Essential Oils for Nursing

Nursing has been quite the adventure and honestly when I first started I didn't think I would make it. When I had  my first baby she was in the hospital for quite some time so I was pumping and I had a very hard getting my milk to come in. I had terrible PPD and after heavily supplementing with formula, I ended up giving up on nursing and pumping at about 3.5 -4 months in. This time around I was determined to nurse. Not only is it amazing nutrition and immune support for baby, but it also helps Mama with PPD.

Let me start (as I do every one of my blogs) with a quick anecdote which I hppe will give at least one mama some hope after reading. ( I am purposefully leaving out the hospital and nursing names because I do not believe that it was their fault specifically, but more so a lack of education all around)

When I gave birth, I had a C-section at 34 weeks, which meant my LO was going to have a bit of a NICU stay. When your baby is in the NICU, the doctors and nurses have very strict protocols they have to follow when it comes to food (as with most things) that are kind of unattainable for most mothers. I was expected to pump 40 ml per feeding (every

3 hours) from the beginning on top of nursing every 3 hours. I was only aloud to nurse for 10 minutes at a time and then was told I had to stop because I was going to exhaust and starve my child if I nursed her for any longer, and had to bottle feed her pumped milk. The lactation consultant came to take a look and said that baby was nursing just fine and that my milk had come in great so that there should be no issues with nursing, however the NICU nurses were all pretty determined that nursing was NOT what was best for my baby. At one point I had a nurse who would not even wait for me 2 minutes to make the trek down from the maternity ward to the NICU so I could at least try to nurse. All in all the experience was awful. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to nurse, that nursing was the wrong choice and I was full of anxiety and sadness. When I got home I talked to the La Leche Group leader in my area who gave me so much helpful insight, comfort and support.

Now while you are in the hospital under the doctors care there isn't much you can do about the protocols in place, nor is there much you can do if you are dealing with a particularly difficult nurse other than to surround yourself with supportive family and friends, but if you find your still having a hard time one thing you can do is to contact your local La Leche League leader or a IBLC to see if they can come see you in the hospital for a consult and to help support you.

After coming home from the hospital and speaking with the La Leche leader I realized that I had pumped myself into an over supply and actually had to work hard to bring my supply back down because my oversupply was making it hard for my little one to nurse properly. My letdowns were forceful which would choke her up a bit. Plus the fact that I had so much milk meant that she was getting fore milk and then getting full before she could get any hind milk. This is a problem because hind milk is the fattier milk which is the more filling milk. Also too much fore milk can make baby gassy and bloated as well as hungry again much sooner. This all meant that I was nursing every 20-30 minutes and she was super gassy and fussy most of the time.

 

So I am hoping that in reading this if you run into a similar situation, do not get discouraged, and do your best not to be the reason you over produce. If you have any questions about your supply or you are nervous for any reason contact an IBLC or your La Leche league leader to help you find one.

 

**Before I get started letting you all know what I took, let me start with a quick disclosure notice, because essential oils in general, and the products I am about to mention are not FDA regulated. So, let me confirm that I am not a doctor, or a chemist, or a prenatal specialist of any kind. No one is paying me to write what I am writing, and none of these facts have been checked by the FDA. What I will do is provide links to articles and additional material so that you can do your own research. The information given in this post is not meant to take the place of doctor treatment or recommendations and I always recommend that you ask your doctor before trying anything new. Essential oils, just like many other things can interfere with medications and treatments and should not be used without your doctors’ consent.**

 

 

 

STEP 1: The first thing I did was make sure that what I was using was legit. – Most therapeutic or essential oils out there are total BS because essential oils do not fall into a category that is FDA regulated. So, I did my research and was pleased to find that not only were the oils I was using as pure as pure could get... but that was only step 1. I do want to mention for those of you reading this that you will see me mention using some of these essential oils internally and depending on what companies you use this is probably not a possibility. If you are interested in using the same company and products as are listed throughout this blog, I can help you with a free consultation; I’ll leave my contact at the bottom of this post.

 

Another thing I did was to find myself a midwife who work in a practice in a hospital who was familiar with doterra essential oils and was comfortable assisting me from a medical standpoint.

