Photo: Carol Brooke
Are you feeling beautiful during your pregnancy? Flipping through a fashion magazine and seeing all the models with super-thin tummies might not be the best idea to help you feel beautiful.
It isn’t easy to keep yourself looking beautiful if you have been using products that have questionably, or potentially harmful chemicals on your hair, nails and skin. So, what can a mommy do?
Here are 5 natural pregnancy beauty secrets to help keep you feeling and looking beautiful, inside and out.
1. Surround yourself with positive energy
If you want to feel beautiful while pregnant, think and do what makes you happy and healthy. Play music that helps you feel relaxed, such as Shawndeya or Enya. Take a soak in the tub (not too hot, or course) or chat with an uplifting friend.
Think about your self-talk. What are you thinking about yourself and your pregnancy? Purposely say and think kind, loving and uplifting things about yourself and your pregnancy. Shawndeya’s Birthing Affirmations can help you feel positive and beautiful. It’s also a good idea to find a doula, if possible. Doulas can help you feel positive about yourself and your pregnancy. Avoid people, places and situations that drain you of energy.
2. Rub cocoa butter oil on your body
Rub it on mama! The skin on your tummy, hips and breasts needs extra moisture as it stretches to help prevent stretch marks. Yes, part of this is genetics, but you can help prevent some damage by drinking lots of water and moisturizing your skin. This is something you need to do starting in the first trimester as your belly starts to grow, and it needs to be consistent. Gently rub the cocoa butter oil (not the lotion or butter) on your belly, hips and breasts at least twice a day. You could also use olive oil, but it doesn’t smell as good as cocoa butter oil. If you feel your skin stretching throughout the day, stop what you are doing and rub the cocoa butter oil on. The oil can also keep your nails naturally shiny without the use of nail polish.
3. Drink lots of water
Sounds so simple, but do you really drink enough water? Measure your water intake for a day and see how you do. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Drinking out of glass, rather than plastic can keep your water as pure as possible.
If you’d like to drink other beverages, you may want to consider the ingredients. Caffeine and some herbs are not recommended during pregnancy. The herbs in Pregnancy Tea by Traditional Medicinals has been safely used during pregnancy for many years.
4. You are what you eat and you become what you do
Seriously, ladies! Pregnancy really is not the time to eat for two. Make the calories count by eating healthy, fresh, organic food. Ever hear the saying, “You are what you eat?” So, if you want to look like a muffin, eat a muffin. You’ll have a nice, round muffin top popping out from your jeans after delivery. If you want to look like a hot and juicy peach… Eat a peach, mama. 
Childbirth is definitely a workout. Probably the hardest workout you’ll ever experience your entire life, so exercise during pregnancy can help you during delivery. Don’t over-due it, because it is possible to do so. Be gentle, but consistent. Share your daily workout routine with your midwife or OBGYN and see if you need to make any changes to it during pregnancy. Going for daily walks after dinner or riding on a stationary bike helps keep your muscles toned and your spirits up.
5. Squeeze lemon juice on your skin and hair
Lemon juice can be used to help keep your skin clear and give natural highlights to your hair. Squeeze lemon juice onto blemishes and any age spots on your skin. Follow up with a cool rinse and oil-free moisturizer.
Sure, your hair might be getting thicker, but it also might be getting greasy and looking pretty tired with your roots popping out since you feel like you can’t dye your hair. Most doctors I’ve talked to recommend that you don’t dye your hair during the first trimester, and a midwife I know recommended that I don’t dye it at all during pregnancy. If you are planning your pregnancy, you can dye your hair before conception closest to the natural shade as possible. If you naturally have dark hair and dye it lighter, you could use lemon juice on the roots as it grows out.
To Do Tonight…
Give yourself an at home spa night tonight, mommy-to-be. Drink a hot cup of tea while listening to relaxing music, take a warm soak in the tub, rub on the cocoa butter oil (ask honey for help) and eat a juicy peach. Now, don’t you feel beautiful?
About Carol Brooke
Before becoming a mother, I earned a Master of Science in Counseling and Master of Education in Educational Technology. Part of what convinced me to become a work-at-home mom is what I learned in college and my working experience as a counselor and teacher. To sum it up... I learned that we can't get the time back, so we've got to treasure every moment. http://carolbrookebooks.blogspot.com/
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