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Under the microscope this month and straight from Contributor Sophie Knight’s shopping trolley is the My Expert Midwife range of products designed to soothe both you and your baby’s skin.
Sophie has picked out her favourite products that look after your amazing skin during pregnancy and after you’ve given birth, when your body, mind, and skin all need a bit of self care. For when baby has arrived, Sophie has chosen a range of baby products designed to protect and care for your little one’s delicate skin.
Spritz for Bits
Packing your hospital bag? Make sure this game-changing product is in there!
We know from experience that having a baby will leave you sore *down there* - even if you don’t have a tear or episiotomy. Birthing a baby is an intense experience, and can leave your bits swollen, bruised, and sore – but help is at hand with this spritz spray.
Spritz for Bits has been developed by midwives and approved by mums, and has won multiple awards for saving mums’ downstairs discomfort. The Perineal Spray contains natural essential oils including lavender to soothe, tea tree oil for its antibacterial properties, and witch hazel to promote healing.
You can use this soothing spray during pregnancy, straight after birth, and also helps if you’ve have a C-section too. It can help to relieve itching, stinging, and discomfort, and helps to moisturise your C-section scar. If you use it after your C-section, make sure your dressing has been removed and that your wound is healing normally.
Make sure you pack this in your hospital bag; or, buy this as the ultimate baby shower gift for your friend or loved-one. We promise this will be their favourite present – there’s nothing quite like the soothing relief for your sore bits after birth!
Stretch Mark Serum
Your body goes through loads of changes during pregnancy, and a common one is stretch marks – and it’s something that a lot of mums worry about. While we all want to be happy in our skin and love the journey its been on, it’s also great to know there’s a product out there that can help soothe and nourish your pregnancy skin, and can help reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
This serum soothes and hydrates tight, itchy, and stretching skin during pregnancy, plus nourishes tired and stretched skin post-birth. We love that you can use this serum anywhere on your body; you can even use it on your C-section scar once it’s healed.
Massaging your C-section scar – as weird as it might feel initially – is really important, and helps you to heal; using this serum as you massage is soothing to the skin, and can help the appearance of the scar.
It’s made with loads of beautiful essential oils, including grapefruit, geranium, calendula, and lavender, while vitamin E encourages elasticity and beeswax locks in moisture.
If you use this serum during pregnancy, the essential oils can also help to ease constipation – another pregnancy symptom that many of us suffer with – and it can also help you relax and get better sleep (and we all need help with that during pregnancy).
Soak for Bits
Whether you're on your pregnancy journey or you’ve just had a baby – your body and mind have been through so much, so treat yourself to a relaxing bath and add these gorgeous-smelling Soak for Bits salts. Not only will they help you relax your achy muscles and tired mind, but they’ll help soothe your sore perineum too. You can even use these bath salts after your C-section.
Your mum and your friends have probably all told you about the relief of soaking in a bath with Epsom salts, and that’s what this 100% naturally derived, midwife-developed soak is made with. There’s also the calming essential oils tea tree and calendula included, for their anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, and bergamot, to really help you relax. Added arnica will also help heal any bruising or swelling you might have on your bits.
This lovely soak also makes a delightful body scrub when mixed together with My Expert Midwife Stretch Serum. Just blend together and massage into any aches or niggles to give you a bit of extra relief after a long day.
We love this bath soak, in particular that it's suitable during pregnancy and after – and especially how your bathroom smells like a spa when you use it. Beware – your other half will want to steal it, but hands off, it's for mums only!
Nipple Balm
If you’re planning to breastfeed, or if you’ve already started, then a top-notch nipple balm is an absolute must. We know how intense the breastfeeding journey can be, and cracked, sore, and sensitive nipples can make everything seem 100 times more difficult. But a good nipple balm like this midwife-developed, mum-approved, and multi-award-winning balm can be a total life-saver, so we recommend it to anyone who’s planning to breastfeed – get this pocket rocket balm in your pocket, in your hospital bag, and in your bedside drawer ready for when you need it.
It's 100% naturally derived and will intensively moisturise your hard-working nipples, covering them in a rich but thin serum.
You can use it before breastfeeding without needing to wipe it off, as it’s safe for baby; or, use it after feeding or expressing.
A massive shout-out goes to the pump on this balm which means you can use it one-handed.
We also love that this nipple balm contains just three ingredients: medical-grade lanolin for a protective barrier, coconut oil to moisturise, and sweet almond oil for nourishment.
You can also use this during your pregnancy, if you suffer with sore nipples before baby has even arrived.
Bum Balm
All babies need a reliable bum balm to protect their sensitive bottoms. All those nappy changes can make bottoms red and sore, but use this Bum Balm from day one and keep your newborn’s delicate skin clean and protected.
We like to have several of these on the go at once – one in the nappy bag, one in the nursery, and one at the grandparent’s house too – making sure that cute bottom stays soft wherever a nappy change occurs.
This Bum Balm is a rich but thin serum, and again we adore the one-handed pump, making it easy to dispense during wriggly nappy changes. Beware, though, that a little bit goes a long way – don’t pump out too much at once.
Dribble Defence
Babies dribble – this is not breaking news! But when you’re a first-time mum, you might not realise quite how much they can dribble. Your little one’s skin can easily be irritated by dribble, causing sore, red skin that’s really uncomfortable for them. Using a soothing protective barrier cream like Dribble Defence keeps your baby’s skin soft and protected, preventing rubbing and chafing, and reducing the likelihood of rashes.
This wonder balm both prevents and treats dribble rash, thanks to ingredients including lanolin to protect the skin, calendula to soothe and calm inflamed skin, and castor and grapeseed oils.
We love how easy this balm is to apply to baby’s chin, neck, cheeks, and those gorgeous creases and rolls. It’s suitable for all skin, even sensitive and eczema-prone skin.