found: a benefit to using peppermint to reduce nausea, another study found a reduction of both nausea and vomiting with Peppermint essential oil.
Are there risks to using essential oils?
Yes, of course. Improperly used essential oils can cause mild to severe side effects. However, when used properly there side effects are extremely mild: reddness reaction, skin sensitivity such as tingly or burning sensation - these can be reduced by using additional carrier oil, and of course some scents you just might not like.
But, are there serious risks?
Only when used inappropriately or when using contraindicated oils. There are no reports of essential oils used in a diffuser or topically in pregnancy that causes harm. The only incidence reported are when heavy doses of essential oils are used internally to stimulate termination. Interestingly, research on the most commonly used essential oils to cause abortion shows that they are ineffective and some actually stop contractions.
What should I do if I have Nausea & Vomiting in Pregnancy?
- Hydrate, I know this is incredibly difficult when already nauseated. One of the ways NVP is medically managed is IV fluids. This is an expensive and inconvenient course of action. ACOG recommends between 54-96 ounces of water a day. I like to recommend my clients drink at least one electrolyte beverage per day. This is my favorite:
- Eat small amounts of food often and eat more protein than carbohydrates. Protein has been shown to reduce nausea and gastric slow waves during the first trimester.
- Some women find benefit from sea bands, but even more women find reduction of NVP with acupuncture and TCM. My experience with TCM informs my personal recommendations for essential oils to manage NVP. One study has found that NVP was best managed with a combination of acupuncture and moxibustion.
- Use essential oils.
How to use Essential Oils for Morning Sickness
- My preferred way to use essential oils for morning sickness is to use diffuser jewelry. Placing one drop of either Lemon, Ginger, Peppermint or Digize on a lava bead in your earrings, necklace or bracelet allows you to benefit from the aroma consistently throughout a 24 hour period.
- I prefer to use digize oil topically, on over my actual stomach (not the lower abdomen/intestines). The reason I prefer this is what I learned from my acupuncturist. Peppermint is a cooling herb, Ginger is a warming herb. MY acupuncturist found I was “over cooling” my system with repetitive use of peppermint. Digize is a blend of tarragon, ginger, peppermint, juniper, fennel, lemongrass, anise and patchouli.
- Diffusing one of the four oils mentioned or AromaEase before you wake up is a really good option. I like to set my wakeup diffuser to diffuse on level 1, and turn on the light about 15 minutes before I wake up.
- You can also make a roller of lemon, ginger, peppermint in 2-8 drops of each (first trimester) in about 2 teaspoons of carrier oil and apply it behind your ears (like perfume)
- In the second and third trimester, you can make a capsule of 4 drops of Digize (or two drops each of ginger and peppermint). You can take this up to 3x a day every 4-6 hours
So what’s a nauseated expecting mom to do?
I highly recommend taking my Prenatal Aromatherapy Class so you have access to all the essential recipes for just about everything, including the guidelines of safety, usage and what’s appropriate by trimester, what’s contraindicated and how to use your judgement with oil blends. Use coupon code: StressAway for a steep discount.
If you are ready to buy: these are my recommendations for Nausea & Vomiting in Pregnancy <image> with the diffuser of your choice, but I suggest the Wakeup Diffuser, because you can create a schedule to "set it and forget it." It also allows you to use an AM oil (for nausea) and a PM oil (for sleep, anxiety, stress).
You're probably so excited about welcoming your baby into your home, if you're like most moms you're probably flipping through a few books, you've download some apps, and listening to your friend's and family's experience. You're probably doing your part to be a star patient for your doctor or midwife.I totally get that, and this is actually a problem because you're going to get you varied, sometimes conflicting advice that might not even work for your circumstance, and here is the kicker: lots of time's it not evidence-based guidance.
Instead of that, I want to offer you that working with a doula from your first trimester through your postpartum time is actually going to give you what you really need: cohesive information, expert guidance and the emotional support that every new mom deserves. It's like having an a doula in your pocket (or purse if that's where you keep your phone)
Hiring a Digital Doula is the best way to have a positive experience during your pregnancy, birth and postpartum. I would love to be your digital doula.
If your kids are like mine, they love playing with Playdoh.
If you are a parent like me, it gets annoying constantly picking up new containers of playdoh at the store.
If you are also like me, you see the value of high-quality products without potential harmful ingredients like synthetic fragrance or colors.
As a a natural-leaning mama, you also know that aromatherapy is a great tool for your child’s health too.
Cue Homemade Aroma Dough
Tools You’ll Need
- Pot
- Strong Spoon
- Spatula
- Containers to hold the Aroma Dough
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 2 Cups of Flour
- 1 Cup of Salt
- 2 Tablespoons of Salt
- 2 Cups of Water
- 2 Tablespoons of cream of tartar
- 4-8 Drops of Young Living Essential Oils
- Mica Powder or your favorite food coloring
Suggested Color Pairings
- Black or Grey - fennel, anise or Digize
- Yellow - Lemon or Luscious Lemon
- Orange - Orange, Tangerine, Citrus Fresh
- Red (Wine if using Mica) - Christmas Spirit or Thieves
- Pink - Joy or Ylang Ylang
- Purple - Lavender or Valor
- Green - Peppermint or Peace and Calming
- Blue - Wintergreen
- Gold - Frankincense or Myrrh
- Brown - Copaiba & Vanilla
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a pot: flour, oil, water, cream of tartar, salt
- Mix ingredients together
- Turn heat to medium and continue to stir dough over heat for 2 minutes
- Turn dough out on to clean, flat surface (I sprinkled with extra flour and cream of tartar and knead until you have the right consistency.
- Divide into the number of colors you wish to make. Ours created 10 colors, but we didn’t divide perfectly evenly.
- Knead dough in to a flat disc and add 1/2 teaspoon of mica powder and 4-8 drops of essential oil*
- Repeat for each color
- Store in air tight container for 4-8 weeks, or until your child mixes all the colors and you want a fresh batch.
Here are some of our photos from our aroma dough adventure. We made these on October 22 and they are still smelling great and feeling good to play with. We actually stored them in snack bags, becasue we ran out of old playdoh containers!
You're probably so excited about welcoming your baby into your home, if you're like most moms you're probably flipping through a few books, you've download some apps, and listening to your friend's and family's experience. You're probably doing your part to be a star patient for your doctor or midwife.I totally get that, and this is actually a problem because you're going to get you varied, sometimes conflicting advice that might not even work for your circumstance, and here is the kicker: lots of time's it not evidence-based guidance.
Instead of that, I want to offer you that working with a doula from your first trimester through your postpartum time is actually going to give you what you really need: cohesive information, expert guidance and the emotional support that every new mom deserves. It's like having an a doula in your pocket (or purse if that's where you keep your phone)
Hiring a Digital Doula is the best way to have a positive experience during your pregnancy, birth and postpartum. I would love to be your digital doula.
