My Pregnancy Skincare Routine

I am just now realizing I haven’t written a single thing on here about being pregnant. So yea, I’m pregnant! I’m now 26 weeks along and it’s finally starting to feel real. After three rounds of IVF, we are unbelievably happy to be able to celebrate this blessed success. I could say so many things about that journey but for now, we’ll focus on the topic at hand, pregnancy skincare. Now that I’m pregnant, I’ve had to switch a good deal of what was part of my normal skincare routine to one with skincare products that are pregnancy-friendly. IVF hormones definitely had an effect on my skin, mostly manifesting as more frequent acne I hadn’t dealt with in years. After the embryo transfer was successful, my skin seemed to calm down and find a point of “normal” again. I already knew some products were pregnancy no-no, particularly retinol-based products, but I wasn’t aware of other ingredients to be on the lookout for. An amazing resource that I’ve referred to is 15minutebeauty.com which is authored by a physician. Having a pair of medical eyes taking an extensive look at all of the ingredients is incredibly reassuring. You can pretty much find any skincare brand on the site and an extensive list of their many products. The lists are always being updated and reevaluated. She also breaks it down into what is or isn’t pregnancy safe and what is safe while breastfeeding. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it if you’re looking for detailed guidance on pregnancy-safe skincare products.

Skincare Roundup

This is somewhat of a conglomerate of products that I use. Some of them are new, and some of them I was able to keep around. I have to say I’m absolutely loving the Summer Fridays Babymoon Belly Balm and the Hatch belly oil. Stretch marks definitely run in my family so I’ve been applying one in the morning and the other at night. I’m sure I’ll still get them but at least they’re moisturizing nonetheless.

Watch the Ingredients

Because getting pregnant has been such an intense process, I wanted to make sure anything I’m using on my skin/putting in my body wasn’t going to do any harm. Skincare products seem relatively harmless but some ingredients, especially when used often, can have various effects on a growing fetus. Some products actually circulate in our entire bloodstream believe it or not. Some of the common ingredients to avoid include retinoids, AHA/BHA’s, acne products, hydroxy acids (lactic, glycolic, salicylic), chemical sunscreens, laser treatments, botox, and even some sunless tanners.

New and Old

I loved having an excuse to try out some new products. Some new ones I purchased I haven’t listed on here because I won’t be keeping around, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with many new ones. For example, the Tatcha exfoliating cleanser is lovely! It’s a light grit and gentle enough to use daily but still feels like it does a decent job. I also really like the Origins Checks & Balances exfoliator. I’ve used the cleanser and enjoy the exfoliator’s grit so much. The Summer Fridays deep hydration serum is also fabulous. Lastly, you cannot go wrong with Kate Somerville products. They’re pricey but excellent.

Psst! Don’t forget various skincare tools and such. I’ve had to put away my NuFace (microcurrents) while pregnant. Pimple patches were a dear friend throughout the intense IVF hormones as well as frequent use of ice masks. Gaining pregnancy weight plus the additional fluid volume on board has definitely left me rather puffy in the face. Ice rollers and this full-face ice mask are EXCELLENT (and not to mention incredibly cooling in this insane Texas summer heat at present).