Pregnancy Skin Care Tips

Pregnancy Skin Care Tips


Pregnacy can be one of the best or worse times for your skin.  The increase of blood flow causes many women to experience what is called the pregnancy glow. Some women may find that they experince very little changes to their complexion, while others may feel like a teenager all over again.

Pregnant women may frequently experience dry, itchy skin on their stomach. The reason for this itchiness is that the skin is being stretched to its limit and it feels dry and very uncomfortable. There is also another skin problem some women experience during pregnancy and that’s skin acne.

Skin Acne During Pregnancy

Women may be more likely to experience problems with acne during pregnancy because of their changing hormonal levels. A word of caution, before using any acne treatment make sure and check with your doctor as some ingredients in the treatment may be harmful to your developing baby. Choosing gentle oil free cleansers and moisturizers, oil-free cosmetics and sunscreen are important. Drinking plenty of water and maintaining a healthy diet will give your skin a healthy glow.

The Pregnancy Mask

Melasma, or the pregnancy mask as it is commonly known is found among 70% of most pregnant women. The symptoms of melasma are dark, irregular patches commonly found on the upper cheek, nose, lips, upper lip, and forehead. These patches often develop gradually over time.

This is quite common and can happen in women of any skin color but seems to be more of a problem for women with darker complexions. It usually fades after pregnancy but with some simple precautions you should be able to avoid it. Melasma does not cause any other symptoms beyond the cosmetic discoloration.

Make sure you wear sunscreen all the time even on cloudy days. Your choice of sunscreen is important for healthy pregnancy skin care. The safest form of sunscreen is one that provides a physical block to the sun's ray's and does not contain any harmful chemicals for your baby.

Body Skin Care


When bathing choose a gentle body wash that does not dry out your skin and apply a good moisturizing lotion or body oil to skin that is still damp. By using moisturizing creams to keep your skin supple and more elastic will help to prevent stretch marks and keep your skin soft and moist. Keeping your pregnancy skin care routine simple, avoiding bad ingredients and protecting your skin from the sun are the best ways to keep your skin healthy and looking good while helping to protect your baby.


Isabella Oliver is delighted to carry a selection of beauty ranges that we hope you will love as much as we do. Providing skincare solutions for pregnancy and long afterwards, This Works is brands that will ensure your skin's silky soft from head to toe. Enjoy feeling truly pampered and protected during this special time, your deserve it.

 

Baby Birth Announcements

Baby Birth Announcements

The birth of your newborn baby is a memorable time and meant to be shared with all your family and friends. Announce baby's arrival to the world in a special way by sending out birth announcements. The following steps will help you to create the perfect birth announcements to share the exciting news about your baby's "royal arrival."


1. Write down all the information you want to include. Remember to list the baby's full name, date and time of birth, and length and weight. Include both parents' names, and mention the grandparents' names if you like.


2. Select the type of birth-announcement card you will use. Check with card or stationery stores to see the wide range of choices.

3.  Consider purchasing packs of ready-made announcements. Prices begin at about $50 to $75 for 50 cards and envelopes; the price goes up for more expensive paper stock and added embellishments such as stickers or bows.

4.  Splurge for custom-printed announcements if you prefer. These can cost about $200 to $250 for 50 cards and envelopes. You can purchase these through copy and print shops and some specialty card stores.

5.  Consider shopping online to save time. You can e-mail your information to an online stationer and have the cards printed and shipped to your home. Do a keyword search for 'birth announcements' on your favorite search engine to find Internet vendors.

6.  Consider having the envelopes shipped to you before the baby is born. This way you can have them          preaddressed and ready to go as soon as you provide the information on the cards.

7.  Include a photo of the baby with the announcement.

8.  Type up the announcement information and send it to your local newspaper office.

9.Find out if the newspaper will run a photo with the announcement. If you provide one, write the baby's name and address on the back so it doesn't get confused with the photo for another baby's announcement.

Selecting The Perfect Baby Gift

Selecting the Perfect Baby Gift


There is nothing else sweeter than the birth of a newborn baby? Celebrate the "royal arrival" with a baby gift that will be cherished and treasured for many years to come.

