Have you ever wondered if you could use aromatherapy as part of your pregnancy healthcare, well read on and find out how you can?

Aromatherapy during pregnancy is a powerful tool and there are many benefits to be gained from the use of essential oils at this special time. It is a truly holistic therapy that encompasses both your state of mind, and your physical health, and allows you control over your own individual treatment.

Aromatherapy is centuries old, and a practice that is often misunderstood or misinterpreted. Perhaps I should clarify a few points as to what aromatherapy actually is, and how it can help you through your pregnancy and beyond.

Many people’s first question is how does it actually work? For a simple explanation, aromatherapy functions on two levels, the physical and the emotional. The physical experience is usually through a massage, where tiny molecules of essential oil pass through the skin, to reach our internal organs, muscles and tissues.  Emotionally the oils affect us by their aroma. When we smell something it triggers a chemical reaction which stimulates an impulse to a part of the brain responsible for memory. This is why an aroma can be so evocative of a past happening.

Aromatherapy can be a safe and very effective treatment in pregnancy, labour and for postnatal recovery. I am in no way advocating that aromatherapy should take the place of modern medicine, but it can be a complimentary treatment.

There are some essential oils that must be avoided in pregnancy, but there are also many that are safe if used correctly.

My workshops are designed to teach you the safe and effective use of the oils for this time. We will explore where the oils come from how they work and how to use them at home and in your labour.

At each workshop I will demonstrate a massage that can be used in your pregnancy and may be useful for you during labour.

I will also provide you with an essential oil blend for you to take home and use, along with a full set of handouts for your information and that you can keep and refer to when needed.

I will keep the numbers small so that individual attention can be given to each couple.

I am delighted to be running these workshops which will run at intervals throughout the year, starting May 2012, from the newly opened Mumababy Sanctuary in Lewes, East Sussex.

Well Spring is truly here! I don’t know about you but I love to spring clean. It’s great to open the windows let some air back into your home and banish the winter.

Essential Oils can play a part in your spring clean. They can be used to wash surfaces safely, use as sprays round the home and even protect your winter clothes if you are packing them away!

Try a drop of Lemon, Citrus limonum, on a cloth to wipe down the kitchen surface, a much nicer smell than most cleaners.  Lemon is an antibacterial. So instead of using all those harsh chemicals you could use Lemon and have a far fresher, natural smell in your kitchen!

Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia is also an antibacterial oil and antiseptic.  It does have a very strong medicinal smell but you may like that. Some people like a stronger smell, it makes everything feel even cleaner. In fact you could add 1 drop of Lemon and 1 drop of Tea Tree to your dish cloth before you wipe down your surfaces.

If you like to pack winter clothes away you may want to add 2 drops of Cedarwood, Cedrus atlantica, to a tissue or a cotton wool ball and fold into winter woollies before packing them away, a great moth deterrent!

You can even add essential oils to your final rinse cycle in your clothes washer. A great way to keep bedding and towels fresh! Citrus oils work particularly well. You may want to try Sweet Orange, Citrus sinensis or Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi. Choose the one you like the most add 15 drops to the final rinse cycle and enjoy!

Once you’ve got those windows open you may want to enhance  the freshness even more, for a natural room freshener fill a water sprayer with cool boiled water, add 3 -5 drops of your favourite  Essential Oil, shake to disperse the oils and spritz over upholstery or just into the air itself!

Invigorate your home and you too will feel the benefits!

Finding the right time to give your baby a massageis just as important, maybe

photo by Sarah Ketelaars

even more so, than the actual strokes you perform.

New born infants have 6 behavioural states:

1.   Quiet sleep

Eyes are closed and there is little or no movement. Respiration is dominantly abdominal

2.   Active sleep.

Eyes are closed but there may be some REM and body activity, from writhing to stretching, frowning to smiling

3.   Drowsy

Eyes may be open or partially closed

4.   Quiet alert

Body fairly still, face relaxed, eyes open and bright, observant

5.   Active alert

Lots of activity, vocal noises, some crying and possibly fussing

6.   Crying

Babies limit reached, much activity and sustained crying

Of the above quiet alert will be the optimum time for you to carry out a massage. You also need to feel relaxed so take some deep breaths and try to make sure you won’t be disturbed.  If you want to use massage as part of your baby’s bed time routine then bring bath time forward so that your baby is not too tired or hungry to enjoy the massage. However you don’t have to perform the massage at bed time. Half ten in the morning may be the best time for you and your baby. You will know what time is best. You should not massage your baby if they have a temperature or are unwell.

Make sure you have everything to hand and that the room is warm. Little bodies cool down quickly and with oil on their skin they will cool down even quicker. You should always try to do the massage on the floor then you are safe if your baby does its first roll. Lay your baby on a towel on top of their changing mat and have spare towels to hand. It’s best to do the massage without a nappy so it’s a good idea to have tissues and wet wipes at the ready too.

