Medical Questions & Answers

Beauty Care For The Pregnant Woman

Pregnancy is 9 months long and with proper preparation many of the ordinary beauty problems of pregnancy can be avoided successfully. The inevitable result of bearing a child is that the foetus draws upon the mother’s reserves making her undernourished, sickly and pale. To avoid this take a nourishing diet. A pregnant woman should take at least 4 cups of milk; 2 or more fruits, one of which should be citrus; 2 or more vegetables one of which should be deep green or yellow; 1 dish of potatoes, one or more eggs, 250 grams or more of either meat, fish or poultry, 6 to 8 chappaties or 3 to 4 servings of rice or bread, 4 tablespoons of butter. She would also need iron, multivitamin supplements and calcium, for example, 4 Calcium Sandoz tablets, 1 Hematrine capsule and 1 Nutrisan capsule. The diet mentioned above will provide for the maintenance of the mother’s body, along with the care of the tissue growth of the foetus, enough calcium and vitamin D for basic development and enough iron to prevent anaemia in the mother and to supply all the needs of the foetus. Constipation is the common problem of pregnancy and if not treated it gives rise to a number of skin problems. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. The first thing to take in the morning is a cup of warm water to which strained lime juice and 1 teaspoon of honey have been added. This helps in clearing the bloodstream and therefore clears the skin of its blemishes and at the same time helps to work the bowels. Of course, non-constipating fruits like figs, prunes and beetroots are a great help.

As the abdomen becomes larger, the skin stretches, fibres of the connective tissue immediately underlying the skin separate and give rise to stretch marks. To avoid these it is always wise to massage the abdomen and the breasts, regularly in the mornings before taking your bath, with baby oil. This prevents the stretch marks and keeps the skin soft, smooth and free from irritation. Before going to bed at night, apply hand and body lotion generously over the whole body. Smooth it well into the skin and it will help to keep your skin soft and smooth as silk and enwrap you in a lingering fragrance and make you feel relaxed and sleepy. Do this from the first month of pregnancy right to the last and even after delivery—for a few months
at least. On no account scratch the abdomen and the breasts because this will leave permanent scratch marks on the skin. If you feel very itchy gently, very gently, rub the skin with your hands, although with the regular use of baby oil and hand and body lotion you will not feel itchy at all.

