I know what you're thinking: "You had a beautiful, healthy baby boy and all you can think about is how you look?" Listen, I am by far one of the least vain people you will ever meet. But let's face it, when you feel good inside, you feel good oustide. And vice versa. When I feel attractive, my spirits are lifted and I am more confident. And besides, I spend so much SLEEP DEPRIVED time worrying about my son's infant formula, (currently) vegetarian diet, sprouting first teeth and tummy time that I believe my "Mommy Time" is duly-prompted and well deserved.
Upon my arrival back home from the hospital, I was to deal with the initial shock that I couldn't do much with my abdominal muscles until they partially healed many weeks later. I inspected my incision in the bathroom mirror and thought that the pain of looking at my scar was greater than the pain of recovering from the surgery (and I have a high pain tolerance). As soon as my OB-GYN green-lighted me to do as I pleased with my body, I frantically went in search for an ointment or salve of some sort to lighten that gruesome five-inch long scar. I purchased Bio-Oil from Wal-Mart and found the results to be quite... mixed. I have been applying it on my scar for three months now and found that it turned the incision into Morse Code. Portions of the scar have significantly lightened to the point that I can hardly see it, while other portions remain dark as ever. But on Bio-Oil's website, they do mention that scars are "permanent in nature" so don't expect the bugger to just disappear within a few months of use (or ever). A disclaimer at the end of each paragraph within the website reads "Results vary from individual to individual," so you may as well not take my word for it either. Either way, it was an affordable purchase and doesn't hurt to try.Aside from the severe lack of sleep I've been experiencing since my 8th month of pregnancy, I also had to deal with strands of black hair covering every inch of my bathroom floor.
My once lustrous and shiny locks were now property of the linoleum and the necessity of vacuuming was exponentially raised by the occurence of taking a shower. I went from having a forehead to having a five-head (haha, get it?) and my receding hairline was the laughing-stock of... my husband. He was only lightly teasing me for it and we would both giggle, but deep inside, my self-esteem was taking a dive due to my balding scalp. I could hardly keep a pony tail on, because what hair was the rubber band holding up? My brother-in-law told us that he has been taking a Biotin supplement to help with the rejuvination of his hair, skin and nails (he's more vain than me, by the way), and advised that we should both try it. My husband purchased Spring Valley's Biotin supplement from Wal-Mart and I have been taking it (somewhat) daily for the past four months. I am pleased to report that not only have my nails become thicker and less brittle, my hair is now back with a vengeance... all over my body. Yes I have to shave more often nowadays but damn, is the baby hair on my head cute or what.
And what of my facial skincare regimen? I don't have one per se because I like to deal with each problem as they come, but I throw in a bit of preventative measure as I see fit. I recently bought Yu-Be's Foaming Skin Polish from the Sephora website and have been using it every night to exfoliate the nasty remnants of the day from my skin. Yu-Be's tag as "the #1 selling medicated, vitamin-enriched skincare cream in Japan" was a good indication for me to buy the product, but the average rating of 4.6/5 on Sephora.com was an even better clincher. It really helps to soften my skin and prepares it to readily soak up the night moisturizer I use. 
And since child birth also marked the return of my middle school acne (UGH), I have found myself using the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment. I chose the product mainly because of my allergy to benzoyl peroxide, and the spot treatment's salicylic acid medication has been proven to show "improvements as early as day one." I haven't been that lucky to rid of "spots" so quickly but it gets the job done by day two or three. And I must admit, I never thought I would be having skin this juvenile post-high school, but then again, pregnancy and post-partum changes the female body in inconceivable ways. 
To help myself unwind from the stresses of mommyhood and housewifery, I apply Boscia's Clarifying Detox Mask two nights a week, and I also have my husband join in on the purging of our facial nasties. The invigorating ingredients of botanicals and herbs soak up the impurities from my (rather large) pores and leaves the skin feeling "healed." Not to mention the hubby and I do our girl talk and paint each other's nails and he braids my hair... JUST KIDDING. But he does appreciate the way this detox mask helps him unwind after a long evening of playing with the baby and trying to put him to sleep when all the kid wants to do is keep playing. Some people drink beer, others like to smoke a cig out in the balcony, while some prefer a long, luxurious bubble bath. Well we have five minutes of bliss before we knock out for the night and have to wake up in a few hours to the panicked whine of our little guy. In fact, let me take a little nap now because the talk of my exhaustion is making me quite sleepy...But alas, the fit of exhaustion is being fought off by the ingredients of my Spring Valley Prenatal Multivitamins. After birth, OB-GYNs recommend that a breastfeeding mother continue to take her prenatal vitamins in order to replenish missing or lacking nutrients from the post-partum body, and to also give the child proper nutrition from the fortified breastmilk.
This was not the brand I chose to consume while I was pregnant and breastfeeding (yes, my stores have now dried up, sadly, but that is another story for another time), but since taking prenatal vitamins really aided with my stamina, I chose to continue taking them even after my baby switched to formula. It is rather affordable at Wal-Mart and supplies me with the nutrients I know I lack from my daily diet. A poor diet usually translates to a relatively sluggish demeanor with a propensity to sit or lie down quite often, but with proper eating habits and vitamin supplements to boot, I am ready to take on a world of household chores and playtime with the little one who enjoys my rough-housing very, very much. Boys will be boys, and his high metabolism and high energy is in direct proportion to how much energy and calories I will be spending in order to keep up with him. And speaking of vitamins and such, my mother and my husband's aunt suggested to me (on separate occassions) that I should consider applying vitamin E gel directly onto my face.
While I never heard of the idea before, I did notice that these two ladies have a noticeably glowier (is that a word?), healthier complexion than that of ladies their age... Why was I not privy to this secret before, and what does vitamin E do to my skin when applied onto it directly? Mom says that she cuts the gel capsules and squeezes the contents out onto her moisturizer, mixes it, and rubs the concoction directly onto her face. My husband's aunt swears that her facial hair started falling out upon adding the vitamin E gel to her daily skincare regimen, and warned me to be careful of my application. According to this article in LiveStrong.com by Jae Ireland, "Vitamin E is often used to promote smooth, hydrated skin" and can even be "smoothed onto stretch marks and scars to diminish their appearance." But the author warns that one should give the vitamin E plenty of time to work its magic, probably knowing that many ladies are looking for a quick fix for their beauty problems. Please read the MAYO CLINIC'S VITAMIN E SAFETY ARTICLE prior to attempting this suggestion, and this is my official disclaimer that I am trying the "secret" at my own risk and that everyone's skin reacts differently to numerous things. I am pleased to report that although my skin is super sensitive and reacts negatively to most "at-home secrets," I too have noticed that my skin feels more hydrated and pliable in the past week since I began adding this to my nightly regimen.
Photo credits (L-R):
caslab.com
mama-knows.com
casavis.org
And most important to this whole beauty blues pick-me-upper is STAYING HYDRATED, PROPER NUTRITION, AND PLENTY OF EXERCISE! But, of course, consult with your physician or a health professional before beginning any kind of diets and exercises, especially if you are still breastfeeding (in which case, you SHOULDN'T try any severe diets). While it is important to keep your body and mind healthy and happy, you want to stay functioning and alive so that your baby has his or her mommy to go to and cuddle with.
Have a happy post-partum!
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