Pregnancy is not always the most joyous 9 months you’d hope for when bringing the miracle of new life into this world. What with the swelling, bloating, nausea, headaches, moods wings and dizziness just to name a few.
You have to be extra careful with your body as now you are not just eating for two, you’re living for two. Look after that vessel!
It can be really confusing with people left, right and centre telling you what you should and shouldn’t do, eat or put on your skin. Below I’ve created a list of the most common things you should stay away from when you’re pregnant to hopefully clear things up!
Pregnancy Skincare
1. Retinoids
Retinoids are a type of Vitamin A that speed up cell division (quickening your skin’s renewal) and prevent skin collagen from breaking down. Retinoids are found commonly in anti-ageing skincare. Unfortunately high doses of Vitamin A can be harmful to a developing baby so it’s best to steer clear! On the label Retinoids can be referred to as: Differin (adapelene), Retin-A, Renova (tretinoin), Retinoic acid, Retinol, Retinyl linoleate, Retinyl palmitate, Tazorac and avage (Tazarotene) so keep an eye out. Don’t stress if you find you’ve been using a night time moisturiser that contains retinoids – it’s most dangerous in it’s oral form, applying to the skin isn’t as bad but should still be wary.
Try something natural like DnA Elements Naturally Ageless Moisturiser which gives you the ultimate blend of anti-ageing botanical extracts to help improve skin tone and texture to aid in the prevention and appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
2. Hydroquinone
Usually used in skin brightening products, Hydroquinone is used in treatment of hyper pigmentation or dark spots. However it has not been fully tested in regards to pregnancy and it is best to steer clear. If you do find your skin’s pigmentation is flaring up or scattering, which is quite common during pregnancy, try the Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel which contains botanical extracts with anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties to help soothe and calm irritated skin. This includes key ingredient Uva ursi which contains arbutin that has a similar chemical composition to hydroquinone without the irritating side effects.
3. Salicylic Acid
Salicylic is a mild acid is used to treat certain skin disorders, including acne, and you can find it in a number of skin products, such as cleansers and toners. It can penetrate facial oils to get deep into pores and clean out dead skin cells as well as reduce inflammation or redness. Sounds great right? Unfortunately research has shown that high doses of the acid in it’s oral form leads to birth defects. This is not say that applying topically is not okay but, again it’s better to be safe than sorry. Again, natural is probably best so I’d recommend the endota Spa organics pore purifying gel as a cleanser as it still penetrates deep into pores but doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals.
4. Acne Medication
If you’re skin is acne prone (or even if it isn’t) it is not uncommon to experience more breakouts then normal when pregnant because your hormones are all over the shop. Unfortunately common acne medications such as Accutane have been linked to birth defects are definitely not safe to use. If you are trying to get pregnant it is recommended that you stop taking acne medication for months prior so it is completely out of your system. You can treat acne while pregnant with something natural like tea tree oil applied to spots or KORA Organics Blemish Gel which has powerful blend of concentrated botanicals specifically designed to naturally help with and address problematic skin.
If you need to treat yourself during pregnancy, feel safe with the endota Spa range as it is 100% organic and the height of luxury.
Shop the full endota Spa range here.
Food to Avoid While Pregnant
1. Raw or partially cooked eggs
It is important to ensure all eggs are cooked through when eating to avoid risk of salmonella poisoning. It’s also best to avoid products that contain raw egg ingredients such as mayonnaise.
2. Pate
If you felt like being a little bit fancy, and smearing some pate’ on crackers as a midnight, pregnancy snack – think again. Avoid all types of pâté, including vegetable pâtés, as they can contain listeria which can cause food poisoning.
3. Raw or undercooked meat
This is the same as the eggs, make sure your steak, sausages, poultry etc is cooked all the way through with no blood! Sorry to all the medium-rare lovers out there. Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite that can be found in meat, soil, cat faeces and untreated water. If you are pregnant the infection can damage your baby.
4. Fish (some)
It is important to limit the amount of oily fish you eat during pregnancy. Steer completely away from shark, marlin and swordfish and limit the amount of tuna you eat to no more than two tuna steaks a week (about 140g cooked or 170g raw each), or four medium-sized cans of tuna a week (about 140g when drained). These types of fish contain high levels of mercury that can damage your baby’s developing nervous system.
5. Raw Shellfish
Eat cooked rather than raw shellfish as they can contain harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning and have a higher risk of listeria contamination. No sushi for 9 months – you heard!
I hope this list helps clear things up a little bit for expecting mums!
Check out our handy infographic below and if you found it useful, don’t forget to share!
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Enjoy the 9 months as much as you can.