When shopping for baby gifts, look for baby gifts that will continue to be useful to the new baby as he or she grows to be a toddler. There is no need to worry about the necessities like diapers or baby shampoo. Use this opportunity to indulge in a keepsake or traditional gift that commemorates the special occasion whether it’s the birth of a baby, the baby shower, or a christening gift.

• A Blanket of Love

Parents use baby blankets for everything from keeping baby warm to covering up while nursing. They’re used to decorate nurseries, to shade baby from the sun on a walk, and to give baby a soft place to play on the floor.

Baby Blankets make great baby shower gifts. Babies can never have too many blankets. A personalized baby blanket makes a wonderful baby shower gift.

• Personalized Baby Gifts

New parents love showing off their baby’s name. Help them out by shopping for personalized baby gifts for their baby shower or after the baby’s royal arrival.

Here are some personalized baby gift ideas:

1. Shop for a personalized clothing embroidered with the new baby’s name.
2. Have a beautiful piece of nursery art personalized.
3. Have a keepsake blanket monogrammed.
4. Shop for a personalized growth chart so the parents can track their little one’s milestones.

• Gift Baskets

Gift baskets include a bundle of great gifts, and they’re wrapped in adorable and impressive ways. Simply find a theme that you love and place your order. Baby gift baskets are usually centered around themes like stuffed animals, flowers, food or sports. The theme you shop for may depend on whether or not you’re shopping for a baby boy or baby girl.

• Christening Gifts

One of a new baby’s most touching, precious milestones is his or her christening. It’s traditional for guests and family members to honor this special event with christening gifts. Here are a few tips and suggestions for shopping for a christening gift for the new baby:

1. Christening gifts or baby baptismal gifts are traditionally kept pure white.
2. Have a picture frame personalized with the date of the christening
3. Have a christening blanket embroidered for the baby’s christening ceremony

Click Baby Link To Shop For The Perfect Gift Today.

Baby

Relieving Morning Sickness

             Relieving Morning Sickness





Morning sickness affects an estimated 50 to 90 percent of pregnant women. Most women experience it in the morning, but it can occur at any time during the day or at night. Morning sickness typically occurs in the earlier parts of pregnancy, but some women can experience it throughout their entire pregnancy. Women suffering from morning sickness tend to experience nausea, vomiting, or both.


Common Ways to Help Relieve Morning Sickness:

• Choose Foods Carefully

Select foods that are high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Salty foods such as saltine crackers have been known to help alleviate nausea. Avoid spicy foods, foods high in grease and fatty foods.

• Eat Small Meals Often

Healthy snacking and eating small meals throughout the day rather than eating three larger meals will help to keep the nauseated feeling away.

• Drink Plenty of Fluids

Be sure to drink plenty of water. Drinking ginger ale soda, sucking on peppermint hard candy or ice chips have also been known to help.

• Avoid Smells That Trigger Nausea

Certain foods or smells can seem to make your nausea worse. Identify those smells and/or foods and avoid them as much as possible.

• Get Plenty of Fresh Air

Get as much fresh air as you can. Go for a walk outdoors. Fresh air not only cleans out your lungs, it also helps you clear your mind.

• Vitamin Intake

Be sure to get the proper amount of Vitamin B6, or Vitamin B12, these two vitamins in particular have been known to reduce nausea during pregnancy.

• Change Your Prenatal Vitamins Schedule

Sometimes the time you take your prenatal vitamins may affect you as well. If you feel queasy after taking your prenatal vitamins in the morning, start taking them at night. Just be sure to take them daily.

6 Ways To Bond With Your Baby

The Importance Of Bonding


Bonding is the process by which parents form a close personal relationship with their newborn baby. The strong ties that parents develop with their baby provide them with an intimate relationships and a sense of security and positive well being.

Bonding is so essential for parents and their newborn babies. Some parents feel an intense attachment within the first minutes or days after their baby's birth. For other parents it may take a little longer especially if the baby is adopted or has been placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Bonding with your baby is probably one of the most pleasurable aspects of infant care and it takes time. It’s not something that takes place within minutes or something that has to be limited to happening within a certain time period after birth. For many parents, the bonding experience occurs in the everyday care you give to your little one. You may not even know it's happening until you observe your baby's first smile and suddenly realize that you're filled with love and joy.