 

Step 2: was to find out what I absolutely could not take which surprisingly there’s not nearly as much that you will find is going to be bad for you or baby while nursing.

Wintergreen

Sage

Cinnamon

Peppermint

Oregano

 

All three of these have the potential to decrease your milk supply. While everyone's experiences will differ when using oils, these are ones which have most often decreased supply in the majority of women. When these are diluted like wintergreen in the DeepBlue blend it should not effect your supply. Is taken as a small dose on a regular basis over a long period of time like peppermint in tri-ease throughout allergy season, it should not effect supply.

 

 

So now, let's talk oils for breastmilk:

 

Whether you pump, or nurse there are some oils that you are 100% going to need and some that your going to want on hand in case of emergency. So I wanted to share with you guys some of what I have found to really work well.

 

Upping Supply/Helping Milk Come In:

 

Clary Calm: so a lot of websites mentioned having clary sage, lavender, and geranium to help increase milk supply. So rather than using these all separately or blending them myself, I use Clary Calm. I have been rolling this on behind my ears after each pump. (The best place to apply is actually on the low abdomen over where your reproductive internal organs would be, or even directly to the boob if your pumping. -clary clam is not edible so dont apply to your breast if you are nursing) Clary Calm is known as doterras "Monthly Blend for Women" Its called this because it helps balance out hormones that get thrown out of whack during our cycles, menopause and even post child birth making this blend the perfect must have for any mom who's just had a baby and even more so if you plan to use your Boob juice in any way!

 

Fennel: Fennel is known for having the highest concentration of galactagogue which increases your milk supply. I used this oil in a blend called Milk Mama which is 2 drops fennel, 2 drops basil, in a 10 ml roller topped off with FCO applied around the breast(avoiding nipple) after every feeding or pumping session. This roller should only be used for 1 week because fennel has been linked to UTI infections if taken for an extended period of time.

 

Lavender: one of the most important things about nursing is to be relaxed. If you are stressed not only is your baby going to feel that and in turn become stressed and fussy making it extremely hard for them to latch, but your let down will not come as easily which will frustrate you and baby more and just make the entire situation more difficult than it has to be. Point here is to make sure you are relaxed when you are going to nurse. If you are having a particularly rough time try putting the baby down for a moment, and take a few deep breaths inhaling some lavender from your diffuser or from a drop in your hands, then pick up baby and soothe her before trying to nurse. the 2 of you being calm and relaxed will help you both through the nursing session.

doterra also has an entire line of oils designed to help you through certain emotions. Forgive, Peace and Console are 3 that I used quite often when I could figure out what specifically was stressing me out. Sometimes I was mad at myself for not being a "good enough mom" in which case I would use forgive and remind myself that I need to be less hard on myself and more forgiving, because I am a great mom and we all make mistakes. Sometimes the chaos of the world and my family and friends and the baby would just get to me in which case I needed a little Peace to help me settle. Sometimes I was a little sad about her chaotic birth, or my surgery, and Console would help me cry it out so I could get back to taking care of my baby.

Milk Mama Roller Bottle: 2 drops fennel 2 drops basil top off a 10 ml roller bottle with FCO. I use this roller on my chest after every time I pump. The blend smells actually pretty good - I was nervous about the fennel - and has been working wonders. Seriously if I forget to use it. I can immediately tell during my next pump.

Delaware Placenta Pills: Wendy did an amazing job talking me through the process, and helping me pick what was going to work best for what I needed. She also provided me with piece of mind in being fully certified and accredited. I got my pills in less than 48 hrs after my surgery and I was so happy with everything.

 

Motivation: this oil doesn’t actually help you produce any additional milk but let's not forget that mama needs a little help sometimes too. Nursing was exhausting for me as I assume it is for many women so I wanted to share

 

There are also oils that I personally did not use but that I have heard great things about when it comes to helping you milk come in such as: basil, cardamom, dill, geranium, and jasmine.

 

Cracked Nipples:

My favorite thing to do is just to put some breast milk on the nipple and let it air dry from there.

Frankincense, Lavender, Geranium, Roman chamomile, Myrrh, sandalwood, and Neroli are all great oils for your skin and so can bring relief to a cracked nipple. For best results dilute with coco nut oil and apply to your nipple after nursing. Then wipe it off before baby nurses again or you pump again to avoid getting the oils in your breast milk.

