Episode 64: Can I Use Essential Oils While Pregnant?

doTERRA: Pregnancy is something that many women will experience throughout their life. And because people are able to see so many wonderful benefits from essential oils at other times in their lives, they often wonder if essential oils can be used during pregnancy. The answer is yes.

Today, we're going to be looking at how you can utilize these natural solutions during your pregnancy. Now of course, please consult with your healthcare provider before using essential oils, supplements, or any other products during pregnancy. 

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. If you like what you hear today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. We always appreciate hearing from you. 

Today, we're excited to talk to Stephanie Fritz, a practicing midwife, about how she recommends using essential oils during pregnancy.

Stephanie, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today.

Stephanie Fritz: I am super happy to be here. Thanks for the invite.

doTERRA: You are so welcome. So to start, would you be able to tell us a little bit about your background as a midwife?

Stephanie: Well, I have had a very successful midwifery practice in southeastern Arizona since about ‘96 is when I really started. Then it was in 2000 that I got legal, if you will, and really began utilizing the essential oils with my clients at that time. 

So I practice in a very rural area. So my coverage was like two and a half hours everywhere but south because south was Mexico. 

doTERRA: Oh, wow.

Stephanie: So it was a pretty big range that I covered and delivered maybe four to five or six, depending on when they fell, babies a month. And some months were more than others. And that's kind of how I got started doing midwifery and when that started. 

And really I used essential oils since the 80s, but I wasn't really comfortable using them with my clients. So I just used them on myself. My family all thought they stunk so I didn't, you know, they didn't even really use them so much. 

But it wasn't until doTERRA came along that I really started implementing them with my clients. But even that was super slow. I was so conservative in the beginning because there's not much written about essential oils for pregnancy. So that's kind of how I got started. 

doTERRA: Well and that is so impressive. I mean, you have over 20 years of experience with midwifery and, like you said, up to six or seven babies a month that you were helping bring into this world. That's so beautiful. 

Stephanie: Yeah, it's—I love what I do. And to marry doTERRA and midwifery together is a dream come true, you know. And that's really my intention is I love to share how powerful these oils can be and how they can empower you, whether you're a midwife, or doula, a mom, or someone just that really wants to take control of their health in a natural way. 

And I love to help people understand that you do have options, and these essential oils bring you those options. You know, there's not much you can take when you're pregnant. I tell my clients that. 

doTERRA: Right.

Stephanie: But essential oils you can totally take safely. And they're effective, and they're cost effective.

doTERRA: Absolutely. So you mentioned that you have a very long history with essential oils, but it took you a while to start using them in your practice. What was it that convinced you to start using these with the women you were helping?

Stephanie: Well I, like in all honesty, I started out so super slow when I first got my oils. I started in April of 2008. So really, the very first week doTERRA started is when I started. 

And I remember the very first birth I went on, I wanted to be present for this mom. I wanted to be 100 percent grounded and present. And so you can guess the oil that I chose was the grounding blend Balance. And I put that just on me so that I could be that present midwife there.

And as we were going through labor with her, she kept, you know, kind of kept nestling her, you know, kind of smelling my neck. She could smell that I had this on me.

doTERRA:  Right. 

Stephanie: And then we switched it up, and it was, you know, time to, you know, switch positions. And she'd gotten in the tub, but she definitely was not comfortable. And so, she says “I just, I want to smell that smell that you had, you know. I need you closer to me, Stephanie.” 

Well, I knew exactly what that was. And so I had my assistant go out to my car and grab my oils because, again, this was my very first birth with them.

So I grabbed that oil, and all I did was took the lid off. So it wasn't, I didn't put it on anywhere, her or in the water, or anything. I just took the lid off, and that kept her focused. And she was able to have the perfect birth that she wanted. And I didn't realize the extent of that until when I went for a postpartum visit, and she said, “It was that smell that got me through my birth.” 

doTERRA: Wow.

Stephanie: And so, I just, you know, and I tell you that story because it's so important to know oftentimes all we have to do is take the lid off, and it's magic. You know, there's just, so much can happen by just smelling these wonderful gifts that we have. And that's how I got started using them at my birth. 

And then little at a time, I would, you know, do more and do more. And I was guided. And so it was, again, just using them a little at a time at each birth. And really, can I say divinely guided and just using my intuition and knowing what, you know, to try this or this. And honestly that's how I got started in using them with with my clients 

doTERRA: And that's so incredible. And like you mentioned, sometimes it's just that aroma, and you don't even need to take it out of the bottle. It's so strong and so powerful that the aroma has such an effect on the atmosphere. And has the power to help that mom and to help you even, like you said in the beginning. 

Stephanie: Absolutely. 

doTERRA: So Stephanie, something that a lot of people are concerned about is the safety of essential oils during pregnancy. What are your recommendations?

Stephanie: Oh my goodness. You're right. That is the number one question I get. And I love that you’re asking this because I want to put that out there. So thank you.