If you are planning to breast feed your baby, you should begin preparing your nipples from the sixth month onwards. Once every day draw out, each nipple by gently pressing your thumb and index fingers down on either side of the nipple and gently roll the nipple out. After your nipple stands out massage it well with baby oil. In the last 3 months of your pregnancy, it is wise to stop the use of soap on the breasts altogether. The skin secretes protective oils which help to make the nipples and aerola strong and supple. Scrubbing with soap removes this natural protection. These oils are antibacterial and therefore help to guard the nipples against infection. Some women have flat and retracted nipples or even inverted nipples. Some experienced obstetricians feel that retracted nipples can be improved by indulging in a lot of breast play during love-making because it is believed that the tender attention of a man to this highly erogenous area is part of nature’s way of preparing a young woman’s body for the task of nursing a baby. Wearing a well-fitting brassier during pregnancy will help prevent loss of shape. Bridal Form bras (plain and padded) are especially made for this purpose and if worn from the beginning of pregnancy, they will help you to retain your body shape. Buy yourself a few maternity dresses which today come in many attractive designs and shapes. Don’t forget that a large degree of attractiveness depends on good grooming and good posture. The clothes should be comfortable and well-fitting with allowances for further expansion. Also go in for a couple of Bridal Form/nursing brassiers. They are made of high quality cotton and the cups are specially lined with lint so that any milk which falls is absorbed by the lint and does not spoil the clothes. These have a flap that can be lowered, so you can feed the baby without unloosing the support. Also discard high-heeled shoes and wear comfortable flat shoes. Proper care of the hair and skin is specially important during pregnancy. A daily bath with beauty soap, which is mild and fragrant, is a must. Clean your skin both in the morning and night with a cleansing milk. It penetrates deep into the skin and removes every trace of dirt and grime and therfore prevents unsightly skin blemishes. Every night before going to bed smooth on the face and neck baby lotion. It helps maintain the skin’s moisture balance and keeps it clear, smooth and young-looking. If you have a tendency to develop rashes they will aggravate during pregnancy. Sometimes, some pregnant women are troubled with freckles during pregnancy. Freckles are large patches of brown coloring matter on the skin which appear during the growth of the foetus, but however unsightly they may appear, nothing can be done about them. But be relaxed, for they are only temporary and a passing phenomenon. Sometimes some pregnant women grow thick growths of masculine hair on the arms, limbs and other parts of the body but these will fall off within six months after the birth of the baby. The foetus has a tendency to withdraw from the mother’s tissues a great quantity of fat which results in the loss or temporary spoiling of her hair and nails, therefore during pregnancy she should take extra care of them. Every week before taking your headbath, take some warm coconut oil and dab this oil along each parting with your finger tips. Continue in this way until the whole scalp has been oiled then massage your head vigorously for 5 minutes to ensure a thorough spreading of oil. Two hours later wash your head with a mild baby shampoo. This will help prevent your hair from falling and give it a healthy shine. Every week give your nails too an oil bath. Take a little warm coconut oil and put it in two squeezed-out lime halves. Dig your nails in the halves and let them remain thus for about 5 minutes before washing them with soap and water. You should choose any of the beautful shades given below to set off the youthful loveliness of your hands and then give yourself a weekly manicure: Blow up Pearl, Toffee pearl, Burgundy red, Pepper pearl and Pepper bronze. Before starting your manicure remove any old polish with .acetone. Shape your nails with the emery board working from the outer corner of the nails to the centre. Soak hands in soapy water and dry with a towel. Soak cottonbud in cuticle remover and gently work this round the base of the nails pressing the cuticle back and removing dead cuticle as you go. Now apply the base coat. The easiest way is to make a dab in the centre of the nail, outline a half-moon with one stroke of the brush then fill in the whole nail. Wipe tip of each newly polished nail carefully with cotton bud to leave a hairline free of polish so that it does not chip easily.
Allow the first coat to dry thoroughly before applying the second coat. When the second coat is dry completely, apply hand and body lotion onto your hands.

Another inevitable result of bearing a child is that it draws upon, not only the fats from the system, but hardening matter from the teeth; this results in weaken of the mother’s teeth. Hence, it is important that the mother takes at least 4 Calcium Sandoz tablets and takes special care to brush her teeth with a flouride tooth-paste.
Pregnancy gives rise to a sallow complexion—a lustreless complexion which shows lack of vitality which is mainly due to anaemia which in turn is due to, lack of proper diet. A pregnant woman therefore should pay particular attention to her make-up. She should apply make-up in such a way that it lends a healthy’and lustrous glow to the face. The added advantage would be that an attractively made-up face keeps the others’ eyes on the face and not on the enlarged abdomen. A pregnant woman’s make-up should consist of a moisturizer, foundation, eye make-up and lipstick. Begin your makeup with a dew drop moisturizer. This helps to set the foundation and absorbs sweat. As a general rule, apply the moisturizer on a clean skin only. Cleanse your skin with skin cleanser, then wash off with soap and plenty of water. Pat dry with a clean, soft napkin. Now apply the moisturizing cream, wait for a few minutes and then put on satin glow. This comes in a variety of shades; select the one which is nearest the color of your skin or a shade darker. With the help of your fingertips apply a little on the forehead, ears, cheekbones, nose and under the chin, front and back of the neck. Blend in thoroughly with upward and outward strokes over the entire face under the jawline back to ears, over and around the eyelids and the mouth. Cover all the visible areas of the face and neck. A few extra seconds of blending and gentle rubbing will give the desired even finish.

Now comes the rouge. It puts a glow on your cheeks and imparts a bright and healthy look to your face. But the rouge will not look right until it is very skilfully blended into the skin so that it should not be obvious that it is being used at all. It should be applied so sparingly that it should give only a faint glow to the complexion that would otherwise look pale. A lipstick can also be used as a rouge; then, the colors of the rouge and lipstick complement each other and do not clash. Take a little of the lipstick in the tips of your two middle fingers and pat lightly ,on the cheekbones where the natural color is supposed to be, then blend the color well in so that no hard lines are visible.

