I am a mama to two sweet and spunky girls- Joss Emma, 3.5 years old, & Ellie Jon, 2.5 months old.
My first pregnancy with Joss was an interesting experience haha. I was playing college volleyball still when I found out about our little surprise & because of that I didn’t really dive into the experience- just did what other people told me. Joss ended up coming quick & that epidural didn’t happen. But we ended up with our beautiful, healthy, wild child. It wasn't until after having her that I fell in love with all things “natural” pregnancy & birth. Let me preface this with no matter how you decide to or end up becoming a mother- you are strong and incredible and no one “way” is better than the other. Unmedicated birth is just what I decided on & fell in love with.
Because of this, when I found out about Ellie I was determined to experience every part of my pregnancy. I read books, watched birth classes, documentaries- everything to flood my brain with how to support me & baby girl as best as possible. I have been using oils & natural products for 2 years and so obviously incorporating that was a huge goal of mine. Young Living made it so dang simple to make sure every supplement, support, product I was using throughout was the best of the best and safe for us both. & let me tell you the difference in my first pregnancy snd my oily pregnancy was. GREAT shift. All of what I’m going to share is from MY personal experience and what I did my research to determine what was best for me, so I encourage you to do the same and invest in some good books to do so. I wrote a blog post all on resources I used you can read through here
Preparing your body for baby is just as important as carrying your little one. Some things I used/did preconception:
Get the toxins out!! Cleaners, skin care, candles- all of these and more can have endocrine disrupting chemicals, toxin that mimic the triggers in our body to release or inhibit hormones. This caused hormonal imbalances which is no bueno when you’re trying to convince. Start by getting that ish out and bring the good, put plant power in. You can grab a kit here that will literally change your life and make this step so simple.
Get your hormones on track. I used 3 supplements religiously for hormone support prior to having Ellie:
Progessence Plus: this is a natural progesterone serum made from wild yams. Progesterone is VITAL in acquiring and sustaining a healthy pregnancy. I used 4 drops on my reproductive vita flex points everyday, & continued to use it through the first 12 weeks until the placenta took over the progesterone.
Sclaressence: designed to support & balance out your bodies natural production of hormones, especially estrogen.
Endoflex: helps balance out and regular your endocrine system (hormones)
The next thing I really focused on was nutrition & supplements. I am a strong believer that nutrition should come from food first- but I’ll be the first to admit that my plans of eating clean all pregnancy did not go through as planned. Because of that, using food based supplements and nutrition was really important for me pre-conception and prenatal. These are some of the things I used and loved.
Prenatal with FOLATE. I know your doctor probably told you to get enough “folic acid” but the thing is we weren’t made to process the man-made folic acid, we were designed to process Folate. One of the best prenatals you can take is Master Formula + Super B. This will cover all your bases/needs & is a food based supplement, making it more bio readily available for you body to process
Mineral Essence: this is a great addition to make sure you and babe are getting all your essential vitamin & minerals. A big plus of using this is that the magnesium in it helps with morning sickness & those types of symptoms.
MultiGreens: this was another supplement I would add into smoothies to get an extra energy & vitality boost while getting all those plant-based micronutrients.
Alkalime: this got me through my pregnancy!! From morning sickness & nausea in my first trimester, to heartburn and bloating in my second and third trimester.
NingXia Red: you guys this is the big dog. NingXia Red, or the chinese wolfberry, is known to support a really healthy, nutrient dense placenta- which is your baby's nutrition in utero. I saw first hand with Ellie & the benefits of it go far beyond that. Energy level, antioxidants, cellular support- this stuff is incredible and is the best thing you can do for baby hands down.
Oils in pregnancy didn’t look much different for me. There is a lot out there warning you what to use and what not to use, but I would realllllly encourage you to do your own research. Gentle Babies was the best resource for me, as well as doing a lot of googling, chatting with doula friends & reading information from trusted herbalists. The only 2 oils I avoided throughout were wintergreen on the belly, and lemongrass and cinnamon ingested. But do your own research so you can feel confident about what you’re doing for you and baby!
Birth & oils can (& will) be an entire post of it’s own, and I honestly didn’t get to use half of the ones I had intended. But I had a good plan! Some of those included
Claraderm!!!! This is vital for prepping & post birth. A couple spritz down below every night changes the game. I had second degree tears with Joss, and practically none with Ellie- who came even faster! I swear by this stuff.
Clary Sage, Jasmine, & Fennel to help progress labor and get things going. (I wouldn’t recommend using these until you’re pst due and clear it with you midwife/doctor)
Peppermint, PanAway, CBD Muscle Rub (only from young living), and idaho grand fir/black pepper combo for back labor which I had with both of my sunny side up babes.
Lavender, Valor, Surrender, Present Time (my favorite), Sacred Frankincense for calming, grounding, and emotional support.
Helichrysum and black pepper applied directly over the lower abdomen post birth to help with bleeding and postpartum contractions.
NingXia Red & Zyng was so refreshing during early labor and helped keep my body hydrated through the duration. I threw up alot with both labors but was much more hydrated with Ellie and it was sooo much more bearable and I was so much more alert!
Frankincense and/or myrrh to help dry up the umbilical chord post birth.
Okay the last and most important parts to cover is postpartum- which I am in the thick of right now. This is a time so many of us overlook, especially the first time around. It is sooo vital to take care of not just your baby, but yourself. You just went through the biggest transformation anyone can go through & trust me it threw your hormones for a loop. Here are some of the things I’m using to support this phase
Progessence Plus, SclarEssence, and endoflex: I went right back to using these postpartum. You body just went from having this massive influx of estrogen and progesterone, to completely plummeting once that sweet baby comes out. Having these to support my hormones the second time around changed the entire experience for me. Emotions, energy levels, mood- I felt so much more like myself having these tools, such a gift.
Oils for emotional support: CBD calm roller, Joy, & Valor never left my bedside
Sulfurzyme to support postpartum hair loss and skin issues. This supplement feeds the Keratin in your body and supports the production of collagen.
NingXia Red: again, you guys this stuff is liquid gold for your liquid gold & yourself!! Never go a day without this. Cell support, energy levels, healthy hormones
Fennel & Basil for when milk supply needs a boost
Peppermint when you need to dry up your milk supply
AfterEase and black pepper for post partum cramping
Rose Ointment for nipple cream
While it’s not always treated this way, pregnancy and birth is the most natural, beautiful thing we can do as women & having tools to make you feel empowered throughout is a gift I will never take for granted. If you haven’t taken the plunge into young living and using natural options in your home- I highly encourage you to take your plunge. The community & education I have gained is something I am forever grateful for. Hoping this finds a mama and serves her well, xoxo!