I did experiment with a fun little concoction:

1 cup (4oz) breastmilk

1 cup  coconut oil

5 drops vitamin E oil

1 drop lavender eo

1 drop roman chamomile eo

1 drop copaiba eo

 

 

Clogged ducts/ mastitis:

Lavender, tea tree, patchouli, orange

 

Keep in mind that mastitis can happen if you have a lot of milk so if you are trying to produce extra to keep a storage supply, try cutting back on how much extra your doing since this could likely be the cause of your over supply and so, the cause of your clogged duct.

 

 

Weaning:

Peppermint

Sage

Cabbage leaves

Essential Oils for Giving Birth

I had truly hoped for vaginal birth this time around. For my first I had an emergency C section due to a placenta abruption during my first trimester which lead to a retro-placetal bleed along with my little girls inability to get all the nutrients she needed, she wanted to bust out early. I went into labor at 32 weeks and the doctors had to perform surgery and then she was in the hospital for almost 2 months. It was all super traumatic and I was determined to go for the complete opposite experience this time. Right from the start I bought the Natrual Mama baby book and was reading about water births and home births and doulas. I was talking about natural births and vbacs I was so excited to have the opportunity to actually be present for the birth of my child seeing as the last time I had been completely unconscious and woke up and was conscious a few days later not even remembering I had had a baby.

So anyways, it was a nice wish, but not at all what happened. My doctors got a scare that I had what's called a placenta accreta. Which has kind of a high mother mortality rate especially if you dont have a c-section. In the end I got a weeks notice that my baby would be born at 34 weeks via c-section with the possibility of a hysterectomy!

I guess I'm destined for traumatic birthing experience! Haha!

Anyways I tell you all this, but I'm fine.

 

 

If you are looking for essential oils to help with the first trimester, click here.

 

 

 

Here’s the thing. During my first pregnancy I was not into essential oils. I was barely out of high school and had no idea who I was yet as a person. I did know at that point that I wasn’t a fan of doctors, hospital or medication though- which is part of the reason why I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was way into my second trimester and getting really sick. But this time around I am older, and I have grown into who I am. I know that I enjoy a natural approach to medicine and that essential oils are something I have been working with specifically for 5, almost 6 years now for myself, my family, and those around me. What I hadn’t done thus far was learn about essential oils for during pregnancy, and this was a daunting aspect for me since I found out very quickly that my first OBGYN wasn’t going to be any help and that I was now in a situation where I was going to need medication and I had no one to help point me in the right direction. My husband and I had been struggling for the past 4 years with fertility, and conceiving, and unfortunately went through the grief of a few miscarriages, but things finally took a turn for the better.

 

 

 

If you are looking for essential oils that can help increase your fertility, click here.

 

 

 

**Before I get started letting you all know what I took, let me start with a quick disclosure notice, because essential oils in general, and the products I am about to mention are not FDA regulated. So, let me confirm that I am not a doctor, or a chemist, or a prenatal specialist of any kind. No one is paying me to write what I am writing, and none of these facts have been checked by the FDA. What I will do is provide links to articles and additional material so that you can do your own research. The information given in this post is not meant to take the place of doctor treatment or recommendations and I always recommend that you ask your doctor before trying anything new. Essential oils, just like many other things can interfere with medications and treatments and should not be used without your doctors’ consent.**

 

 

 

STEP 1: The first thing I did was make sure that what I was using was legit. – Most therapeutic or essential oils out there are total BS because essential oils do not fall into a category that is FDA regulated. So, I did my research and was pleased to find that not only were the oils I was using as pure as pure could get, but a lot of the accusations online about people saying things about the products not working or being dangerous were also debunked. Whew! … but that was only step 1. I do want to mention for those of you reading this that you will see me mention using some of these essential oils internally and depending on what companies you use this is probably not a possibility. If you are interested in using the same company and products as are listed throughout this blog, I can help you with a free consultation.

 

Another thing I did was to find myself another OBGYN who was at least willing to help guide me in the right direction when it came to holistic health and contact a Douala and a midwife.

