Fancy A Makeover

Archive for September, 2010

After planning for a baby and saving up to make life a little easier the joy of finding out that you have finally conceived is indescribable. After waiting for your period to start only to find it hasn’t you are reluctant to wait any longer and take that long awaited pregnancy test that you have been saving. Once you have taken a few and it finally sinks in that you are pregnant you start to analyse your lifestyle to see if there is anything you need to change in order for this little life growing inside you to have a better and healthier start in life.

What they don’t tell you about pregnancy

After doing a little reading on conceiving and limited reading on actual pregnancy I don’t recall reading anything that put me off or made me think twice. Once I was pregnant I found out all these little pregnancy niggles that were too late to tackle once the deed was done.

• Nausea can start as early as 3 weeks (it did for me!) the doctor is not helpful and tells you there’s not much they can do unless it is really severe. Remedies such as ginger, sucking on ice cubes, sea bands, crackers eating little and often just do not work.
• Heartburn is usually common in the third trimester but be warned you can get it in the first trimester also, mine started after 4 weeks. Heartburn relief doesn’t work neither does drinking milk or yoghurt. You will eventually have to reduce spices in food and go on a very bland diet.
• Morning sickness lasts all day for the unlucky few, mine started at 3 weeks 5 days and by week 7 you lose interest in everything due to nausea. You can throw up any time of day and most smells make you sick, for me its meat and perfume/aftershave.
• You lose your appetite and have to eat things you didn’t think you would, I loved lamb, fish and chicken but now I have had to turn to a vegetarian diet as cooking made me sick and left me throwing up all day.
• Feeling hungry all the time, I didn’t think this happened as early as 6 weeks but it did, my midwife told me to eat little and often and try not to over eat such as eat for two.
• Being a keen gym goer and a size 10 I thought I would be able to hid my bump until at least 16 weeks but I started showing as soon as 7 weeks. It was devastating as I haven’t been overeating and the baby is the size of an apple pip.
• The black line that many women manage to avoid getting I got at 7 weeks 3 days!
• Since finding out I was pregnant I started applying stretch mark cream daily after having a shower, when I went away for a week at 8 weeks pregnant I didn’t think a week would make much difference and I got my first stretch mark on my belly at 8 weeks 2 days!
• As I was only a size 10 with many of my clothes loose fitting I hoped that I would need maternity clothes until at least 14 weeks but at 9 weeks I found my jeans no longer buttoned up!

So far in my first trimester I have had to stop eating meat, stock up on fruit all day, eat vegetarian meals only, have a nap at least an hour every day, chuck out my pre-pregnancy clothes, take heartburn relief after every meal and feel nauseated all the time I would say I’m in for a rough ride.

Not all women experience all of the above as severe as me but I hope as soon as I go into my second trimester I will feel better as at the moment I don’t enjoy being pregnant and feel sorry for my poor husband who has to put up with me.

In some point of our lives we will all experience blackheads, it doesn’t mean you have poor hygiene or need to wash your face more it just means you have oilier skin that most. It is a fairly common problem with most sufferers having them on their nose, chin, forehead and cheeks but it’s not unheard of to get them on the back too.

How to prevent blackheads

If you do not have a skin care routine then it is worth finding one that works now before the problem gets worse. You should wash your face with a face wash, cleanse, tone and then moisturise. Make sure the toner is alcohol free and does not dry out your face; this should be done in the morning and the evening. Men and women both suffer from blackheads and it’s nothing to be ashamed of or worried about. If they start to become infected and turn to boils or raised red bumps this is when medical advice should be sought.

How to remove blackheads

You should refrain from trying to squeeze out blackheads aggressively as you may leave scarring and your pores may be left permanently enlarged. With so many different ways to remove them here are some of the best and popular methods.

• Blackhead pore strips – you can find these in the beauty section at a pharmacist or health and beauty store. You have a strip that you need to apply some water too then you put it over the area that you want the blackheads removed. It works well for the T zone, forehead, nose and chin. There are strips that work for the back and the cheeks too.

• Facial steamer – steaming the face using a face sauna works well to open the pores, then take a tissue and gently squeeze them out. If they refuse to move then steam for a further 5 minutes and try again. If you do not have a face steamer then use a bowl filled with hot water and put a towel over the back of your head whilst leaning over it to stop steam from escaping.

• Blackhead pens – they are along metal rod with a small hole at the end, you cover the blackhead with it and push down. The blackhead should just pop out; the inner part of an ink tube pen works the same way. Pressure is applied all round the blackhead to make it come out.

Remember to apply ice or something cold to the areas you have removed blackheads so the pores can close. Also remember to wash your hands.