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Tea Tree Oil During Pregnancy - Benefits, Precautions, and Side Effects
Pregnancy is a time of heightened awareness. It is the time, when a woman ponders over her every single decision, as it can have an impact on her baby some way or the other. During pregnancy, your body will undergo a lot of changes as a result of hormonal changes. These hormonal changes can lead to certain skin problems during pregnancy that might make you feel low. Yes, other than morning sickness, you will have skin problems to deal with too during pregnancy! We know you must be thinking about ‘pregnancy glow’, but sometimes, especially in the first trimester of your pregnancy, you may not have that bright-radiant skin that you had been hoping for. Instead, you may have pimples and acne that might make you feel low. But worry not, there are certain essential oils like tea tree oil that can help you combat skin problems!
The anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antibacterial properties of tea tree oil make it an effective remedy for acne and other skin complications that may arise during pregnancy. But is it completely safe to use tea tree oil while pregnant? Find out!
What Is Tea Tree Oil?
Tea tree oil or Melaleuca alternifolia is an essential oil derived from the tea tree. Tea tree oil is known for antimicrobial and antiseptic properties which makes it a common choice for treating skin ailments like acne, warts, scabies, insect bites, fungal or bacterial infections. It also offers various benefits for hair and nails.
Is It Safe to Use Tea Tree Oil While Pregnant?
Yes, it is safe to use tea tree oil during pregnancy but one must exercise utmost caution. If you want to use it, then you must read the instructions carefully on the bottle or use it as suggested by your doctor. Essential oils like tea tree oil are extremely concentrated, meaning that they are more potent when compared to products available in other forms from the same plant. Therefore, you need to know the correct usage of tea tree oil before you apply it on your skin.
Doctors usually recommend that tea tree oil should be used only in diluted form. You can apply it topically after consulting with your doctor and as suggested by her. Your doctor may also suggest some precautions, which you should follow carefully while using it. Ingestion of tea tree oil when pregnant can prove hazardous for the baby. So, never ingest it and also refrain from using it around the mouth.
Experts suggest that tea tree oil should be used with caution during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, as if not used properly, it can trigger uterine contractions and negatively affect the development of the growing foetus. The risk, however, somewhat reduces during the second and third trimester as the baby develops.
Benefits of Using Tea Tree Oil During Pregnancy
Some benefits of using tea tree oil during pregnancy are mentioned below.
Using tea tree oil during pregnancy can help in balancing the production of oil and in unclogging the skin’s sebaceous glands, which can help cure acne and lower the chances of its occurrence.
Tea tree oil contains phytocides which may prove beneficial in the treatment of respiratory and nasal infections during pregnancy or otherwise. For the treatment of these infections, one can mix the Himalayan salt, 6-8 drops of tea tree oil and 10 drops of rosemary oil in a neti pot and then use it. However, the FDA does not recommend the use of neti pot as it can be used improperly by people. Hence, it must be avoided. You can consult with your doctor if you have respiratory infections or nasal infections.
Tea tree oil may prove effective in fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria including E. coli, thus protecting pregnant women from falling prey to bladder infections and cold sores. Tea tree oil is not supposed to be ingested at all, but you can use it by adding it to your bathwater. You can add around 3 drops of tea tree oil in 125 ml of bathwater, which you can use to cleanse around the urethra.
The antiseptic properties of tea tree oil can help you fight fungal infections that cause brittle or discoloured nails during pregnancy.
The topical use of tea tree oil during pregnancy can also help avert the occurrence of stretch marks.
The antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties of tea tree oil can provide relief from the symptoms of haemorrhoids, like swelling, pain and discomfort, during pregnancy.
Ways in Which You Can Use Tea Tree Oil During Pregnancy
Mentioned below are some of the ways to use tea tree oil during pregnancy.
If you have nail fungus during pregnancy, you can apply a few drops of diluted tea tree oil on to the affected area twice daily.
