Pregnancy Skin Issues Begone with Beaute De Maman

Had the pleasure of trying the awesome Beaute de Maman line of skincare products developed by a board-certified OBGYN especially for the delicate skin of pregnant women - and while at first a little skeptical of noticing any sort of different beyond the already gentle approach I was taking - I was blown away.

I am typically not one for boutique skin creams as I prefer to be able to grab my beauty products at any local grocery - I am, after all, a busy mama! (the Beaute de Maman website says you can find their products at CVS now!) One stop trips are key nowadays. Sadly I still have a Kohl's gift card from Christmas 2012 I haven't used yet because I just never make it that direction - but I have SOOO been meaning too - this mama is in need of a new wallet and purse - mine is looking downright shabby :/ - wallet is missing the zipper pull and the interior coin zipper is broken and the purse is getting worn edges. Work, home, grocery store, park, not much time or energy for extra trips with a toddler in tow to just pleasure shop. Oy.

Anyways, back to this skincare line. :) Sorry, got off track for a bit.

Between the face and body acne cream and the facial scrub blackheads that have been on my nose for as long as I can remember have vanished - and we are talking post baby #1 blackheads here!  Pretty much a miracle worker this stuff! In fact I plan on using it after pregnancy to see if it will continue to help with light my adult acne issues - because it most definitely cleared everything up and nothing that I have before now has! It is made with gentle and natural ingredients like tea tree oil - which you can smell hints of in the acne cream and with hormones being crazy with breastfeeding etc I am sure I will get way more than 9 months of benefit out of these products.

If you are suffering from pregnancy skin issues, like hormone induced acne, sensitive skin when you didn't have that before, and stretch marks - this line is a great product to try. I imagine if you are not accustomed to the smell of tea tree oil that that might set you back at first on the acne cream, but I found it was still just faint enough to not bother my queasy tummy and the facial scrub is indeed a scrub which I don't prefer to use everyday - just feels so harsh to have sharp, rough granules scrap at your face both morning and night - this typically doesn't bother me at all but if I am having a particularly sensitive night it does.


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Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers.

Sinus Infection Relief When Pregnant

In other words - how to muster through the pain and suffering without succumbing to death (maybe extreme - maybe not - have you had a sinus infection?? No? Then shush.) It sucks...now try it pregnant when you are very limited on how you can medicate yourself and your body's defensive system is a little too preoccupied with important baby-growing-stuffs and cannot seem to possibly be bothered to fend off or get rid of some icky, infected, blinding-pain inducing mucus in your nasal cavities.

[Warning - Long post of epic pity party proportions.]

Ok, so you had a cold (gleaned from your husband and toddler - they recovered in 3-5 days tops) and it was no fun right? Then you got an ear infection (true story) - even better huh??

So, a trip to your local CVS Minute Clinic, some low level antibiotics, a pat on the back, and a few days later you're hit with a full-blown, raging sinus infection that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. And, oh yes, it's summer - the weather is a scorching 94 degrees, you have a 2.5 year old, work full-time and are also 23 weeks pregnant. Have fun with that. :(

Some flonase and stronger antibiotics and within 2 days you can MAYBE say you are 8% better ---- eight percent...as in not even 10%. 3 days later on the flonase steriod nasal spray and the antibiotics and you are still only like 15% better.... :( Green mucus is now coming out of your eye because it has nowhere else to go with the pressure and the swelling and the clogging/stuffiness, and the pressure is comparable to a tooth needing a root canal - makes you wish for a muscle relaxer, high grade pain meds, or a stiff drink type pain...that is where I was at the last two weeks - people.

So what has kinda helped?
- warm mist humidifier on full blast in a small room with the door closed all night long (yes the room is upstairs and the weather is hot so already it was at 75 degree before running the humidifier - now it is like 85-90 - oy)
- hot compresses held to painful pressure spots
- sleeping in a semi-upright position - pillows, pillows, pillows (and for the first couple of nights - benedryl to knock ya out to at least get some rest while you wheeze/ cough with your mouth open all night)
- neti pot (while this is kinda helpful - really doesn't quite work as it should since you are soooo clogged that the warm saline solution - made from distilled NOT TAP water cannot even pass to the other nostril) I do think it helped work a lot of the junk out though - so better than nothing for sure! And towards the end of the infection it helped relieve the sinus pressure.
- saline nose spray - though this can backfire and just make things worse...soo I dunno
- carmex, burts bee lip balm, coconut oil (for chapped lips and raw skin from breathing with your mouth open all the time and from constantly wiping and blowing your nose)
- applying chest rub straight to the painful pressure spots - ah sweet (temporary) cooling relief from the pain at least - really did squat in the actual decongestion department but then again nothing has really touched that department yet - except maybe the neti pot
- tylenol to at least dull the intense pain of sinus pressure bearing down on your teeth, under eye, eye, and jaw
- rest

