Guest Author - Adrienne Dumas

Being nine months pregnant, I only have a few weeks (maybe even days) before my baby is born. So far I have received many compliments about how well I have taken care of myself during the pregnancy (and how healthy my baby is in the womb) including my physical health and my physical appearance. Some women experience a variety of beauty ailments when pregnant while others seem to look their best during pregnancy. I would have to say that I’m somewhere in the middle as I did experience a few acne breakouts and I didn’t have any stretchmarks until this last month of my pregnancy. But my stretchmarks are small in comparison to what some mothers-to-be experience and I believe it is because of my beauty routine, which I am here to share with you.

My Pregnancy Beauty Routine:

1. Take Relaxing Baths
Taking baths is one of my favorite things to do and it has proven to be especially relaxing during my pregnancy. But I have limited my use of bubble baths and oils when bathing and I mostly bath in pure, clean water. I also only used fragrance free all-natural soaps during the first three months of my pregnancy, as my sense of smell was very sensitive. I could barely stand the smell of my own natural scent let alone the smell of all of the perfumed soaps, lotions, and body washes that I had. As soon as my senses returned to normal again and I was able to enjoy fragrances like natural lavender oil, I began to use some scented products again (I am so grateful to be able to enjoy the smell of my favorite products again!).

If you are pregnant and very sensitive to certain smells, now is the time to go on a search for products that you can use which do not make you feel nauseated from their smell. This is a great gift that you can give to yourself. You can also ask your significant other to use these products if you are sensitive to his body care products as well.

2. Use Cocoa Butter Lotion to Prevent Stretchmarks
Cocoa Butter lotions have become some of my favorite lotions. Cocoa Butter lotion is one of the only lotions I have used since I have been pregnant and I believe that it helped to keep stretchmarks at bay. Though I did get a few little stretchmarks during the last month of my pregnancy, it is relatively small in comparison to what some women experience. And talking with some of my girlfriends who did not use Cocoa Butter lotion during their pregnancy they ended up having a lot of stretchmarks on various parts of their body. I highly recommend buying yourself some cocoa butter lotion and using it all throughout your pregnancy. Not only can it help to prevent stretchmarks but it is also very soothing for dry and itchy skin. Itchy skin happens when the woman’s skin begins to stretch during her pregnancy and this lotion greatly helped to relieve that discomfort for me.

3. Take your Prenatal Vitamins
I cannot recommend this enough. You and your baby need prenatal vitamins during this time in your life. Being pregnant you need the extra vitamins even if you do eat healthy and taking a prenatal vitamin will also give you extra assurance that your baby is also getting the vitamins and minerals that he or she needs in order to grow properly. And another great advantage to taking your prenatal vitamins is that it does miraculous and wonderful things for your skin and hair! Because of eating healthy, sticking with my beauty routine, using cocoa butter lotion and taking my prenatal vitamins every day, my skin and hair have never been so healthy. I have had far less breakouts than during any other time in my life, my hair has grown faster and thicker, and I have a beautiful radiant “pregnancy glow.”

Last but not least . . . Hair Care during Pregnancy:

First of all, during pregnancy you want to be extra careful about what goes on your skin, including hair care products. For instance it is recommended that when you are pregnant you do not dye or bleach your hair. It is widely believed that this could have some harmful effects on the baby in the womb. Hair dyes, bleach and perms are absorbed into the bloodstream and this could have some harmful effects on your child, and you since during pregnancy we are extra sensitive.

If you do plan on using any products that you are concerned about that could have possible side effects on you and your baby during this time in your life, talk with your doctor or midwife.