You should always try to use a cold pressed vegetable oil to do your massage.  Mineral oils act as a barrier on their skin and do not come from a sustainable source. Any cold pressed vegetable oil will do, however to avoid any worries of nut allergies, sunflower oil is considered a safe oil to use for a babies sensitive skin. There are many baby massage oils on the market, if in doubt of the contents or ingredients choose a simple cold pressed vegetable oil without anything added or taken away. Most health food shops will stock this.

Dim the lights and remove watches or chunky rings. Warming your hands up is also important.  Once you are ready to start take a little amount of oil into your hands and warm it up between your palms. Pay special attention to your finger tips as they tend to be the coldest part of your hands. Your hands should glide over the skin and not drag. If you feel your hands dragging apply more oil. It’s easier to apply more oil than to take it off.

You could use music but a baby will love to hear its mother or carer sing, quite often they will lie still and look you right in the face if you sing whilst performing the massage. It’s also fine to talk to your baby throughout and tell them what you are doing.

Stroke your baby in anyway that feels good to you. Keep it flowing and rhythmical.  At first they may only lie still for a few minutes but you can, with practice, give your baby a full body massage in approx 15 min.

The most important thing is that you enjoy it. Your baby will come to anticipate the massage if you approach it the same way every time. It’s a wonderful thing to do and will enhance the bond between you. Once you have finished your routine wrap your baby in the towel and give them a cuddle before getting them dressed.

Of all the senses touch is something we experience almost without thinking about it.  We may ruffle a child’s hair, place a comforting arm on someone’s shoulder if they are upset or hug a loved one. All of these illicit an emotion and a response, and all involve touch.

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, the oldest and the most sensitive of our organs. The whole body is covered by it, even the cornea of the eye is overlaid by a layer of modified skin. It turns inwards in to all our orifices and in the evolution of the senses touch was undoubtedly the first to come into being.  Though its structure and functionality change as we age, touch remains a constant, the foundation upon which all the other senses are based.

Through the skin we learn about our environment and our body adapts accordingly. An area the size of a penny contains more than 3 million cells.  The enormous amount of receptors present receives stimuli of heat, cold, pressure and pain. It has the ability to repair itself and we shed loads of it every day, we all know the statistics about household dust!   The skin is a picture of life’s experiences from the radiance of youth to the wrinkled visage resulting from the passing years.

But how important is this sense?  Well in my opinion extremely! There is actually a condition called Marasmus, where children actually fail to thrive if they are not held or cuddled. It’s rare, but it was prevalent in the great depression of the 1930’s in America and also in Romania during the awful atrocities of Ceauşescu dictatorship when hundreds of infants were orphaned.

We live in a society now where are children are constantly reminded of ‘stranger danger’, where are the positive messages about touch?  Having regular massage, whether it be from a professional or from a loved, one is a powerful tool.  It is a well known fact that massage makes you feel good, and if you feel good you are able to cope with all sorts of pressures and tensions that modern life throws at us.

Research has shown that when we are massaged we increase the production of natural painkillers and give our immune system a boost. It lowers our blood pressure and respiratory rate, which improves the function of our heart and lungs. Excess fluid and metabolic wastes are pushed back into the circulation for removal. Muscles are warmed up and stretched, and given more space to move.

The soothing effect of touch sedates our body and calms our nervous system, resulting in us feeling calmer and less stressed and anxious.

So next time you rub someone’s shoulders or even stroke your cat just think about all the good you are doing. Touch is wonderful and therapeutic, easy to do and appreciated when given.

from the seed offers holistic care from conception to baby and beyond…..

Muscular aches and pains can be a tiresome side effect of pregnancy.

Your body will be producing the hormone Relaxin to soften the muscles and ligaments to assist with labour. This can mean that various joints become achy and overstretched. Particular areas affected are quite often the back and hips.

Massage at this time can be a very effective way of helping with this. Essential Oils have properties that can assist with pain relief and some are anti spasmodic. By applying a blend to the affected area you can bring about some relief. Back massage in particular is both psychologically and physically relaxing altering the sense and perception of the pain felt, thus bringing a sense of relief.

Essential oils that are effective at this time include:

Roman Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis. This oil is both analgesic (pain relieving) and anti-spasmodic.

Sweet Marjoram, Origanum marjorana, also a great analgesic oil.

Both of the above oils are also Sedative, so if you are looking for an oil to bring muscular relief but also to feel energised you may be better off trying Cardamon, Elettaria cardamomum. As well as being really good for muscular aches and pains it also has the ability to stimulate the mind, and bring clarity to your thoughts, something that may be needed at this time!

If you’re aches and pains are giving you trouble sleeping, try putting one drop of Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, on your pillow to help you drift off!

To make a blend add 1 drop of essential oil to every 5ml of vegetable oil and rub into your achy muscles. Or better still search out a professional aromatherapist and treat yourself to a full body massage!

from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond.

Did you know that smell is directly linked to your memory? Have you noticed how a smell can transport you somewhere from your past?  Our Olfactory Centre is the part of our brain that recognises smell. It is connected to the Limbic System which is an ancient part of our brain responsible for emotions and memories.