You can prepare a toner by adding 1.5 ounces of apple cider vinegar, 1.5 ounces of clear water to 6 drops of tea tree oil to use it on your skin. It will give you glowing skin during pregnancy.
You can increase the effectiveness of your face wash by adding a few drops of tea tree oil to it which may help you keep pimples and acne at bay during pregnancy.
You can blend in tea tree oil in your lotion before using it to get smooth and soft skin during pregnancy.
If you have dandruff problem during pregnancy, consider using tea tree oil shampoo. Add a small measure of tea tree oil to your shampoo for best results.
You can also take aromatic baths by adding 4-5 drops of tea tree oil to your daily bathwater as it promotes healthy skin.
Harmful Effects of Using Tea Tree Oil During Pregnancy
Certain dangers of using tea tree oil during pregnancy are mentioned below.
The use of tea tree oil during pregnancy can sometimes prompt an allergy, leading to inflammation and skin irritation.
Ingestion of tea tree oil during pregnancy can produce substantial toxicity which may lead to abdominal pain, confusion, diarrhoea, and even coma. Hence, it should never be ingested.
Improper use of tea tree oil during pregnancy can be detrimental for the health of the foetus.
Sometimes the topical use of tea tree oil can result in skin dryness, rashes, and blisters.
The use of tea tree oil by a pregnant woman with a history of eczema can cause a bad reaction.
Tea tree oil can also set off a hormonal imbalance in some women.
Who Should Avoid Using Tea Tree Oil?
Pregnant women and people with the following conditions should avoid using tea tree oil at all costs:
Chronic respiratory issues like asthma
Tuberculosis
Precautions to Take While Using Tea Tree Oil During Pregnancy
Here are some precautions you can take while using tea tree oil:
To avoid the incidence of an allergic reaction always do a skin patch test first. Apply a drop of tea tree oil on to a small area of your skin and observe for any possible adverse response.
Refrain from using tea tree oil in concentrated form. The safe way to use tea tree oil is by diluting it.
Check the expiry date when buying a bottle of tea tree oil. Using expired tea tree oil can be harmful as after expiration the oil starts to hoard cancer-causing substances.
Be careful while using tea tree oil through a diffuser in a closed room as it has a pronounced smell which can trigger nausea during pregnancy.
Tea tree oil can be very beneficial for the skin and to treat the various skin problems like acne and pimples. However, one should use it with the utmost caution, especially during pregnancy. Diluting tea tree oil for use during pregnancy is desirable to reduce its potential risks. In case of uncertainty about the correct concentration, refer to a doctor before using tea tree oil who may prescribe a suitable dosage after examining your condition.
Also Read: Castor Oil in Pregnancy for Labour Induction Read more
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Pelvic Tilt Exercises during Pregnancy - Benefits and Precautions
Any great event will need some kind of practice and training, and childbirth is quite similar to it. Just as an athlete trains her body before her event, so does a mother need to get her body in shape if she wants to have an easier time during labour. By doing the right kind of prenatal exercises, you will widen your pelvis and get your baby in the optimal position for childbirth.
What is Pelvic Tilt Exercise?
Exercises that are made up of very delicate movements of the spine that will support and strengthen the muscles around your lower back, especially the abdominal muscles, are known as pelvic tilt exercises. Not only do they relieve lower back pain, but they also give it a gentle massage in the process. They can be done while standing with your back against the wall, on your hands and knees, as well as while sitting on an exercise ball.
Various Types of Pelvic Tilt Exercises
There are many types of pelvic exercises that you can try. Either stick to a few that you are comfortable with, or you can mix them up on a daily basis to keep things fresh.
1. Sitting
While sitting may not seem like it’s an exercise at all, when you have to carry the extra weight of your baby about with you, learning to sit correctly can actually strengthen your core and stabilise your muscles.
How To Do
Use an exercise ball that is high enough that your hips are higher than your knees and firm enough to hold your weight.
Sit straight and upright and keep your pelvis tilted forward.
2. Leaning
Pregnant women lean back a lot because of the weight that they need to carry around all the time, so this kind of activity helps them balance it out.
