Oh, you’ve got that postpartum glow? Congratulations! That certainly isn’t the case for most women.
In my personal opinion there’s two types of postpartum Mamas. There’s the ‘I’m fitter than ever, looking so good in my active wear, hanging out with my baby by the beach’ kind of Mama and then... there’s the rest of us. Sleep deprived, no idea what we’re doing, stressed out and just completely overwhelmed.
The postpartum journey is a hectic one! A crazy brew of emotions & hormones with a dash of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Stress levels are high, your little sleep thief isn’t cooperating and to make matters even better (sense the sarcasm), you’ve never felt worse in your own skin.
The arrival of your new baby can leave you struggling with all sorts of body related issues (I know. Just what you wanted to hear)... Your skin, hair & nails in particular are put through immense changes during and POST pregnancy. But don’t panic! We’ve got all of the tips to get your glow back postpartum.
For most women these changes aren’t permanent, they’re just the unexpected surprise that slaps you in the face when you already feel like you’ve hit rock bottom. Before we give you the info you need to get your glow back, lets firstly look at a few physical changes you may experience postpartum.
Changes to your skin.
Due to the hormonal changes happening in your body, you may experience a few different skin issues postpartum. These can include:
Pigmentation
Some lucky women may experience dark patches of pigmentation across their face, this is called Melasma. Melasma is also referred to as ‘the mark of pregnancy’ as it can be a hormonal symptom pre & post delivery of your baby (thanks kids).
Break outs & acne
Breakouts are also very common post delivery due to high progesterone levels and fluctuating hormones. Often breakouts are caused simply due to lack of care. Postpartum you barely have time to drink a hot coffee, let alone to incorporate an actual skincare regime.
Dry skin
You know how they say to drink 8 cups of water a day? Well, you need to up the intake to avoid dehydration leading to dry skin and other pleasant symptoms of dehydration if you ever want your glow back.
Breastfeeding mothers can especially be effected by dry skin & dehydration as 90% of breastmilk is made up of water. So not only is your new baby stealing your sleep, she’s also snatching away your h20!
& the forever dreaded... Stretch marks
I don’t know about you, but among my friendship group, it wasn’t the labour or the idea of having to care for another living, breathing human that scared us... it was the fact that we may be left with stretch marks. Post delivery, I could care less about whether or not I have stretch marks because I have my beautiful baby but I know how daunting the idea of them can be. But let me tell you a little secret... stretch marks fade. And there are several preventative remedies available to you as well as remedies post birth.
Changes to your hair.
During pregnancy your hair may be thicker and healthier than ever... enjoy it while it lasts Mama! Once bub is here and your hormones start to regulate, all of the hair you gained during pregnancy may start to fall out. To give you a lovely comparison, I personally felt like a dog shedding its coat before the Summer heat arrives. Except it was Winter. And there was hair clogging the drain, filling our bed and there was a tiny human pulling chunks out whenever she could get her grimy little hands on it.
You may also start to notice little hairs sprouting around the frame of your face. These are what’s referred to as ‘baby hairs’ which is actually new growth from where you have had hair loss postpartum.
Changes to your nails.
If there’s one thing to look forward to during pregnancy (apart from the arrival of your baby, durrr) it’s that due to an influx of hormones, your hair and nails will grow longer & healthier than ever. That is, until your hormones return to normal and your nails become chipped and brittle and can be accompanied by a lovely little condition called onycholysis. Onycholysis is where the nail will separate itself from the nail bed and look like someone has tried to rip your nails off with pliers.
Intimidating stuff right? Hopefully we haven’t scared you off because there are remedies out there and habits you can implement to get your glow back postpartum.
Get your glow back, postpartum Sleep/rest
“Sleep when they sleep” Does this sound familiar? It’s true!
You may not be getting the solid 8 hours but it’s important to rest when they do. Don’t worry about the piles of laundry, a sink full of dishes or that your biggest achievement that day was moving from
the bed to the couch. You can’t expect to get your glow back by rushing around like a nutter trying to be the perfect Mum. So sit down, grab a snack and ‘Netflix and chill.’ Your skin will thank you for it.
Diet
Yes, you’re busy and yes, you can’t always make the effort to cook a healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner, but what you’re putting into your body if directly effecting your skin. Fill your body with nutrient rich foods that will keep your skin and body healthy and help get your glow back sooner rather than later. And if all else fails... there’s always Uber Eats.
P.S. Alyssa Dweck, M.D., FACOG, an ob-gyn in Westchester County, New York recommends that breastfeeding mothers should be eating 300 calories more that your pre-pregnancy diet daily! So eat Mama, eat!
If you want to learn more about postpartum nutrition, check out our dedicated blog here.
Just Breathe
This may sound a little hippy-dippy but taking a few deep breathes several times a day can help increase circulation and minimise pigmentation, dry skin and break-outs (you just took a few deep breathes didn’t you?).
Postpartum is the perfect time to take up yoga or meditation, and can be the perfect way to fill your cup, help get your pelvic floor back to where it was pre-birth and ultimately get your glow back.
Hydrate
Proper hydration is a massive contributor to keeping your skin glowing post-pregnancy... actually it’s important no matter what point of life you’re at. If you just aren’t that person who enjoys drinking water, than spice things up with juice, sweeteners, protein powders (check out our lactation protein powder here), teas and hydrate mama!
Now, if you’re doing all of the things and you still feel like you could be doing more... We’ve got you Mama. Introducing...
The GLOW UP Powder
The HEY MAMA Glow Up Powder is specially formulated to supercharge Mamas on their postpartum journey with ingredients like hyaluronnic acid, kakadu plum and biotin. It has DOUBLE the bio-available protein collagen because we know Mamas got no time to play around!
Let’s take a look at the benefits you should expect:
Grass Fed Collagen
Collagen is one of the key building blocks of our skin, helping to keep it soft, plump and healthy.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a substance naturally produced by the body. it provides gentle hydration and acts like a sponge to help retain water for plumper, softer skin.
Kakadu Plum
Kakadu plum has the highest levels of vitamin C of any fruit, more than 100 times than that found in oranges. Vitamin C is necessary for the maintenance of healthy and glowing skin
Silica
Important for collagen production, improves skin strength and elasticity as well as nail and hair growth.
Zinc
An essential trace mineral which helps to maintain normal healthy hair, skin and nails.
Biotin
A potent B-Vitamin that helps to promote strong, luscious hair by strengthening your keratin infrastructure. Keratin is the key structural material which your hair, skin and nails are made from.
Our body naturally makes collagen which is what keeps our skin looking plump and youthful. But the bodies collagen production begins to slow down and drop by 2% (or more) every year from the age of 30 (dammit). Introducing a supplement such as the Glow Up Powder will stimulate collagen production, combat those nasty little wrinkles by improving skin elasticity and replenish your skin giving you a more youthful, glowing complexion.
With regular consumption, you can expect to see results in as little as 2 weeks! Who doesn’t want that? Pre-pregnancy, post pregnancy... give me all the glow! Other common results include less hair loss & stronger, healthier nails! We’ll be Freddy Krueger in no time!
P.S. The Glow Up Powder goes beautifully with our lactation protein smoothie... check out The Ultimate Bundle.
So Mama, there you have it! Your Glow hasn’t retired, it just went on holiday!
We know that life is busier than ever, but remember to put yourself first once in a while. Your skin, your baby and whoever you live with will thank you for it!
Peace out mama ✌️
—
Keep up with us over on a social media to see the results for yourself and follow along with our journey as we continue to bring out products to support you pre & postpartum!
Instagram: @heymamasgroup
Facebook: @heymamasgroup