6 Ways to bond with your baby:

1. Touch

A baby's first communication is through touch. Holding your baby close and rocking cradle them in your arms creates a gentle closeness between parents and baby.

2. Breastfeeding

Babies that are breastfed receive bonding on a regular basis with their mother, therefore helping an early bond to develop.

3. Massage

massaging your baby not only creates a bond by touch, it also stimulates the baby’s physical, intellectual and emotional well being.

4. Talk

Talking to your baby in soft and soothing voices gives your baby the security and peace that you are paying close attention to them. Take the opportunity to talk to your baby during bathing times or while you’re just sitting around with baby. Enjoy the time you spend together by telling them how much you love them.

5. Singing

Singing a soft lullaby or song is such a soothing and peaceful experience for babies. The sound of your voice will relax and give your baby the assurance that they are safe and loved.

6. Read

Reading is another way to bond with your baby and at the same time you are helping to strengthen your babies' cognitive skills.  Try reading to baby and putting their name in the book instead of the character. This gives your baby a connection with their name and the story.

Shop Now For Baby's Personalized Books:

Stress and Pregnancy

What you need to know:


Pregnancy is a stressful time for many women. You may be feeling happy, sad and scared—all at the same time. It’s okay to feel like you do.

Very high levels of stress may contribute to preterm birth or low birthweight in full-term babies. Examples of events that may be highly stressful include loss of a job, divorce, or death of a close family member.

What you can do:

Recognize that you do indeed feel stressed. Accepting the fact you are stressed and identifying the situations that cause you stress are the first steps in helping reduce it. You can also help reduce your stress by:

• Eating regularly and nutritiously and drinking lots of water.

• Resting when you can—and when your body needs it.

• Exercising (with your health care provider’s OK).

• Relaxing by meditating, listening to music or writing in a journal.

• Resisting any urges to drink alcohol, smoke or take herbal products or drugs (except those prescribed by your health care provider).

• Staying away from stressful people and stressful situations, when possible.

• Talking—to your partner, friends, relatives, health care professionals and your employer. If you feel overwhelmed, talk with a trained counselor or other mental health professional.

• Going to all your prenatal care appointments. This will give you the reassurance that everything is okay with your baby or let your health care provider know about a problem while there is still time to do something about it. You’ll feel less stressed because you know you are doing the best for your baby.

Smoking During Pregnancy

Consider the Facts About Smoking During Pregnancy:


1. When you smoke... so does your baby.

When you smoke you inhale poisons such as nicotine and carbon monoxide. These poisons get into the placenta, which is the tissue that connects you to your baby and sends oxygen and nutrients and eliminates wastes. These poisons keep your baby from getting the proper supply of nutrients and oxygen that he or she needs to grow.

2. Smoking during pregnancy can cause low-birth weight, preterm delivery, and infant death.

According to the American Lung Association, smoking during pregnancy is estimated to account for 20 to 30 % of low-birth weight babies, up to 14 % of preterm deliveries, and about 10 % of all infant deaths.

3. Second-hand smoke can also cause problems for your baby.

According to the American Lung Association, new studies have shown that if a woman is around second-hand smoke during pregnancy, there are added risks. You have a greater chance of having a baby that weighs too little and may have health problems.

4. There can be long term health risks for your baby.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause your baby to have more colds, lung problems, learning disabilities, and physical growth problems.

5. Nicotine replacement therapy such as the patch can still affect your baby.

Before using any nicotine replacement or cessation aids, you should discuss it with your health care provider. You and your provider can discuss what is more beneficial for you and your baby.

The Benefits for You and Baby If You Don’t Smoke:

• Lowers the risk of your baby being born underweight or too early

• Increases the amount of nutrients and oxygen that your baby will receive

• Lowers the risk of your baby having health problems

• Increases the chances that your baby will go home with you from the hospital

• Lowers your risk of future health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and lung problems

• Gives you more energy to go through your pregnancy

• Reduces your risk of dying

• Saves you money

(See More On Pregnancy and Smoking In Our Video Section)