HELP- lavender oil at 5.5w pg!!!!!!!

[blondie64]

I had a massage today at a very reputable health spa. The lady who did it didn't speak English well and thus didn't really talk to me. She started doing a facial on me and after about 5 mins I suddenly panicked as to whether she was using lavender oil. I vaguely remember that being dangerous in pregnancy but couldn't remember. I asked her 'is that lavender?' It was and she said it was fine in early pregnancy but then swiftly unlocked a cupboard and used a different oil. When I googled this when I got home, I found my fears were right and lavender in early pg should be avoided!!!!!!

So I'm sitting here thinking how long I'll have to wait til I miscarry . None of the info says what the actual danger is- is it birth defects or risk of miscarriage. If anyone has any knowledge/ experience I would REALLY appreciate your help.

As far as I know Lavender is now as bad as many other oils!
I have never heard lavender was bad at all actually!
Where di you read lavender was bad... it's one that is - as far as I can see from my books - is safe.

i am sure that if it was only a quick massage..should be ok...lots of women do things before they even know they are pregnant that are not ideal...please try not to worry.....i have never ever heard of aromatherapy inducing a miscarriage in anyone i know.....call the spa tomorow..speak to the boss and tell them what happened...

There is a general caution around most oils in the early months of pregnancy, simply because no one has the information to prove they are safe. Better safe than sorry and all that.

Lavender is generally one of the safest of all the essential oils, plus you only had a facial not a full-on massage of your tummy.

IMO nothing to worry about. Step away from Google

Lulumama - some oils are VERY bad in early pregnancy as they induce miscarriages but lavender is not one of them.

I just googled it as I recall it being dodgy from a baby massage course I did a couple of yrs ago.

I know what you're saying lulumama but people have probably miscarried due to lavender without realising. It's never on the DONT's list for pg is it. Yes, I was going to phone Champneys in the morning. The friend I went with was told everything that was being put onto her skin whereas my therapist didn't speak. Very cross about it, whether this pg lasts or not

i was informed when i was pregnant not to use lavendar until labour as it can cause the womb to contract.not sure if this is true though.

i'll look on google and see if i can find anything.

i wouldnt worry too much.alot of people dont even know they're pregnant at that stage.

i know pupuce....i used lavendar when pregnant with DD ( in the final weeks)- it was fine then! and i knew others were to be avoided until later

now it seems the advice is to steer clear of all!

reaslised i said aromatherpy ..not lavendar in my first post..sorry

will teach me to read before posting

\link{http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/isitsafeto/herb&drugchart/}

not sure if ive done that right?

cant do links well but if you click onto babycentre and look at the chart its got info on herbs and oils etc.it says that lavendar is safe in moderate usage but in high doses can cause uterine contractions if i remember rightly.

it also says that clove oil causes uterine contractions.well someone should've told me that when i was using it all throughout my pregnancy off and on for tooth pain!

cant do links well but if you click onto babycentre and look at the chart its got info on herbs and oils etc.it says that lavendar is safe in moderate usage but in high doses can cause uterine contractions if i remember rightly.

it also says that clove oil causes uterine contractions.well someone should've told me that when i was using it all throughout my pregnancy off and on for tooth pain!

thanks for the link- didn't find that one before. I feel a bit better but still think the spa should be a lot more careful. Other spas I've been to have always asked you to fill in a questionnaire and one of the Q's is always- 'are you pg or ttc?'

I am still in a right state about this. I can't believe I was so stupid. I am perfectly willing to accept a m/c but am scared **less that I have caused birth defects etc. I don't know how I can carry on with this pg not knowing. I just wish I would miscarry most of the time. A terrible thing to say I know.

The spa were not that interested and said the onus was on me to tell them. She did say the lavender was perfectly safe as there was only 4% lavender in the massage oil but I bet they wouldn't have used it at all if they'd known I was pg.

blondie.....please don't torture yourself like this.,...

women do all sorts of things when they are pregnant , even after they know, that are not safe or recommended....

drinking

smoking

eating the 'wrong' foods

please don't be so hard on yourself...it is so so so unlikely that your little one has come to any harm at all........

i didn;t mean that that is the right thing to do...just in the scheme of things, an aromatherapy massage is not so bad.....

blondie64 - please do not over dwell on this. Lavender will not cause birth defects. The risk is miscarriage by causing contractions. Since you had your massage on Wednesday I think you can safely say all is well. You are right though, there should have been discussion before your massage so that the appropriate oil was selected, even for non-pregnanct folk.

mears and lulumama- From what I've found out, I sort of know you're right. But I just think so many of these oils are an unknown. DH says that because lavender is so widely used, they would have found a link with birth defects by now. I still can't forgive myself though.

mears- I kind of thought I would have m/c'd by now if I was going to (as a result of the lavender). Do you know if any birth defects will show up on the 12 or 20 week scan?

think your DH is very sensible......birth defects, are usually detected at the 20 week anomaly scan.......

HOWEVER

god forbid there should be something wrong with your baby.....you may never know why and you shouldn't blame yourself. Some are caused by chromosomal abnormalities which would have occured anyway, regardelss of what you did or didn;t do.....

often, a miscarriage occurs because the pregnancy was not viable .....due to something being wrong

i honestly think you need to relax and take your mind off this....

Please stop panicking! You aren't going to miscarry or have a baby with birth defects. It's only lavender oil. You are surrounded by chemicals, you put them in your body, on your skin, breathe them in in fumes. Would you be scared to walk through a garden with lavender? I really think you have got this completely out of proportion, honestly I do. But this is pretty normal in early pregnancy, esp if it is your first.

oh goodness blondie - at risk of sounding flippant (and i qualify it by saying that i hope sincerely that there is nothing else wrong which may be a problem)

but i had lavender essential oil used around me, on me, in burners near me etc when i was pg and i have 3 spectacularly healthy, happy, brainy and beautiful boys.

without having done ANY real research, i cant understand whjat all the fuss is about. you'll be fine!

Found this about lavender oil...."2 to 4 drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil such as sweet almond oil for massage. This combination is used effectively during pregnancy to avoid permanent stretch marks" So therefore would assertain that it's fine.

It was Here

Also Here

Scroll down to "reating the Discomforts of Pregnancy" Which reccomends LO for headaches and Nausea

blondie64 - please stop worrying unnecessarily about this. Lavender oil will NOT cause birth defects. Please try and concentrate on something else - there is no need for you to worry.

Thanks for reassuring me everyone. Sorrell, I already have a DS but don't think the no. of previous children would effect how I feel about an individual pg where I have done something silly.

Maybe I'm feeling so fragile because it's such early days and I don't feel pregnant at all apart from sore (.)(.). I have an early scan in a few days so we will see what comes of that...

Sorry if I'm overeacting- busy week ahead so maybe I'll be able to forget for a few moments!