 

 

 

Step 2 was to find out what I absolutely could not take, and the list is quite long and is not the same on every site. I played it really safe only using things when absolutely necessary and even then I didn’t use anything without talking to my doctor and midwife first. Most oils are perfectly fine to having while giving birth compared to some of the longer lists of oils to avoid during pregnancy. Here is a list I have compiled of oils that shouldn’t be used while giving birth:

Peppermint- I wanted to breastfeed so peppermint was no go

Yarrow: yarrow is a blood thinner, so it should be avoided especially if you are like me and are having complications or are high risk.

 

 

 

 3. WHAT DID I BRING???

First off at the top we have my overnight stuff. A typical c-section recovery time is 4 days so I packed for 4 days:

4 of the shampoo and detangler samples- I am probably not going to be hopping in the shower right away due to my scar, but I have found that whenever I spend any time in a hospital or in an airplane, my hair always gets instantly greasy so with some help from the hubby I'm planning on washing my hair.

8 of the onguard toothpaste samples- these are actually the perfect size for 2 uses, but I'm bringing extra in case I loose, or misplace them, or if I end up having to stay longer.

1 extra chapstick- hospital air is dry so so dry so I am prepared. There is also a possibility that I end up undergoing general anesthesia in which case a breathing tube is place to help me breath which doesn't allow for any normal saliva to reach the lips for moister, thus creating super nasty dry cracked lips. Also a nervous tendency of mine is to bite and peel my lips especially when they are dry so keeping them moisturized is a big one for me.

A handful of onguard throat drops- a c-section is pretty major surgery, so I am coming fully armed against the possibility of infection. Plus contrary to popular belief hospitals are not always the cleanest places due to the amount of patients and everything they are carrying.

Balance deodorant- must have! So when your pregnant you gain water weight which once you deliver needs to come out. Its typical for women to experience an increase in sweating and BO right after giving birth. So we bring the deodorant to help make sure I dont stink every body out.

Winter itch lotion- as I mentioned,  hospital air is super dry. After any surgery, your body is spending time focusing on repairing the damage from the surgery and doesn't have as many resources available to fight off dry skin, so I'm bringing my winter itch lotion to help fight off dry skin.

OnGuard Hand Sanutizer- the NICU does a really good job of making everyone wash and sanitize before entering, but when baby is my room, I dont always have a nurse outside making everyone wash up before entering. Being that my immune system is going to be working overtime because of my surgery and baby is going to have a still developing immune system, I am bringing the hand sanitizer to offer to EVERYONE to help lower the possibility of germ spreading when they come visit.

Fractionated Coconut Oil FCO: this comes with for a few reasons. I am bringing a bunch of oils and I will probably want to dilute some of them. FCO is also great as a quick lotion for anywhere and everywhere for both me and baby (great for cradle cap too). FCO is also extremely healing for the skin and can be use to help with my scars healing process.

Deep Blue and Arnica creams: these two are for the aches and pains. Between the pain of surgery, the pain of having a baby, the pain of having to lay in a hospital bed for days on end, I could end up in loads of pain. A lot of women talk about developing restless leg syndrome towards the end of their pregnancy with sometimes effects them for a week or 2 after delivery as well. With all of these factors, I am being cautious and bringing my go-tos for aches and pains.

 

Next are the oils:

Breath Touch- the touch rollers are prediluted with FCO and perfect for on the go. Breathe has been packed to help me fight the dry hospital air.

Digest Zen Touch- I know how cliché of me since I hate this smell, but I cant eat anything for 8 hrs before my surgery and that includes vitamins so the oil will have to do. A lot of women who undergo a c-section get nauseous from the over stimulation of their digestive organs so I'll be using this as a preventative method before surgery on the bottoms of my feet- to help avoid the smell.

Clary Calm-after giving birth many women experience post partum depression due to the rush of hormones being released during and after surgery. Clary calm is specifically formulated to help balance out hormonal shifts during your cycle, menopause and post delivery.  Seeing as I am having an early c-section, I may need a little extra help navigating  and triggering these shifts and hormones. This is also for helping to bring in your milk supply.

Rose Touch- with baby coming early she may need to be in the NICU for some time and not be near me as much as I would like. Rose is great for helping to mend a broken heart and for stimulating the heart chakra, so I am bringing with to help me in navigating those emotions.

