How being prepared, great foundation, good concealer and glasses of water will make all the difference to the first few weeks of motherhood.
Pregnancy! What a roller coaster of a time. Everyone has stories that begin ‘Oh yeah I remember when I was pregnant.’ But what happens after that life-changing event? Does anyone talk about that? Having just experienced something that will have turned your life upside down, how do you recover? How do you get back to a routine where you can look after the baby, yourself and everyone else in the family unit?
Accepting help and prompting others to look after you too will help balance the load and give you time to find some perspective and build some routines. Yes, it can be daunting trying to establish routines. It can also seem like nothing will every return to normal. When you witness physical and emotional changes they really might feel like an uphill struggle. So, the last thing you might be thinking about is beauty and health tips. But strangely enough, if you look after yourself you’ll have the strength and will to take the rest of the experience of looking after a new-born in your stride.
It has to be said that the best tip of all is to be prepared. If you can put some basics in place you can achieve masses, including looking making time to look after yourself.
Here are some suggestions of how to begin.
Table of Contents
- Hormones
- Moments Alone
- Easy Clothes
- Water + Diet
- Eliminating Dark Circles
- Take Care Of Your Skin
- The Right Makeup
- Vitamins
- Hair Care
Hormones
Be aware that hormones are all over the place and we all know they affect absolutely everything. You will cry for no reason, so be prepared. Your skin may well look shocking. It’s possible you’ll want to sleep forever or find you can’t sleep at all. Remember this is what might be termed ‘normal’ – whatever that might be, under these circumstances. You will fret about how you feel, how you look and whether you’ll ever crack motherhood. No woman ever, hasn’t worried about those things before. So don’t feel guilty. Embrace the challenges, ask for help and take some time to be you. There will be lots of offers from friends and family so don’t go it alone and most important do NOT feel guilty. You are not superwoman, why would you want to be?
Moments Alone
Starting the day will set the pattern for the rest of it. Use the time when baby is sleeping to maybe put on a face mask once in a while then have a shower. It will refresh you. Those moments alone will feel precious so appreciate them. Light makeup will also just make you feel better. Make sure to use makeup products that are pregnancy safe. It’s not the time for a full makeover. Just a little mascara, eyeliner or lip-gloss. Any of these will help you feel better.
Easy Clothes
Choosing easy clothes that have relaxed style will make you feel more in control. If you pad about in pajamas or a onesie it’s hard to feel motivated and competent. Remember, baby has to also learn to fit with your routines. It’s a two way process of getting to know one another and finding a relationship that pleases both.
Water + Diet
Drinking plenty of water will help. If you are breast-feeding then diet and hydration will have a massive impact on breast milk and your skin. You probably need a minimum of 3000 calories a day to feed your baby and give it the nutrition it needs. Don’t skimp but grab those calories from healthy sources. Remember rest and recovery will do a lot to make you feel better. If you try to do too much while breast feeding it WILL affect the quality and nutrition of your breast milk and that has to be a priority. Build in quiet times where you relax. If your diet and rest regime is sensible it will help you and also help make your baby satisfied. So it’s win, win. And those quiet times will help how you look.
Eliminating Dark Circles
But what about those dark circles and under eye swelling through lack of sleep? You can cope with quality concealer and that’s the quick patch over we all need in an emergency. But treat the underlying causes. Dark circles and swelling under the eyes may be caused by water retention. The irony is you need to drink plenty for the body to stop hanging on to liquid. When there’s plenty available the system is flushed out more regularly. Other things that might help are using a thick pillow, placing cucumber slices or even potato slices on the eyes to help. If you want to see the difference a potato can make put a limp lettuce in cold water with a peeled potato and watch how the leaves spring back quickly.
Take Care Of Your Skin
If your skin looks dull, once again water can come to the rescue. Also ensure you use a moisturizer. Keep a moisturizer close by when you are feeding baby and make it part of your routine to slap on a little twice a day. When you have a shower, exfoliate too. At this time it’s all about doing two things at once when and where it’s practical.
The Right Makeup
Finding a good foundation is essential. Source one that has a lightweight formula that helps with creating a modern and radiant glow. This will brighten dull skin and actually visibly reduce the appearance of dark spots. Pearl pigments reflect light to instantly diffuse perfections, so check if your foundation has those ingredients. Don’t forget to color-match your foundation! It might well become your best friend. A foundation with Vitamin C and E will boost your skin. Remember, your skin will have been through a lot in the nine months, the birth and beyond. Look after it and show your appreciation.
Vitamins
Vitamins are important. Vitamin D is something will have a vast impact in how you look and definitely how you feel. It regulates how much calcium and phosphate is in your body. You’ll need these to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Your baby will have depleted your resources. You need about 10 micro grams a day and a supplement is an easy way. However, twenty minutes of summer sunshine will do the trick too. If you and your baby can get fresh air that will be beneficial for both of you.
Hair Care
Hair can be a nightmare at this time. Once again hormone changes will lead to hair loss. Don’t panic, this is part of the process of returning to your pre-pregnant self. Once again diet will help, but so will a dry shampoo or mild shampoo/conditioner. Detangling spray can be helpful but so can a really practical hair cut and style. If hair gets a great post pregnancy cut and style with a bit of product you can be raring to go and looking great with little effort. Now is not the time to spend hours using hair straighteners, curling wands and tongs.
For now keep life simple but everything you choose to do, do it well and soon you’ll be wondering what all the fuss was about. Well, in theory at least.
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