How To Do
Lean on counters, people and tables to counteract all the backward leaning.
Use your exercise ball and cover it with your arms and upper body and roll around.
Your pelvis that is in midair will move in a way that strengthens it for birth.
3. Hands And Knees
This simple exercise is commonly known as the cat-cow pose. It keeps the lower back loose and relieves the pain in the lower back.
How To Do
Get on your hands and knees, wrists parallel to your shoulders and knees directly below your hips
Inhale and arch your back, belly moving down, neck and tailbone moving up
Exhale and move your pelvis inward, arch your back up and keep your head down, as if you are trying to see your navel
Repeat at least 10 times.
4. Standing
This exercise will require you to lean against a wall and doing it daily will strengthen your pelvic muscles.
How To Do
Touch your bottom, shoulders and head to a wall
Press the small gap of your back towards the wall while breathing in deeply
Exhale and slowly relax
Repeat the exercise at least ten times
5. Lying Down
This exercise will strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
How To Do
Lay on your back, feet on the floor and knees bent
Move your pelvis forward and press the small gap of your back into the floor
Relax your muscles and rest for a few seconds.
Repeat this as many times as you are comfortable.
Benefits of Doing Pelvic Tilt Exercise in Pregnancy
Exercise has many benefits, and during pregnancy, there is no exception. If you are looking for a nudge to start exercising, the benefits of doing pelvic tilt exercises during pregnancy are as follows:
It will help to prevent or treat gestational diabetes
Helps in improving your mood
Aids in toning the muscles, in improving strength and endurance
Improves stamina and energy
Helps to improve your posture
Aids in improving your sleep
Constipation, bloating, swelling and backaches
Helps to improve your ability to cope with labour and some women even use pelvic tilts to induce labour.
Will help your body get back in shape faster after delivery
Who Should Perform the Pelvic Tilt Exercises?
Pregnant women should all try to get into the habit of doing some pelvic exercises throughout their pregnancy as they are very beneficial to them. Those women who suffer from pelvic girdle pain, AKA Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction especially should do these exercises as they will help to relieve the tension they have in the pelvic area and will strengthen the muscles therein. Converse with your doctor before starting any new exercises if you have been diagnosed with this particular condition.
Women who are in their third trimester are often encouraged to do pelvic exercises during times of fetal activity as they encourage the baby to move into the correct position for birth as the exercises widen and open up the pelvis. When you do the exercises on your hands and knees, your abdomen gets turned into a hammock, enabling your baby to get into the anterior position, ensuring an easier birth.
When Should You Do Pelvic Tilt Exercises?
If you have had a long and tiring day and wished to find some relief for your aching back, pelvic tilts are a great way to go. They can also be done when you are looking to aid maternal positioning, which is believed to be able to affect the position of the fetus during your pregnancy as well as during delivery.
If your baby still has not dropped by 38 weeks, pelvic tilts will help you to support the movement of your baby into the correct birthing position. If you start pelvic tilts at the start of the eighth month, you will find it most beneficial for both you and your baby.
Pelvic tilt exercises are even helpful during labour and women who wish to ease the pain in their backs due to contractions can always ask their caregiver to remind them to get into the cat pose.
So beneficial are pelvic tilt exercises that they are great to do when trying to conceive, throughout your pregnancy, during labour and even after, while you are recovering.
When You Should Avoid Pelvic Tilt Exercises?
Pelvic tilts are versatile, and there are usually not many reasons to avoid doing them unless you have complications with your pregnancy and your doctor tells you it is best to avoid any kind of exercise.
Things to Consider Before and After Doing the Pelvic Tilt Exercises
Here are some things to keep in mind before and after doing your pelvic tilt exercises:
Before
If you are going to do pelvic tilts, ensure you have your doctors consent
If your wrists and knees are swollen, use pillows to support your knees or abstain from doing the exercises that require you to be on your hands and knees.
If you want the exercises to be most effective and you are a new mom, you should have your pelvic joints, and abdominal muscles worked on.