Immortelle- major scar alert! Immortelle is the anti aging oil blend, but it works wonders on scaring as well.

Milk Mama roller- this a roller bottle is one that is to help my milk come in if I run into any post-OP milk issues. In a 10 ml roller bottle add 2 drops of basil and 2 drops of fennel, then top off with FCO.

Frankincense Touch- I mean really if your having surgery of any kind, your should have your Frankincense.  It has healing powers from the Gods!!! No, but really, it's an amazing healing oil that is great for not only scars on the skin, but internal healing within the body for your organs, and even deeper on a cellular level. I have the touch roller bottle to help my scar and its healing process.

Frankincense- and I have the oil to take internally to help with all of the internal healing I will be undergoing.

OnGuard- I am bringing my diffuser to my post-OP room and will diffusing onguard to help disinfect the room when we have guests and bring ten the air with its warm and uplifting scent.

Balance- balance has been scientifically shown to change the bodies frequencies and with the massive hormone releases and emtional shifts that are going to be happening after the birth and post-OP I am bringing balance to diffuse in my room on tough days as well as to apply on the bottoms of my feet. Balance is also found in the deodorant I am bringing (and use daily)

Roman Chamomile- with the chance of baby needing to be in the NICU without me and the rest I am going to need post-OP Roman Chamomile is a great option for a little relaxation and help sleeping. (I also will have lavander but that's in my purse)

Peace- this is the reassuring blend. Along with the relaxation provided from the Roman chamomile and lavender peace will help to steady my nerves at night and promote full relaxation for a good nights sleep.

Serenity- this is the calming blend. Not everything always works the way we want it to, so I am bringing the calming blend as a third option for relaxation. Sleep is so important after surgery and giving birth so I plan on getting as much as I can while baby sleeps her first few days.

 

Non-essential oil products

 I love my oils but there were a few things I needed that were oil related.

Magnesium supplements- the PP dump is a killer. Magnesium is shown to help you go easier. You can ask your dr for some while your at the hospital but the price youl pay for 1 tablet there is about the same as buying a whole bottle of it at home and bringing it with you.

Iron- with all the blood loss and fact that I'm already anemic I wanted to bring this as well.

*I will list the rest of my supplements in my fourth trimester blog.

A front zipper robe- you dont really think about this often, but after you deliver via c-section pants are a no go for a few days,really anything on your waist is a no go. I brought this robe because it would keep me covered and warm in the hospital while not irritating anything.

Tablet- I really wanted to be productive and read some of my year 1 book but I was exhausted. The maternity ward was on one floor and the NICU on another. My oldest daughter had strep so my husband had to leave right after I gave birth. Every 3 hours I would shuffle run down to the NICU to nurse and then shuffle run back up to maternity so I could pump, eat and wash my pump parts out enough for next time. At night I would try to sleep instead of eat but that was just as difficult. Then I would run back down stairs again to nurse. It was the toughest week and I'm so glad it's over. I really learned a lot that I will share with you all soon. Anyways I had my tablet because when I wasnt sleeping or running I entertained myself that way.

Books: for those of you who may enjoy a book more so than a tv show or movie, a book is a great way to help you stay occupied during your down time.

Slippers- get yourself a pair of slippers for when you go. It's cold in hospitals and your going to want to be comfortable.

Essential Oils for the Third Trimester

 Omg! My third trimester kicked my ass! I was not ready for it at all. Honestly it's taken me this long to get back to any sense of normalcy and my baby is 15 ( She was 7 months when I started writing this) months already. Mamas going through your last trimester in the end of summer heat you are true warriors and you have my undying respect, love, and admiration. That is seriously hard! 

I seriously spent the entire time trying to be indoors with AC, I was panicking about the tiniest details, and over preparing, while simultaneously being exhausted and sleeping so much.

If you are looking for essential oils to help with the first trimester, click here.