After the rouge comes the eye make-up. The right type of eye make-up can have a dramatic effect on your whole face. If your brows are scanty or too light, use eyebrow pencil to accentuate them. Brush your brows with a clean mascara brush into a smooth arch and define them lightly with light feathery touches with the pencil. The pencil must be used to tint the actual hair of the brow and not the flesh in between. The final effect should be a natural-looking arch. After the eye-brow pencil, comes the eye shadow. It gives brilliance, depth and life to the eyes. Lakme sells a four-in-one eye shadow. It is a clear translucent eye shadow and contains colors like flame blue, jade green and lavender-colors which can go with any dress. Eye shadow should be blended on the upper lid. Close one eye and then apply a narrow strip of shadow with your fingertips next to the upper eyelashes from inner to outer corner of the eye, blend it with your fingertips up and out over the eyelid but see that it is darkest near the lid. Now comes the eyeliner. A soft line drawn next to the upper lash-line with a liquid eyeliner makes the eyes larger and brighter. To use it, hold upper lid taut. Draw a thin line using a good eyeliner brush. Start at the inner corner of the eye and keep close to lashes. Extend the line a little beyond the outer end of eye giving an upward slant, then let it dry for a few minutes.
Now comes the turn of mascara. Mascara is a must for the starry-eyed look. Apply it with a clean brush. Cover the brush with a light coating of mascara and stroke it from the roots to tips of lashes slanting the strokes slightly towards the outer corners of the eyes and coaxing as many lashes as possible beyond the corners to create a wide-eye look. Maximum glamour is achieved if you take the mascara right up to the eye-liner so that the dark color of mascara meets the dark color of the eyeliner to create that glamorous look. Let the first coat of mascara dry thoroughly, then apply the second coat, for two thin coats look more natural than one thick coat. Dry again; then separate the lashes with a dry brush. Use cotton buds dipped in warm water to remove any smudges from the lids. Now use the lipstick. Learn to master the technique of using the lipstick brush. Stroke the brush forwards and backwards across the lipstick and as you do this coax the bristles to a fine edge. Fashion the upper lip first with the lips slighty apart. Draw the outline from the corners to the centre of the lips; then sharply outline the cupid’s bow. Use the other side of the brush on the lower lip working at one-half of the lip at a time. When the outline is clearly established, fill it generously with color. Give them a dewy look either with lip gloss or a touch of cold cream. Some of the shades you should always keep with you (these go with almost all shades of clothes) are : Blow up red, Burgundy red, Orange fire, French apricot and Tomato punch.

And, now, finally, comes the perfume. Whenever you go in for any perfume, see that it is one of the best available in the market. Use the perfume to the best advantage. Use it on the throat, earlobes, behind the ears, wrists, nape of neck, temples, inside the crooks of the elbows and chest. Perfume applied on these pulse spots stays alive because of the warmth of the skin at these spots. The body heat releases the fragrance and you will be enveloped in an exciting, mysterious and utterly irresistible fragrance. An economic use of perfume is to soak a piece of white flannel in it and tuck it either in your bra or at your waist where the warmth of your skin will send the fragrance out as you will move. Finally, never make the mistake of applying the perfume just before leaving your house as the scent will vanish quickly in open air. Apply it at least 20 minutes earlier to give it time to settle down. On an oily skin the perfume clings longer, therefore use it sparingly but if your skin happens to be on the dry side, then apply an extra dash of perfume for good measure.
The toilet water is also popular with women. They come in a wide range: lavender water, eau de toilet and eau de cologne. Choose the one you like best but they should be used more lavishly to give you a delicate lingering fragrance and garden fresh feeling.
Besides looking after your beauty, you should take long hours of rest: you should go to bed at nine in the night and should not wake up before eight in the morning. You should also lie down for at least 2 hours in the afternoon. In the evenings, go for long walks. Good sleep, fresh air, regular skin care coupled with right diet should provide every pregnant woman with active, full and healthy and happy existence throughout the time she is “EXPECTING”. An enjoyable motherhood!!

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