You’re suddenly responsible for a being besides yourself—your little one, who’s totally dependent on you before he or she arrives into the world. With such a huge responsibility, you tend to spend all your time and energy looking after your child, and so, you may forget to look after yourself— more specifically, your skin. You’ve heard so much about that ‘pregnancy glow’ but are wondering why you can’t seem to have it. Don’t sweat! There actually are ways to glow. Read on to know more.
 

1. There’s no ‘one’ skin issue— they differ from pregnancy to pregnancy

1. There’s no ‘one’ skin issue— they differ from pregnancy to pregnancy

All mothers are different, and so are each and every one of your pregnancies. If you steered clear from skin problems during your first pregnancy, it doesn’t mean you’ll be as lucky next time round. However, if you didn’t have acne or itchy skin in your first trimester, you’ve probably avoided it for the rest of your pregnancy. But in case you do suffer from these skin problems, you ought to point it out to your ob-gyn or dermatologist.

2. Most of the time, your hormones are to blame

As you probably already know, your body goes through the craziest hormonal changes when you’re expecting. Thanks to hormones like estrogen and progesterone, you may develop skin pigmentation, and the existing moles you have may go darker. Even if you’ve always looked after your skin, and have barely had any issues with it, the excess of these hormones may result in rashes, acne, and other skin problems. After all, your skin’s way more sensitive than it was before.

 

3. Your baby’s arrival may not be the departure of your newly developed skin problems

3. Your baby’s arrival may not be the departure of your newly developed skin problems

You may have heard that your skin needs a good three months after your little one’s arrival to fully recover and get back to normal. However, this may only happen if you aren’t breastfeeding, as breastfeeding too, increases your hormone levels. There isn’t a fixed time for your skin issues to disappear after pregnancy, as at the end of the day, you made a human— just give your body all the time it needs to recover.

4. Moisturizer is your best friend

I’m talking about the natural ones, of course. Rubbing natural moisturizers, such as coconut oil or aloe vera gel on areas of your skin that are most likely to stretch during the course of your pregnancy, can significantly reduce stretch marks. If you can’t seem to find the right natural moisturizer, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic ones are your best bet.

 

5. What you eat matters more than you think

5. What you eat matters more than you think

You’ve been instructed to eat healthy so that your baby gets all the nutrients he or she needs. You should also keep in mind that what you’re eating, affects your skin as well. Foods loaded with vitamins are what you need for a healthy baby, and healthy skin.

6. Pregnancy’s a great time to give your skin a break from make-up

Your body and skin are going through a countless number of changes at this very moment, and due to imbalances with your hormones, your skin’s most likely to change the most in terms of its texture. Covering your skin with more chemicals (from your makeup products) is likely to result in even more acne, due to clogged pores.