What didn't seem to help - but is worth trying and is known to help others:
- clariton d / sudafed / mucinex (check all meds with your dr first - all were on my safe list)
- benedryll
- bowl of steaming water with drops of essential oil and a towel over your head
- steaming baths/showers

The icing on the cake in this fun scenario? My family doctor has disowned me - I hadn't seen her in 4 years just due to not really being sick enough to go etc - that I am now considered a "new patient" and they aren't accepting new patient appointments until the end of August. How lovely.

So all this is occurred without a primary care physician - I obviously need one, yes - but I also need a doctor now - right this freaking second - no time for interviews, insurance paperwork, etc. So it's been trips to the local CVS Minute Clinic (very nice actually) and calls to my OBGYN - who at the moment is technically my PCP since I am preggo with baby #2 due in November.

Just..sigh...ready to not be sick any more.

5 days of lack of smell, taste and breathing through my nose - and going on 2 full weeks of being sick...in the summer...while pregnant and with a toddler...oy vey.

[Pity party thrown.]

[Update: I finally felt relief on Sunday (day 6 of the antibiotics and nosespray) - into the 3rd week of this misery - sinus pain is still lingering, nose is still partially clogged, and I now I have a constant tickly cough from the yuck making its way out - BUT I don't feel like death - hallelujah!]

Adding to the Pregnancy Survival Kit: The 3rd Trimester

I have been in the third trimester for a few weeks now  I am slowly beginning to catch on to a few new things that I haven't quite experience before.

Leg Cramps
Yup, waking up in the middle of the night gasping in pain with charlie horses. No fun! I can never remember what move helps - pulling your toes back or pointing them forward. One makes it worse and the other relieves the pain. But at 4AM when you're in the very grip of that excruciating pain you can't remember for the life of you which it is!

Bloody Noses
I've had them off and on - but now they are pretty frequent.

Insomnia
I have had this for a few weeks now - if I wake up near 4AM or 6AM to use the restroom I can almost never fall back to sleep. Thus resulting in very productive mornings, me arriving at work early and then getting exhausted around 8:30 or 9:00pm.

Sore Feet
And the newest addition to the treasure trove of third trimester symptoms - sore feet! Not swollen feet, thank goodness, not yet anyways. But my poor tootsies hurt! I can barely stand up barefoot on the kitchen floor to do dishes or cook very long my soles start aching so bad. Feels like I have been standing on my feet all day when in reality it's only for 30-40 minutes. I have resorted to wearing my tennis shoes if I am going to be in the kitchen - the arch support helps - but in this 95+ weather we've been having I'd much rather be keeping my tootsies cool in a pair of flip flops or no shoes at all! I've started wearing shoes with good support to the store to - long shopping trips are exhausting enough without having your feet hurt.

I've had a pretty easy going pregnancy so far - so if this is the most I have to complain about - I'll take it! :)

Without further ado - here's my updated pregnancy survival list - third trimester edition!

- Ocean Saline Nasal Spray
- Kleenexes with Lotion
- Bananas
- Peppermint foot soak
- Peppermint foot & leg mist/spray
- Shoes w/ good arch support
- More pillows! To put between your legs as you sleep on your side, to prop your feet up when they hurt AND to elevate your head a little to help keep you from getting too stuffy at night.
- Air Conditioning/Lots of Ice Water and cold drinks

Forgot to mention that I am finally getting hot. I have heard of pregnant ladies getting insanely hot but had always just finally been comfortable. Normally I am always cold so this was a nice change, but now the comfortable warmness has been replaced with burning hotness. I am sitting under the AC vent now - which I never do. I hate the cold air blowing straight on me normally - but here I sit happy as a clam with my feet soaking in my peppermint water. :) And I now sleep with no covers at all - was down to just the sheet but now I kick that off too!