This is also important for mothers who have had to have a medical intervention because of the position of the baby, those who have had long labours as well as those who start exercising late in their pregnancy.
After
Some women like to end with the downward pose.
If you feel dizzy during any of the exercises, stop immediately
It is always best to start the right pelvic exercises as soon as you know you are pregnant, but even if you have not, it is never too late to start. Consult your doctor on what exercises are best and get started.
Also Read: 9th Month Pregnancy Exercise for Normal Delivery Read more
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IV Fluids During Labor - Important Things to Know
Giving birth and its experience differ from person to person - firstly, because your bodies are different, and secondly, because of the place and hospital you give birth in. In some hospitals, it’s a standard practice to put you on routine IV during labor, while some inject it only when the need arises.
IVs should not be administered without need. It is because an IV might turn out to be an intervention during labor. So, if the expecting mother doesn’t need an IV, it can lead to unnecessary complications.
To put everything in simple words, let us discuss everything around it. It will help you understand the pros and cons behind it. Also, you will be able to say NO in case you feel there is no need to put an IV in your scenario. Let’s get started!
What Is an IV?
The acronym IV stands for ‘intravenous. So, the IV or the intravenous line is a plastic catheter inserted in your vein (either in hand or lower arm) to pass a medication or fluid as and when required.
A woman in labor can be given an IV before, after, or during delivery. It is optional and depends on the doctor and the patient’s condition. So, let us now discuss how crucial or irrelevant the IV during childbirth is.
When Is an IV Needed?
Labor pain involves putting extreme pressure. Women also experience severe menstrual cramps during labor. So, it is a tough job to push out a baby.
And to perform this hard work, it is crucial to keep yourself hydrated. Some hospitals do not allow the expecting mother to eat or drink during pregnancy. In such cases, IV comes into the picture.
Other reasons where an IV is required, irrelevant of the type of delivery (vaginal or C-section) are:
You are required to be given antibiotics or IV pain meds during labor.
You require an epidural.
You will have a C-section delivery.
You have high-risk complications already.
In case you develop complications before or during labor, and you need medication for it.
You require Pitocin.
When Is IV Not Needed?
An IV is not required when it is given on the name of the routine protocol in labor. Some hospitals do not allow the expecting mother to eat or drink anything through the mouth. In such a scenario, the doctor says, ‘we are giving it to keep you hydrated during labor.’ Labor pains can go on for several hours. Ideally, if you have no complicated medical history and have a normal labor, and are allowed to eat and drink (as labor can be long) as needed, you will not need an IV.
Conclusively, if the reason for putting an IV is not listed in the previous paragraph, then IV is put only as a routine procedure that can be avoided.
What Are the Risks of Taking an IV?
Unnecessary hydration can pose certain risks to your body. Here are some side effects:
1. Edema
It is the swelling of the various body parts due to excessive fluid retention. The prescribed limit for IV fluids during labor is 100 to 200 ml/hour. So supposedly, if a woman goes into 15 hours of labor, it amounts to 1.5-3 liters of fluid. It can cause painful swelling in various parts of the body, including the breasts. The body already has to lose excessive fluid that got accumulated during the pregnancy term. So, hydrating beyond the limit can cause complications that last for days.
2. Challenges in Breastfeeding
Due to swelling in the breasts, the newborn will find it difficult to latch for a feed. It might also make breastfeeding a painful procedure for the mother. Due to latching difficulty, there is no proper stimulation for milk production, as is the case with a proper latch. It might force you to start using formula milk, and in turn, as the demand goes down, the body starts reducing the milk formation. In such a case, the edema makes pumping difficult even when the newbie mother tries to pump.
3. Restricted Movement
Your hand inserted with a plastic catheter might change your birthing story. It can restrict your movement in the labor room. Also, successful delivery is a result of correct hormone production in your body. If you don’t feel comfortable and safe during the birthing process, it affects your hormones too. Active labor is always beneficial, in which case, an IV can make your movements restricted. Your hand might become difficult and sore due to elongated hours of IV. This will, in turn, affect the labor.