Christmas is a wonderful family time and we are creating memories for our children and their future. Why not fill their Christmas memories with some aromas that will in the future take them to a Christmas past.

You can very easily create aromatic blends to fill your house with wonderful rich aromas reminiscent of Christmas.

Place an essential oil burner or vaporiser in your hallway and place 2 drops of Ginger, Zingiber officianale, 3 drops of Sweet Orange, Citrus sinensis and 1 drop of Cinnamon leaf, Cinnamomum zeylanicum into the reservoir add water and let you home be full of the smells of Christmas.

Have a truly Aromatic Christmas!

from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond

I am proud to say that today I became a recognised published author, The 4^th Edition of Aromatherapy for Health Professionals arrived on my door mat and I am the contributing writer to chapter 12 – Pregnancy and Childbirth.

It is a great accolade to be asked to contribute to something that is a recognised valuable text written by the top experts in the field of Aromatherapy.

I have spent many years massaging pregnant mums and babies and I love my work and feel very fortunate to work in this field. The use of Aromatherapy is a wonderful tool in this area and has brought comfort and relief to many women.

I am planning to re-launch my aromatherapy workshops for spring 2012 where you can learn the safe and effective use of aromatherapy and massage for pregnancy, labour and post-natal recovery. Perfect for couples,  groups will be kept small to make sure individual attention can be given.

As they say watch this space ……………..

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.

from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond.

for more info visit www.fromthe seed.co.uk

On average for a normal healthy couple trying to conceive it can take anything up to 18 months to get a result and your GP won’t see you if their is no medical history before you have been trying for a year!

In our modern western world fertility is on the decline, this is due to many factors, including general health and choice of conception time. Women have a limited resource of eggs. It is well known that the quality of eggs do decline, also as time passes a man’s sperm will also be affected; sperm numbers decline and there is an increase in defective sperm as men grow older. All these facts can lead to something that should be wonderful being full of anxiety. Couples are leaving it a little later than previous generations to conceive and are often left feeling very frustrated by their efforts.

So if you have been trying to conceive naturally and you are not getting the result you want you can take action and assist the process with some very effective and enjoyable treatments. Using Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for you and your partner will bring about a much needed sense of relaxation and relief at a time when levels of stress and anxiety can reach fever pitch. You can bring some tenderness and joy back into trying for a baby.

Your relationship with your therapist will be a vital part of the process, only see someone who has a high standard of training and has knowledge of this subject. Aromatherapists who specialise in conception and pregnancy care should have undergone further training outside their original diploma or course to give them the knowledge and expertise they will need to offer you an effective treatment. Your therapist should offer you a full consultation at your first treatment where they will take a full medical history and look at your lifestyle. They should also be willing and open to treating both partners.

An Aromatherapy treatment enhances self esteem, gives you confidence in your body and gives you time to re connect with yourself. The properties of the essential oils will also benefit the process.

Some oils have a balancing effect on the menstrual cycle others have wonderful relaxing properties and euphoric aromas that will leave you feeling less stressed and uplifted. Some are even considered to be aphrodisiacs.

Rose Otto -Rosa damascena, and Geranium- Pelargonium graveolens, are both regulators for the female menstrual cycle and are aromatically euphoric.

Rose also has the ability to enhance a women’s natural femininity, something that can get lost in the process of trying to conceive. Whilst Geranium, a soft and floral aromatic oil, can bring balance and harmony to the mind and body.

Vetiver, Vetiveria zizanoides, is a warm and vibrant root oil that focuses energy to the hara – the energy centre of the abdomen- bringing strength and nourishment to your body.

The Chamomile essential oils can be used to invoke calm and ease frustration. German Chamomile, Chamomilla matricaria , has a long association with the menstrual cycle and the word Matricaria comes from the Latin for Matrix or ‘womb’ reflecting the herbs age old use.

These are just a few of the oils available that an Aromatherapist may use in a treatment combined with massage. Seeking some help at this time may just be what is needed.

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.

from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond.

for more info visit www.fromthe seed.co.uk

Well it looks like autumn has well and truly arrived! An immune boost with essential oils at this time of year can be a very easy, yet vital thing to do.

It may seem like your little one has one cold after another all winter. Young children haven’t built up their immunity to the 100’s of different cold viruses that are around. That’s why they can get as many as 8 to 10 colds each year before they turn 2 years old. And going back to nursery or school after the holidays means that your child will be coming in to contact with a whole new host of bugs.

An essential oil burner is a great thing to have in the house and can be used in the bedroom, the front room or my preferred location, the hallway. This way you pass it all the time, walking around the house as you go about your daily routines.

Many clients come to me with stress related ailments. Stress can affect the body in many ways, so every client will have very different needs and requirements which their therapist must be aware of.

Finding the right music can be tricky. With the stop-start nature of most albums going from one track to another, the mood can change suddenly, which can disturb the flow of the massage. Fortunately for me, when I needed music, help was at hand, my husband is a composer!

They can also be used between treatments for relaxation purposes and many of my clients have since purchased copies of these unique albums for that particular reason.