The Importance of Purity

So the short answer is avoid Clary Sage and Jasmine during pregnancy and Peppermint while breastfeeding. So that's the short answer, but as long as you're using doTERRA essential oils. So I can't speak for any other brand because that's not what I use. And I want to make sure that, you know, it's so important that they are, you know, pure, that they're potent, that they're sourced from the right place, that they're sourced at the right time. All those things have an effect, you know, as we know. 

So you going to see a lot of mixed information out there on, you know, in different books about oils and their safety in pregnancy and with a newborn. But what I want people to understand is that these were written with all oil users in mind. So they're going to be ultra conservative because their readers may not necessarily use the most trusted sourced oils. 

And I add a really big caution here. Please, please, please don't purchase your oils from Amazon or from your local department store. You simply can't be sure of the quality of these essential oils. The information that I give in my book, Essential oils for Pregnancy, Birth, and Babies, comes from my personal experience in using these oils in my midwifery practice over the many, many years. 

So, you know, we know that during pregnancy there is a heightened sensitivity. And we're going to be very protective about what we put in our bodies and how we use them. But they can be used very effectively and doTERRA has set a standard that reassures us that we can use these oils with confidence during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. 

Clary Sage

So back to what, you know, like, stay away from or avoid Clary Sage and Jasmine. So Clary Sage is relaxing and calming and soothing. But I ask, just in general, women to not use this during pregnancy unless they have a lot of experience with oils, simply because there's so many other oils that can accomplish the same things that might not be quite as aggressive as that one.

So it doesn't necessarily bring them on unless everything is already in perfect alignment for that. But once labor has started and maybe there's a stall, then that's a time to use Clary Sage because that can help strengthen those contractions. And it will be the perfect oil for that. 

Jasmine

And then Peppermint—and Jasmine is the same way. Jasmine is, you know similar, in what it does with contractions. It can help strengthen contractions. It's great for relaxing and calming. But again, I just say avoid. There's other things that can help with that in, you know, in pregnancy. And then, you know, keep in mind those.

There certainly are those oils in blends, and we have Jasmine in our in our skin care. And that's totally fine. It's OK when it's in a blend because it changes—it almost changes the direction that it goes. It mutes it just a little bit. So, like Clary Sage in Clary Calm is perfect for pregnancy because that helps, that truly helps and helps balance. So I love Clary Calm in pregnancy but just not Clary Sage. 

Peppermint

And then Peppermint. I usually caution Peppermint because it may decrease milk supply in some, for those that are breastfeeding. It doesn't always, but for some it does. And so, you know, just avoid that. There are other oils that you can use in place of Peppermint. And then in the end, I always say really just follow your own intuition. You were the one that was given stewardship over your body and every body is different. So please just use common sense and do really what you feel comfortable with.

doTERRA: And I think that is wonderful advice. Stephanie, my final question for you is if you could tell us just two or three of your favorite oils to recommend to women who you are working with.

Stephanie: Oh my gosh, you really want me just to tell two or three? 

Balance and Wild Orange

So the two easy ones that always come to mind are Balance and Wild Orange because we love Balance. It was my—I just have a great love for Balance. It was the first one I used at births. And I love it. 

So Balance helps just that, it keeps a mom grounded and balanced and right here in the present moment. And so, especially for birth there's lots of fear that can come with birth. And Balance can help bring you back to that present moment, not worrying about the past or the future, not worrying about if you're, you know, what's going to happen, if you're going to be a good enough mom, and, you know, all those things. And not to bring fear into it. It just keeps you perfectly focused on what is going on right here and now.

And Wild Orange is great, and it's that happy oil. And those two combined together are amazing. So if you only had two oils to take with you to the delivery room, you know, to give birth, those two would be it. And they're super great to diffuse together. They have amazing aroma. And it just brings some peace and balance into the room, you know, just like no other. 

Frankincense and Copaiba

Frankincense and Copaiba are two oils that are my go-to for anything and everything. So they're great to just have on hand, you know, just all of the time.

So, I mean, I really could go on you made that really difficult. But, you know, there's so many that I could, you know, could accentuate on. But really, whatever oils you resonate with and whatever are your favorites are what are going to bring you the most joy in pregnancy and for your birth. 

And one little secret that I learned. I actually learned this from Dr. Hill that Copaiba is an oil that helps all the other oils work better together, and so I love that.

So I have—there's lots of blends and protocols I recommend. And you'll notice that Copaiba is in almost every one of those because of how it helps the other oils work better. So that's my little tip. Everybody needs Copaiba, and Wild Orange, and Balance, and Frankincense. And I bite my tongue not to say anymore.

doTERRA: Well, thank you so much for your recommendations. And Stephanie, thank you so much for taking the time to share your years and years of knowledge and on-hand expertise with us.

Stephanie: Oh my goodness, I feel honored and blessed to be able to do that. Thank you so much for the invite and asking me for my expertise because that's what I love to do is share that expertise and passion with these essential oils for those mamas that are looking for that when there's so much fear based around essential oils and pregnancy. That's what I want to do is try and eliminate some of that fear. So thank you for helping me be able to share my passion.

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Also, if you want to try any of the products you learned about, go to doterra.com or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today.