HOLY SH*T WILL YA LOOK @ ME. I am kinda loving my pregnant body if I’m honest, more so than I did before. I was struggling with my weight for a long time, I had a fat belly anyway and was constantly looking for ways to lose weight and feel better about myself. Now it just feels…….normal…and right, for the first time in ages. It’s a nice feeling and I’m embracing my lumps, bumps and growths.
I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I was soon thinking about how to look after my soon-to-be-growing belly and body in general. Your skin is stretched to the extreme on your belly (currently feel like I am exploding right now), boobs get very sore and a lot bigger …. there’s a lot going on, numerous unexpected changes and it can be a good time to start oiling up.
I have chosen Mama Mio as my go-to pregnancy body care range. They were one of the first brands to launch a pregnancy-specific care range way back in 2004 and the ingredients they use are quality, clean and effective. I have been more aware than ever of what I’m putting on both my face and body, as during pregnancy there is a few things that you need to avoid (such as certain essential oils, some acids/ exfoliants and I’m avoiding chemicals and crap basically).
What Causes Stretch marks?
They can be caused when the skin is rapidly stretched (due to teenage growth, weight-gain, pregnancy etc) and this causes the middle layer of the skin (dermis) to tear which allows the deeper and darker layers of skin to show through. They can appear anywhere on the body, I remember when I was a developing teen I got them across my boobs and sides of my bum which did disappear after a while. During pregnancy, it is common to get stretch marks on the ever-expanding tum, bum, lower back, boobs and even your underarm area.
It’s never something to be ashamed of. It’s natural and it’s just what happens to our bodies, it’s simply part of motherhood and according to the NHS 8/10 women will get them during pregnancy.
Whether you get them or not depends on genetics, skin type etc BUT if you want to help your body stretch and move, without too much damage, then you can absolutely opt to use various pregnancy body lotions and potions to help prevent stretch marks. Some people don’t like the thought of having marks on their body, which is totally personal, but also stretch marks can become sore, itchy and a little uncomfortable.
I am currently around 33 weeks and haven’t got any stretch marks BUT they can come a lot later on and often right towards the end. I will definitely be honest and keep you posted if and when I do. My Pregnancy Vlogs are definitely warts n’ all.
I’ve been pretty good at keeping to my body care schedule, and this coming from someone who struggled / couldn’t be arsed to apply a body cream once a week is pretty darn good going. I’ve just got into the habit, and since I have been doing this since pretty much week 3 of my pregnancy, I’ve now whittled it down into a 3 minute, easy regime.
My Pregnancy ‘Ritual’
I am doing this both morning and night after my shower or bath.
1.) 4 pumps of The Tummy Rub Oil on the belly, bum and lower back. This is a concentrated treatment, with organic oils high in Omegas 3, 6 & 9 to help the skin’s elasticity.
2.) A dollop of The Tummy Rub Butter over the top of the oil. This locks in all the moisture of the oil and strengthens the treatment (think of like layering a serum & moisturiser). It is also great to soothe itchy tummies.
3.) 2 pumps of The Pregnancy Boob Tube over my chest and boobs and a bit below. This is great for soothing tired boobs (YOU WILL GET VERY SORE BOOBS, particularly in Trimester 1) and it will also help with the skin’s elasticity so the boobs can grow comfortably and snap back into some kind of shape afterwards. This can be used throughout breast-feeding too.
4.) A large dollop Megamama body cream on other areas, such as arms, upper thighs and lower back. This is just a super-nourishing body cream that can be used all over.
5.) If I’m on my feet all day then I apply the Lucky Legs Gel when they are feeling really sore, puffy or swollen. This is a godsend I swear and I tend to apply it on my knees and kankles. It contains refreshing oils and extracts including spearmint which give an instant revitalising feel on the skin.
So that’s it. I’ve stuck to my Mama Mio. I have got through quite a lot of it and it’s *not* too cheap (I haven’t been sent any of this sob HEY MAMA MIO IT’S NOT TOO LATE) and maybe spent around £200 thus far but I am really happy with it and how my skin is feeling.
If you have been pregnant before what was your go-to body care brand?
