POSTPARTUM & BREASTFEEDING
The focus now is on healing the body and your postpartum care. It usually takes approximately 6 weeks for the body to recover from childbirth so be patient and remember to take it easy too. I mentioned in the Pregnancy article choose an essential oil that is 100% pure therapeutic grade, that do not contain any fillers or artificial ingredients that would effect the therapeutic qualities of the plant.
Some suggestions for blends during postpartum care:
Mood booster: Create a mist with 10 drops Bergamot, 3 drops lemon, 5 drops ylang ylamg with water in 50ml bottle.
Postpartum blend: 10 drops Helichrysum, 5 drops Frankincense, 5 drops Geranium, 10 drops Myrh and blend with fractionated coconut oil.
Perineum care
Peri mist: Mix warm water, teaspoon of Epsom salts and a few drops of postpartum blend into a spray bottle.
A relieving warm bath: Mix your postpartum blend with Epsom salts and relax in the bath.
Peri pads: Using natural pads you can spray witch hazel and the postpartum blend and store in the freezer, in a freezer bag. You can use every time you change your pad after birth as needed.
Postpartum massage: 7 drops doTerra’s proprietary blend whisper, 5 drops geranium, 5 drops lavender and dilute with fractionated coconut oil and massage into abdomen.
C-section recovery: Apply lavender, frankincense and helichrysium to promote healing.
Clary Calm blend is another great proprietary blend from doTERRA specifically designed for women and balancing hormones. It also smells divine I like to use it as a perfume too!
Some suggestions for breastfeeding mamas:
Cracked nipples: Make sure the baby’s latch is correct your midwife or doula will be able to help with that. Apply lavender and olive oil after each feed.
Fussiness: Diffuse lavender and/or orange to help calm mama and baby
Mastitis: Don’t stop nursing/pumping. Use lavender on top of each infected breast throughout the day. Once a day massage the following blend over the breast 10 drops of each melaleuca, lavender, roman chamomile and 2 tbl spoons of carrier oil. Massage from the armpits toward to nipple.
Increasing milk supply: Eat a nourishing diet and consider supplementing something like the Life Long Vitality Pack from doTERRA is a great option because of its complex of wholefood vitamins, minerals, oils and antioxidants means it works synergistically for optimum health. Lot’s of rest and drink plenty of water. Basil and Geranium essential oil can also help massaged onto the breasts.
About The Author
For most women Essential Oils are an appropriate and safe option during pregnancy. So I’d like to talk about how we can safely use them and introduce them into our home and family life, without the fear and misconceptions during pregnancy. Being 23 weeks pregnant myself whilst writing this article and a passionate Essential Oil Advocate, Aromatherapist and Holistic Therapist, this is a subject I love to share. Also, I am happily available to answer any of your questions about using Essential Oils or doTERRA.
