By: Paulina Lopez-Velazquez
Pregnancy comes with many wonderful things, but let’s face it, not everything is great, we all go through different weird changes in our body, for me it has been the same in all three pregnancies: Skin issues, swollenness, and breathing problems. By now I have a pretty set routine down to tackle each issue and a few products that are my Must Haves that I wanted to share with you if you are having the same issues! Hopefully you find something useful for you. Ok here we go!
Skin Issues:
Itching much? This has been a constant issue with every pregnancy, and it kills me! Towards the end of the day I just simply cannot stand my breasts, this is the area it hits the most as well as my thighs. I try to avoid scratching as much as I can but I have woken up with marks all over my breasts because I do it over night without noticing. The only thing that has worked for me is the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Soothing Oil, I have used it since the first pregnancy and it’s a life saver for me! as soon as I found out I was pregnant I ordered it right away, I apply it through the day on my breast and my belly or as soon as I feel the itch start, it’s very soothing and it helps me with the scratching, plus it also helps avoiding major stretch marks. Whenever I run out I have also used some natural coconut oil, soothes me but the soothing oil works better for my skin.
Let’s talk Stretchmarks! Ever since I was young I had lots of weight issues (that’s a whole other blog post I should write about later) so my weight was up and down a lot from a very young age which caused some stretchmarks on my butt (can I say butt? Haha) So, since my first pregnancy I have been very mindful of taking care of my skin, I tried different things but my favorite so far is the Bio-Oil. I am very happy to report that I have almost no additional stretchmarks from pregnancy, plus applying it on my skin gives me such a relief and It feels good! My only advise would be to put it at night right before going to bed because it might rub off on your clothes depending on the fabric.
My skin is cracking! And not in a good way, mainly my feet due to the swelling and since I have been pregnant over the summer I tend to use lots of sandals. This has been the biggest struggle, I mean who wants to see some cracked up dry feet? Not cute, right? Well, this time around I found the perfect solution! I have tried over 8 different types of foot creams (seriously!) and none have worked better than the O’Keeffes Healthy Feet, I apply this cream daily in the morning and at night and my feet are looking and feeling great (ok, except for the swelling) I will definitely continue to use this cream beyond my pregnancy to keep my feet smooth. They also have a Working Hands cream that my husband has been using for his psoriasis and that one is just as great!
Swelling and Sleeping
Let’s move on to swelling, which has been the biggest struggle for me, I mean I am now only wearing size 11 man sandals! I mean I’m only 5’4 so that’s a bit huge for me. My feet start kind of normal (haha) but as the day progresses my feet just keep getting bigger and bigger, my biggest tips are taking lots of water, putting your feet up as much as you can (but when you have multiple children, a job, a home and a husband, how much can you do this, really?) And what has worked wonders for me is the Epson Salt, if I don’t have a whole lot of time to sit on the tub, I simply put ½ cup in a container with warm water and I put my feet there for 20 minutes, maybe while checking my phone, or catching up on some reading (multitasking at its finest) at the end of the day, I found some that have lavender added to them, so that also helps me relax and have a good night sleep. You can find different ones on your favorite stores!
And talking about sleeping, I am now in the third trimester and sleeping is starting to be a challenge, I bought a nursing pillow recently which has made my nights SO much more comfortable but it does take a big chunk of space and my husband refers to it as “the barrier between us” so, sometimes I opt for using the regular pillows which still make me feel very comfortable. However, my main problem is that when I lay down my nose gets really congested and it gets hard to breath. This causes me to breathe through my mouth overnight which at the same time causes mouth dryness, thirstiness and makes me wake up constantly and not get enough sleep, a never-ending circle that I had to end! Luckily I found the life changing essential oils, they have made a HUGE difference for me, I use the Doterra brand and add a few drops of lavender, peppermint and the Breath blend to my diffuser every night. What a difference! I have been able to sleep with no problems ever since, I am able to breath and relax and just get a much better night sleep waking up in a much better mood! I carry the breath blend with me and I breath it through the day which has helped me with the daily congestion as well. I have personally found so many benefits to using oils during pregnancy I would totally recommend for you to do some research and see if you can apply it to any particular problems you might be experiencing .
I know a lot of us experience a lot of different crazy side effects during pregnancy and I can only speak from my personal experience but I hope that if you are going through a similar experience as me you can find this products to helpful!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and share with me some of your own favorite products! I always like to hear and try new things. Hang in there Mama! This is only temporary and by the time your baby arrives this will all be nothing but a blur.
Love, Paulina
