The list of things you can't ingest or slather on yourself whilst pregnant and nursing is endless. Seriously endless. I am now counting down the last few days of my eighth trimester of pregnancy (um, I just realized that's two years. . . of pregnancy. . . YIKES), clocking an additional 27 months of breastfeeding, with roughly 15 months of combined pregnancy and nursing to go, for a lifetime total of 66 months (or five-and-one-half years) of pregnancy and breastfeeding. I repeat. Endless.
So. . . given the time I'm investing in procreating, and the long list of things I love but can't have (like wine, gin, unpasteurized cheese, sushi, enzyme peels and retinols), I've been trying out some alternatives. And I'm happy to tell you that, while my attempted report on tasty non-alcoholic wine and beer came to naught (sorry, they're all terrible, so nothing to offer there), I have found the holy grail of pregnancy and breastfeeding skin care for mamas with hormonal, troublesome skin.
The MyChelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel ($26) is indeed so incredible that in spite of having eyes in my head to see that absolutely nothing on BabyCenter's exhaustive list of skincare no-nos was whipped into this little miracle product, I talked to MyChelle reps on two different occasions to confirm that there are no toxic substances known to harm moms or babes included here. Everything is natural and yummy and leaves a mama's skin feeling refreshed, exfoliated, and largely blemish-free, without the worry of causing birth defects or otherwise damaging your little peanut.
I've used the Incredible Pumpkin Peel twice or three times per week for the past three months and have not had a single hormonal chin blemish outbreak, which I was plagued with throughout both previous pregnancies and for the duration of nursing and weaning (UGH! as if 20 extra pounds, a postpartum pooch and dark-circled eyes aren't enough to demolish a new mom's self esteem). A word of caution, though--this mask is very effective, so try it in baby doses--I only leave it on for two minutes at a time. If you love it as much as I do, try buying it on Amazon's Subscribe & Save for only $18.85.
- M.
Oh, and hey! Please don't forget to take a sec to vote for Ain't No Mom Jeans for Parents.com's Best Mom Fashion Blog award--we'd love it! Just click the pic : ) xoxox