Here’s the thing. During my first pregnancy I was not into essential oils. I was barely out of high school and had no idea who I was yet as a person. I did know at that point that I wasn’t a fan of doctors, hospital or medication though- which is part of the reason why I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was way into my second trimester and getting really sick. But this time around I am older, and I have grown into who I am. I know that I enjoy a natural approach to medicine and that essential oils are something I have been working with specifically for 5, almost 6 years now for myself, my family, and those around me. What I hadn’t done thus far was learn about essential oils for during pregnancy, and this was a daunting aspect for me since I found out very quickly that my first OBGYN wasn’t going to be any help and that I was now in a situation where I was going to need medication and I had no one to help point me in the right direction. My husband and I had been struggling for the past 4 years with fertility, and conceiving, and unfortunately went through the grief of a few miscarriages, but things finally took a turn for the better, and I am currently 32 weeks today!

If you are looking for essential oils that can help increase your fertility, click here.

**Before I get started letting you all know what I took, let me start with a quick disclosure notice, because essential oils in general, and the products I am about to mention are not FDA regulated. So, let me confirm that I am not a doctor, or a chemist, or a prenatal specialist of any kind. No one is paying me to write what I am writing, and none of these facts have been checked by the FDA. What I will do is provide links to articles and additional material so that you can do your own research. The information given in this post is not meant to take the place of doctor treatment or recommendations and I always recommend that you ask your doctor before trying anything new. Essential oils, just like many other things can interfere with medications and treatments and should not be used without your doctors’ consent.**

STEP 1: The first thing I did was make sure that what I was using was legit. – Most therapeutic or essential oils out there are total BS because essential oils do not fall into a category that is FDA regulated. So, I did my research and was pleased to find that not only were the oils I was using as pure as pure could get... but that was only step 1. I do want to mention for those of you reading this that you will see me mention using some of these essential oils internally and depending on what companies you use this is probably not a possibility. If you are interested in using the same company and products as are listed throughout this blog, I can help you with a free consultation; I’ll leave my contact at the bottom of this post.

Another thing I did was to find myself a midwife who work in a practice in a hospital who was familiar with doterra essential oils and was comfortable assisting me from a medical standpoint.

Step 2 was to find out what I absolutely could not take, and the list is quite long and is not the same on every site. I played it really safe only using things when absolutely necessary and even then I didn’t use anything without talking to my doctor and midwife first. Here is a list I have compiled of oils that shouldn’t be used during the third trimester:

Peppermint- this is only for those of you who plan to breast feed. Peppermint has the ability to deplete or inhibit milk supply so best to avoid it if possible. 

Clary Sage (and blends containing it- clary calm) or sage- up until you are in labor you dont want to use clary sage since it can induce labor. If you are thinking of using clary sage to induce labor, please check with your midwife or dr first.

Also when your close to your due date you may want to avoid large amounts blood thinning oils such as:

Yarrow

Birch Cinnamon 

Wintergreen

Birch

Sage

Clary Sage

Peppermint(if your planning on breastfeeding)

Now let's get to the good stuff! What did I use during my third trimester, and why!?

First off, if you've read any of my other pregnancy blogs you know I took my LLV. So if you've already heard me talk about it a million times please feel free to skip ahead, but for those who haven't the LLV is about to ROCK YOUR WORLD!!! 

Seriously. I swear by this stuff. Basically it's a 3 part multi-vitamin that targets 3 areas of your body: your brain, your gut, your cells. Let me explain:

LLV: LLV stands for Life Long Vitality which is a 3-part multi-vitamin. Personally, I am not a fan of prenatal vitamins because of the size of them and the fact that you have to take them with food (sometimes I don’t have an appetite first thing in the morning, but I still need to take my vitamins before I leave the house). The LLV has a “tummy tamer” blend in all three parts which allows you to be able to take them without food. I also liked this because it came as a vegan option, and although I am not a vegan most baby books will tell you to try to get as much of your nutrition from raw plants, so this seemed like the perfect fit for me. Now I was taking these before I was pregnant so by the time I was pregnant I was taking the full dose which is 2 of each vitamin 2 times a day. If you are looking to try a new multivitamin, I suggest starting at a ½ dose and working you way up because it can be a lot al at once.