4. Significant Weight Loss of the Newborn
It is quite evident that whatever a mother consumes during pregnancy is absorbed by the child as well. So, when the mother is injected with IV fluid, the child absorbs that too. This retained fluid poses for a dramatic weight loss in the child after delivery.
Alternatives to IV
If the reason for inserting an IV line is hydration, you can ask the doctor to eat and drink instead, on-demand. This will keep you hydrated. If the reason is administering painkillers through IV, then there are some non-medicinal ways to do the same. These days some classes train you to cope with the pain.
Keep in mind that it’s your body, and you can speak to your doctor or caregiver the way you want to give birth. Communication is the key, and the doctor will do the best for you and your child.
It will help if you trust your doctor by all means. Discuss your birth plans beforehand. Some hospitals have IV administration as a non-negotiable medication. Check with your hospital for policies related to birthing well in advance. And if putting an IV is necessary in your case, ask the caregiver to put it in your forearm. Forearm IVs are easy to move and cause lesser irritation. Have a happy birthing story!
Also Read:
Foetal Station in Labor
Entonox during Labor
Usage of Oxytocin in Labor Read more
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Manisha Singh has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
3 hours ago
Q. #asktheexpert mera baby 3 month ka h use gas bhuat banti h is karan wo bhuat rota hai
Manisha Singh
Expecting Mom due in 1 month
3 hours ago
A. it's very common for babies having gas problem ...you should recommend your doctor for this
Sai Prasanthi R L has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
3 hours ago
Q. Hi
what to give 6 months old baby to eat
Sai Prasanthi R L
Mom of a 10 yr 2 m old boy
3 hours ago
A. Hello dear! Once your baby completes 6 months you can start giving small quantities of semi solids like homemade cerelac, mashed bananas, apple puree, ragi and so on. Continue with breastfeeding. Keep Babyhug tummy roll on handy
Dr Muhsina has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 2 months
2 hours ago
Q. now I am in 30 weeks of pregnancy I have vomiting.I couldn't control what the reasons for this vomiting
Dr Muhsina
Expecting Mom due in 3 months
2 hours ago
A. Some women may have vomiting throughout their pregnancy. The most common reason for vomiting during the third trimester may be gastritis. Make sure you eat small frequent meals, preferably every 2 hours. If your baby's weight during checkups are adequate..u needn't worry much about this. You can also consult your doctor and take anti emetics and PPIs if the vomiting is bothering you or interfering with your daily activities.
Dr Sameer awadhiya has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
1 hour ago
Q. Is it okay is the baby does not pass stool for one day?
Dr Sameer awadhiya
Paediatrician
12 mins ago
A. Constipation in Babies less than 1 year is very common and more in formula fed babies and also when initially the semi solid food has been started after 6 months .
you can givfhe bonnisan drops and some enzyme preparations in proper dose suggested by doctor and cow's milk should be avoided before 1 year of age . Medications are required but it should be given only in medical supervision .
Dr Vandan H Kumar has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
1 hour ago
Q. Is it okay if my baby does not pass stool for one day?
Dr Vandan H Kumar
Paediatrician
12 mins ago
A. no need to worry about the frequency and colour of the stool if the consistency of the stool is semi solid to solid.
also there is no need to worry about the smell of the stool if the consistency is normal.
you have to meet the doctor if it is watery inconsistency or hard consistency otherwise semi solid to solid stool is normal.
also passing stool after taking food is normal. r
Rashmi has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 6 months
54 mins ago
Q. Q.Asktheexperta# I m an expecting mother of 29 yrs. LMP 10 Feb 2024 . my husband's HPLC report shows thalassemia minor trait while mine is hb d Punjab trait . can we continue with this pregnancy ??
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
31 mins ago
A. Well you should check with your gynaecologist for that she has to go through all the reports and the issues that you are facing you and your husband and accordingly she can tell you what is the situation how your child is going because lot of things depend upon how the child is growing
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