BABY BLUES

This post is contributed by One Drop member – Ranna Seah.

What to do when you have Baby Blues?
One of the key things that improves for me after I started my oiling journey was that I was finally able to have a proper deep sleep AFTER  4 YEARS from having my baby. My gawd! I finally realised that for the past 4 years before I started using the oils, I was constantly in a very light sleep mode. I will wake up in the middle of my sleep, several times in fact, just to check if my baby was breathing. And any little sound she made in her sleep, my eyes will shot wide open and I will rush to check on her! And after making sure that everything is fine, I will try to go back to sleep…BUT that’s when the day has broke and the baby is ready to stir from her sleep for milk or something.

Verdict: I was not sleeping properly at all!

My work performance was affected. My concentration dipped. My priorities were all over the place. I was scattered-brained and I couldn’t focus at all. It was terrible. I was also getting very bad gastric and sinus problem. And I did not realize how bad it was because I was too caught up in parenting my baby.

I coped by talking a lot to my baby (that’s when I realised the value of early infant stimulation because my baby picked up new languages super-fast. You need only say it to her once and she can repeat the word to you very accurately. She’s currently trying to learn to speak Hokkien from me.) I also received support emotionally from my church’s counsellor and friends who are mothers. My saving phrase was by my friend, Samantha.

She said, “Just take it easy.”

Those 4 words really helped me. And it worked also because I was consciously looking for help.

It was finally in 2014 when my daughter was 4 years old that my colleagues, Julie and Joanne, introduced me to Young Living Essential Oils. As my daughter was attending childcare at that time, they recommended that I get Thieves and Peppermint first.The oils smelled and felt good to use. I saw how well the oils worked for my daughter, so I decided to get an oil for myself too. I wanted to get rid of my postpartum tummy and try something for weight loss. And so, the next oil I was recommended and bought was Grapefruit Vitality. I started adding 5 to 8 drops of grapefruit into my drinking water every day at work. And…before the tummy was gone…something happened to me! I realised that I was sleeping better and better. In fact, I can finally sleep through the night! You know how mothers are obsessed with babies sleeping through the night? That’s the same amount of exhilaration I felt for myself when Is slept through the night too! And for the first time in 4 years! Wow! I did not do anything different except added Grapefruit essential oil to my drink!

Another contributing factor could be that since I have the oils to support, and I am not so concerned about my daughter falling sick and getting a fever in the middle of the night, so I was finally able to rest my mind and fall asleep soundly. The oils again! 🙂

So that was how I came about to oiling and my close shave with baby blues.

I witnessed my friend having a more severe case of “baby blues”. It was so bad that she did not want the baby. She wanted to go back to the time when the baby do not exist. She was tearing but she don’t feel anything in her heart. That got me alarmed because she love her baby a lot a lot. Before baby was born, she was already drawing up plans and reading all the books on parenting. It was really worrisome to see her in that stage and all her emotions blocked up. Her husband spotted it in time, made her cut short her maternity leave, have time away from the baby, and see a psychiatrist. She was taught to cope with emotional tapping. I also passed her some Valor and Stress Away. I do not know what worked for her but she’s back to being one of the most devoted mothers I know! Phew!

My experience with my friend greatly contributed to my passion in becoming an Infant Massage Instructor. I want to support new mothers and infants where the bonding occured during massage can renew the busy mother of feelings of love for their babies. Oh and I also experienced colic which infant massage can help.

So…back to the topic on ‘Baby Blues’. If you spot yourself or your friends having the following symptoms, it is likely you’ve caught the blues too. Read on!

Symptoms of “baby blues” include:
  • Weeping or crying for no apparent reason
  • Impatience
  • Irritability
  • Restlessness
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia (even when baby is sleeping)
  • Sadness
  • Mood changes
  • Poor Concentration
What causes the “baby blues”? 

The exact cause of “baby blues” is unknown. It could be related to hormonal changes during pregnancy before and after a baby is born. Resulting in chemical changes in the brain that result in depression.
It could also be due to lack of sleep as the birth of a new baby calls for a lot of adjustment to the household and particularly the parents’ routine.

It could also be the physical and emotional status change of the mother.

In Dr LeAnne Deardeuff’s book titled “Inner Transformations Using Essential Oils”, Dr LeAnne mentioned that during the last month of development, a foetus requires A LOT of essential fatty acids to develop its brain. If they are not available in the mother’s diet, the baby will pull fatty acids from where they are must readily available, which is the mother’s brain. By increasing fatty acids such as flax seed oil or the omega-3 fish oils, mothers have experienced a decrease in post-partum depression.

Recommended support with oil to prevent “baby blues”:
  • Take a drop of Clary Sage and massage around the ankles daily (note this is for soon to be born babies and not before)
  • While in labour, increase the Clary Sage to several drops an hour
  • As soon as baby is born, use 1 tsp of Progessence cream and then use ½ tsp twice daily for several week. (Apply 2–4 drops of Progessence Plus to the stomach, feet, or inner thighs each day, rotating application sites to avoid applying to the same area 2 days in a row)
  • Continue your intake of Omegagize (fatty acids)
  • You can take SuperB, Mineral Essence and SuperCal. Those support the adrenal glands and the nervous systems.
  • Use oils such as Joy and Peace & Calming Oil Blends to uplift your emotion.
Other Oils for “Baby Blues”
  • Vetiver
  • Lemon
  • Cedarwood
  • Sandalwood
  • TraumaLife
  • Joy
  • Stress Away
How to use:
Diffuse 20 minutes, 3 times daily or direct inhalation 2 minutes, 4 times daily.

Other oils that can be helpful are Valor, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Bergamot, Citrus Fresh, Tranquil Roll-On. I feel that any oils that the person like and enjoy, is already emotionally supportive. I will encourage you to bring any mothers who might be facing baby blues to visit Young Living office and find the oil themselves.
So if you are going through a rough patch and you need to find someone to talk to for support, please do reach out to me or anyone close to you. But the desire to change and improve has to still come from inside you. 🙂
If you like my articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils or have further clarifications, please drop me a message here or email me at fabulana@gmail.com. If you are ready to sign up as member to purchase, you can click here. I would love to support you in using the oils for yourself and your loved ones.

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