Part1- Vegan Microplex MVZ: This formula includes a balanced blend of essential antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, and an energy complex of B vitamins presented in a patented glycoprotein matrix. It also contains chelated minerals including calcium, magnesium, and zinc for optimal bone and metabolic health, and is encapsulated using sodium lauryl sulfate-free vegetable capsules

Part 2- Alpha CRS+: This is a proprietary formula combining potent levels of natural botanical extracts that support healthy cell function with important metabolic factors of cellular energy. It is to be used as a comprehensive dietary supplement foundation for a lifetime of vitality and wellness.

Part 3- vEO Mega: This is a revolutionary, 100 percent vegetarian-friendly formula blending CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils with natural, plant-sourced essential fatty acids. -SIDE NOTE- during this trimester I actually took 3 of these in the morning and 3 at night because of the extra Omegas needed during that part of babys brain development. 

* Vegan Microplex MVZ does include Folate, but I did take an additional Folic Acid supplement

I also used a few other supplements during this trimester. 

Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex- I had some of the worst hip pain during pregnancy like to the point of not being able to walk at all at times. This little vitamin which I took 2 of every morning helped keep me on my feet throughout my pregnancy. Now I took the full dose in the morning because these have green tea in them because I am super sensitive to caffeine and pregnant mamas know how difficult it is to get sleep during those last few months so I was not about to add to that struggle.

Mito2Max- being pregnant is exhausting and sometimes you cant be that exhausted especially if you have other kids so for me I took Mito2Max. Being that I was getting caffeine in my DeepBlue I didnt want to drink any caffeine so I needed to find alternative forms of energy: enter B vitamins. Mito2Max is full of B vitamins to help you wake up and stay active throughout the day without any crashing or jitters.

Copaiba - I love love love copaiba essential oil, but with everything I was taking and using during pregnancy it was easiest for me to include the copaiba softgels with my night time vitamins. This bad boy does so much from boosting your immunity to relieving stress, to reducing inflammation and so much more. I used it nightly to reduce my stress to help me sleep as well as to help give the DeepBlue I took in the morning a little boost through the night.

Womens Bone Complex - I was highly anemic during pregnancy to the point of popping iron pills like candy all throughout the day and never increasing my iron levels. One of the interesting things I found out was that the calcium supplements I was taking were actually hindering my bodies ability to process the iron I was taking so I switched from a straight calcium vitamin to the women bone complex which adds some many other vital nutrients help help keep your bones strong and healthy in addition to calcium which aloud for strong bones, less calcium in my body and more iron to be processed in my body.

Iron - as I mentioned... super anemic!!! I was taking so much iron. Now everyone is different so I'm not going to talk about how much I took (honestly I thought I was too much) what I will do is tell you some of the things I learned. 1. Iron is super harsh on your tummy, so if you are taking it regularly or in high doses consider using something like orange essential oil applied to your belly to help sooth your stomach after taking a beating from iron (this is actually where the spinach and mandarin orange salad idea came from). 2. Iron isn't always absorbed orally.  For some people taking iron through foods or vitamins isn't going to do the trick, in which case asking your Dr. about an IV dose is an option that may work better for you.

Folic acid - who doesn't know about folic acid? If you are pregnant you should be taking folic acid. It helps your babys' brain grow and develop especially during the first few weeks of pregnancy, but it should be used throughout all of pregnancy. Because I was not using a "prenatal" vitamin I took a little extra on the side, but keep in mind that if you are taking LLV there is a form of folic acid in the vitamin already- also fun fact side note is that in men folic acid can help increase fertility

It's not a supplement, but I also made myself some vegan collagen gummies to help with skin elasticity here's the gelatin powder I used.

Essential oils

Immortelle blend: for skin elasticity 

Lavender: sleep aid

Chamomile: sleep aid

Cedarwood: sleep aid

Serenity blend: sleep aid

Neroli: this floral oil helps reduce stretch marks, dark spots and scared tissue. 

Baby body butter:

1/2 cup cocoa butter
1/2 cup Shea butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
Melt, mix (whip if possible), and let cool some.
1 T vitamin E oil or rosebud oil
20 drops melaleuca 
20 drops lavender 
20 drops frankincense 
Mix and store a room temp

This stuff makes your skin feel A-MAZING! unless it's the middle of summer - like it was for me- in which case you end up sweating a lot and just rolling around in a mixture of sweat and oils that feels super slimy. So this is great for every season except summer.