New Moms' Skin Problems and How to Deal with It

Becoming a mother is great because you get to welcome a new life into the world; however, the changes it brings to a woman’s body can be difficult at times. One particular change involves the skin. When you become pregnant your skin becomes much more sensitive and can easily be irritated.

If you are starting on a journey into becoming a new mother here’s what you should know about your skin when you enter pregnancy.

More Sensitive Skin

Women develop a much better sense of smell when they become pregnant. If you used to be immune to certain smells like the cologne of your husband, smells of foods or even the scent of a room that will all change when you become pregnant.

When you’re pregnant you suddenly can’t stand the smells of certain foods and you might find that your favorite pasta dish has now become unbearable to you. You might even tell your significant other to stop using that perfume or cologne because you suddenly don’t like the smell once you’re pregnant.

The same thing happens to your skin. During pregnancy, your skin becomes extremely sensitive and regular things, like scrubbing while taking a bath/shower may now leave red marks.

Your skin becomes more sensitive during this time for a number of reasons:

• Increases in hormone levels
• Increase in blood supply to the skin
• Thinning of the skin due to the body’s growth to accommodate the little bundle of joy

Stretch Marks

Pregnancy is known to cause stretch marks. Some may wear them as a badge of motherhood but many wish that they could just get a push gift for bringing a baby into the world. As we've mentioned earlier, women’s skin gets stretched because their bodies are making room for the baby. As the baby grows the mother’s skin stretches as well to make more room for the little tyke.

Fortunately, stretch marks will soon disappear once you give birth to your baby.But if you’re eager to try to avoid these marks, consider applying VCO, however, should you experience any irritability, immediately stop applying it and consult your doctor about alternatives.

Acne Breakouts

Surprisingly, becoming a new mother can make a woman feel like a teenager again due to the breakout of acne. The elevated hormone level in a woman’s body can cause pimples, while there are lots of remedies to these breakouts, doctors do not recommend women explore these options when pregnant. Some natural home remedies which experts recommend are to use lactic acid, tea tree oil or sulphur.

Dry and Itchy Skin

Another symptom of pregnancy may be dry and itchy skin.

According to experts, pregnant women with dry and itchy skin can relieve their discomfort by drinking lots of water regularly. Dry and itchy skin caused by pregnancy happens because your baby is using up most of the liquids that you’re taking in, so it is important to replenish these by drinking water regularly. Also, installing a humidifier in your room can help moisturize your skin while you sleep, you can also try hypoallergenic lotions to moisturize your skin.

If you’re itching a lot don’t worry. New moms often develop itchiness because of their dry skin but please don’t scratch that itch because you’ll only get more red marks on your body. One way to relieve that itch is to get into your tub and have a nice warm oatmeal bath. It’s a very soothing experience not just for the skin but also for your mind.

One last tip for moms-to-be is to wear organic cotton clothes to ensure that your skin won’t be rubbing against any material that can cause allergic reactions. As mentioned earlier, your skin becomes extra sensitive during pregnancy so you should always be covered in something that’s extra gentle on your body.

Cottonique offers clothes free from materials and chemicals that often lead to skin allergies. All of their apparels are hypoallergenic, latex and spandex-free, and Cottonique does not use bleaching compounds, softening agents and textile resins in their products making them the safest clothes for expecting moms.

You are just as important as the baby that is growing inside of you so take extra care of yourself and make sure that you’re as comfortable as you can be during your pregnancy.