Pregnancy is an anxiety provoking business and pregnant women tend to be quite anxious in transit. I often advise some form of mindfulness such as meditation along with aromatherapy to help expectant mums relax during the journey.
Some aromatherapy scents have been proven to induce relaxation
and relieve feelings of stress via the release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain.
Our sense of smell is powerful (especially in pregnancy) and mostly underutilised. Essential oils are those that contain plant extracts to perfume them. A small amount of a concentrated essential oil must be diluted with another ‘carrier’ oil before use.
Many essential oils are prohibited in pregnancy.
Some that are known for de-stressing and are good to use in pregnancy are:
Frankincense
Geranium
Lavender
Orange and Lemon (sniff those hand towels)
Neroli
Patchouli
Rose and rosewood
I usually recommend you try Frankinsense or Geranium first, since Lavender can be overwhelming for some women with the heightened sense of smell in pregnancy. Whichever you most like the smell of from the list above; start with a small amount in advance whilst relaxing and imagining your travel (maybe just a drop of carrier oil on a tissue) and gradually increase based on your tolerance.
Before you use aromatherapy in pregnancy check for updates on the medicines in pregnancy website BUMPS: https://www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/leaflets-a-z/essential-oils/
Travel or motion sickness is exaggerated in pregnancy because of the laxity of the ligaments between the small bones in the middle ear, which are part of our balance system. This is why many women experience more motion sickness, or motion sickness for the first time, when pregnant. Stress, in my experience, addtionally increases the feelings of nausea.
The following aromatherapy oils help with morning sickness and travel sickness:
Cardamom
Ginger
*Be very wary of undiluted oils while breastfeeding as they are toxic if swallowed by baby.
*Don't use essential oils on babies or children.
*Don’t put essential oils directly onto your skin as they will cause irritation, and also your nose will accommodate to the smell (best to have it on a cotton ball & intermittently sniff).
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