How to Safely Use Essential Oils While Pregnant

When I decided to take the leap of faith and attempt to have a natural birth, I did a lot of research. Like, a TON of research about natural births!

I noticed that essential oils kept coming up as a way to help you through pregnancy and labor.

So what did I do? I looked into essential oils. I spent hours upon hours researching the ins and outs of essential oils. Some of the information was promising and some were absolutely terrifying!

The questions that I kept asking myself were: “Are these safe for me and my baby?”, “Do they actually work?”, “What brand can I truly trust?”, and “How do I know if they are real essential oils?”.

There was so much information and I definitely got lost a few times. Here is what I learned and experienced while using essential oils so you won’t have to spend hours researching and freaking out!:

***This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and love.  Before implementing any health advice, please check with your doctor first as I am not a medical professional.  Read my full policy for more information.

What Are Essential Oils?

Here is the real sciencey part!! Essential oils are typically made from processing different plant extracts. Plants contain compounds that are highly potent which are then extracted to make an essential oil.

The process that is most commonly used for extraction is distillation (by steam). There are also other methods (such as cold pressing) to extract the essence from the plant. Once complete, they are considered an essential oil.

Each plant has different characteristics and therefore provides different benefits. Take eucalyptus, for example, the biggest benefit is for your respiratory system. It helps you breathe when you’re congested. Lavender has a more calming effect. There are a ton of different essential oils and each one has unique benefits.

So in simple terms, they are oils that are fragranced by taking and processing parts of a given plant.

Do Essential Oils Actually Work?

Well, yes and no! It is a little controversial in terms of their abilities as some believe that they can cure everything while others are mainly skeptical. Here’s the deal….should you stop taking all of your medications and just take essential oils? No, please don’t do that!! I believe they can be beneficial if used correctly but I don’t believe that they are the cure-all solution.

In all honesty, I went into it with skepticism. I had very low expectations. Did they work for me? Yes, they did but I was very realistic about it. I did not believe that my labor pains would completely disappear using essential oils. They don’t. What they do, is help you stay calm and relaxed which can help you have an easier labor.

Personally, I diffused lavender throughout my pregnancy. Whenever I felt overwhelmed or anxious, I diffused lavender and it helped me keep calm. I also loved the smell and it made the house smell so good.

My husband is sensitive to smells and usually gets a headache with strong fragrances. He was surprised how the essential oils smelt good and never got a headache!

So, Are They Safe For Me & My Baby?

Again, yes and no! It depends on how you use them, where you purchase them from, and which oils you take.

It is best to diffuse essential oils. Pick a diffuser that has an intermittent timer (that has settings like – 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, etc). You start losing some of the benefits if you diffuse all day long. This diffuser is perfect as it has 4 different timing selections and you can pick a color that matches your décor.

Be sure to follow the instructions as some oils may be stronger than others. Avoid going crazy with the drops. Just a few drops will work just fine.

Where should you buy them? This scared me so much. Some companies claim that their oils are 100% pure when they sneakily put fillers in that can be unsafe for you and your baby.

Be cautious here. I did so much research and it was tough to find the brand that worked for me. Young Living and doTerra are a very reputable brand but unfortunately, their prices were way too high for me! I did a lot more digging and came across Plant Therapy which is highly reputable and their prices were a lot more reasonable.

Essential oils are potent so you do need to be careful which ones you use. Here is a good list of what is safe during pregnancy.

As an extra precaution, I did wait until the second trimester before using essential oils more often. I did have a quick “sniff” of the lemon oil in my first trimester to help with nausea and it definitely helped but that was it!

Be sure to check with your doctor before using essential oils to make sure they are safe for you and your pregnancy.

Oils like clary sage and jasmine are great for labor but cannot be taken until your baby is at full term as this can encourage contractions.

How Do You Know if They Are Fake?

As mentioned earlier, it is so important to buy an essential oil that is pure and has no fillers. Unfortunately, essential oils aren’t regulated so they can say “100% pure” and “therapeutic grade” when they have actually been chemically processed. It’s so hard to trust a brand. If you are unsure whether a brand is real, here is what to look for:

Price Differentiation: No 2 oils are alike. They have different processes. Some are rare and difficult to extract. Some are common and easy to extract. Therefore, the prices should vary. Jasmine for example is rare and it takes thousands of petals for 1ml of the oil. It also has to be delicately picked at night to produce the powerful scent. Jasmine should cost a lot more than say, lavender. If they cost the same, it’s probably a fake.

GC-MS Testing: If a company is legit, they should provide you with a GC-MS report. This is where the oil gets put in a fancy machine and tells you what is actually in the oils. Not only should they provide this for the oils, but they need to provide it for each batch to ensure it is high quality.

A legit company will check every batch they purchase from their supplier. If they don’t or can’t provide one, it’s probably a fake!

The Label Says Fragrance Oil: This means it is not an essential oil and contains fillers. Fragrance oils are good for candles and perfumes but they will not have any health benefits and you may get a headache!

There’s No Latin Name: All essential oils should show the Latin name on the bottle or the website you are purchasing from. If they don’t provide it, it’s probably a fake.

Why You Need to Avoid Fake Essential Oils

There are a lot of fakes circulating and they are getting good. I was given some “essential oils”, then one leaked. The smell gave me a headache as I smelt more alcohol than lemon. It shouldn’t smell like that. Turns out it was $20 for 12 oils which are too good of a price to be real!

Just be careful and do your research. I trusted Plant Therapy as they worked with Robert Tisserand who is an essential oil guru and he would never work with a fake brand. I also loved that their labels say “kids safe” when it’s safe for kids. That’s what sold me!

So there you have it!

Personally, I love essential oils and think they are great! Do they cure-all? No. Sadly not. Will they take away your pain? No, but they can help.

Give them a try! Your family may love them just as much as mine!

Enjoy those amazing smells mama!!