Do you have cravings? The only real craving that I remember was for hot-n-fresh McDonald’s French fries. I also remember that it took me about three weeks to get them and when I did finally get them, I was beyond disappointed – they were not hot, or crispy or salty enough. Hahaha!
I can’t complain about my pregnancy. I didn’t have morning sickness and I remained active throughout. I will, however, still address those issues in this post because my heart goes out to you ladies that are suffering. My issues with pregnancy, in my last trimester, I dealt with swelling issues (not nearly as bad as post prego, but more on that in another post). And in the last week, I just exploded! My smooth, stretch mark-free, baby soft skin turned into a roadmap to nowhere. Sigh, and I was doing so good too! So that leads me to I wish I had oils when I was pregnant.
Let’s talk about nausea. There’s not a common cause, but nausea can be exacerbated with an empty stomach, which is why I’m guessing it got the name “morning sickness.” From a practical standpoint keep some food on your nightstand, eat small meals often, and drink plenty of water. But how can you combat nausea with essential oils? I read somewhere that you should sniff lemons. I can do you one better – diffuse doTERRA’s Lemon. Lemon is also a great for cleansing and purifying the air and surfaces, so you can feel safe while keeping the house tidy during pregnancy. Not to mention the uplifting side effect too. The other doTERRA oil I would highly recommend is another multi-purpose blend, DigestZen. It’s a wonderful companion to aid in the digestion of food, soothe occasional upset stomachs, and reduce uncomfortable gas and bloating.* There's the oil, but they also have them available in a softgel - super convenient and my preferred method of taking this oil.
What could I have done for my swelling? For starters I would have given myself and/or asked my hubby for an AromaTouch® feet and leg massage. The essential oils of Cypress, Peppermint, Marjoram, Basil, Grapefruit, and Lavender make up the proprietary massage blend. This special blend of oils is great for circulation amongst many other benefits – relaxing, soothing and comforting, to name a few.
AromaTouch would have come in handy for those minor aches and pains too. Or maybe better yet, would have been to use doTERRA® Deep Blue Rub. It’s a topical cream formulated with Deep Blue Soothing Blend of CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essential oils, natural plant extracts, and additional helpful ingredients that provides a comforting sensation of cooling and warmth to problem areas.
The worst take-away for me with pregnancy was the unsightly “stripes” I developed or earned I would say. Thankfully they’re not in areas that most people see and my oh, so funny husband reminds me all the time that I carried another human inside my body. True. I still think there’s a stigma around them and I’m not going to apologize for wanting my pre-prego body (I certainly didn’t fully appreciate what I had – or didn’t in this case).
We all know that stretch marks can be caused by rapid weight gain (or even weight loss). There are tons of over the counter remedies that can cost a lot of money and I’m not even sure they work. Beyond the cost, more importantly for me, is the chemicals and toxins that can be in those things. I don’t know about you, but I’d be careful about not just what I put IN my body, but also what I put ON my body. Facts. This is true outside of pregnancy too. I so wish I would have known about essential oils long ago, but I didn’t know any better and now I do, so I’ll share this great DIY blend with you.
For most women, many essential oils are an appropriate and safe option during pregnancy, but you should consult with your physician about using anything new. You can check out doTERRA's Pregnancy and Essential Oils Presentation to learn some other suggestions too.
xoxo Danette
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.