[By Rebecca Wong]

It’s been years since Demi Moore stunned the world by appearing naked and gloriously pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair. Looking back, that photo is still beautiful, but no longer shocking. In recent years, with many pregnant celebrities raising the bar both in the beauty and style department, women can no longer use pregnancy as an excuse to gorge themselves silly, dress themselves in shapeless muumuus or lumber around town in Crocs and Scholl sandals.More so than ever, Hollywood’s red carpet is never short of celebrities proudly showing off their burgeoning baby bumps swathed in designers’ threads, the latest being Cardi B in haute couture Moschino no less at the Met Gala 2018.

While carrying Prince George, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton truly gave maternity dressing a royal touch, bringing it to a whole new level previously unseen. When it comes to fashion, modern moms-to-be have nothing to hide. Maternity wear are no longer cut to conceal and instead choose to highlight growing bellies with streamlined styles and stretchy, clinging fabrics. It might be a tall order for us to appear picture perfect like these A-listers, but we certainly can afford to look more groomed and radiant while anticipating the birth of our bundle of joy.

Keeping fit

To be a “yummy mummy” and not a “frumpy mummy”, continue to keep fit right through your pregnancy. Not only will exercising help you to stay fit for the demands of Motherhood, it’s good for your growing baby too. When exercising during pregnancy, it is even more important than ever to pay attention to safely issues. Generally, avoid contact sports and any activities where you might fall.

Olivia Wilde advocates regular walking as a simple and effective way to keep one active and healthy during pregnancy. Just make sure you have the proper kind of footwear with good support for brisk walking and bring along a big bottle of drinking water to keep yourself well hydrated. Small screen acting thespian Kerry Washington while expecting her first child loves hiking, Pilates and swimming. Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for moms-to-be as it’s very gentle and the water provide good support right into the third trimester of your pregnancy.

Read More: How to Get Your Knees Looking 10 Years Younger

Yoga-mama

Yoga helps you to relax and keep up your flexibility, thus helping with the birthing process. If you are already attending classes prior to your pregnancy, make sure you inform your teacher so that she or he can advise you on which poses to avoid.

“Altered yoga poses specially created for pregnant ladies are able to help them relax by taking the strain off their changing bodies.” Explains Dr. Low Chai Ling, medical director of the SW1 Clinic and author of “In Full Bloom”, a comprehensive page to page guide for looking fabulous during and after pregnancy. A mother of two and a yoga enthusiast herself, Dr. Low finds that yoga classes are a great way to gather, share and enjoy the companionship of other pregnant ladies as well.

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Skin issues

We are all familiar with the term “pregnancy glow” and congratulations to those lucky ones who are truly blessed with unparalleled radiance during their pregnancies. But for others, pregnancy can throw your hormones into a schizoid frenzy, causing your skin to breakout like a 13 year old who just hit puberty. To worsen matters, pregnancy lays out a whole set of restrictions and rules on the products we can use.

“Common anti-acne products to avoid during pregnancy include retinoids, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide,” advises Dr. Low. “Topical antibiotic preparations such as the clindamycin and aloe vera containing CLEAR BLISS Clearing & Soothing Gel is an excellent product to keep pesky spots at bay.”

Unlike most spas where conventional microdermabrasion is performed solely as a mechanical form of exfoliation, Aqua.dermabrasion available @SW1 Spa is an improved and highly efficacious treatment to gently exfoliate the epidermal layer and promote a thicker healthier dermis while smoothing and refreshing the skin. Working differently from your traditional microdermabrasion,  a spiral shaped tip with multiple abrasive edges replaces the usual flat ones, allowing better exfoliation several times over as the tip is moved on skin’s surface in a planning motion. The gentle jet of accompany fluid not only reduces friction to increase the comfort level of the procedure, continuous moisture application softens the skin and sebum; making it much easier to extract impurities and blast them away. An oasis for blemished complexions due to fluctuating hormonal levels during pregnancy, acne clearing Alpha-Hydroxy Acids or AHAs can be delivered trans-dermally with the saline at the same time, leaving the skin feeling refreshed and rejuvenated with an unbeatable post therapy glow.

For more severe cases recalcitrant to topical medications, it’s perfectly safe to undergo the FDA approved VBeam Perfecta laser treatment to combat unsightly eruptions. The most advanced Pulsed Dye Laser technology, it selectively targets blood vessels and therefore is effective in clearing acne and post-acne redness without any harm to surrounding healthy tissues. Not just for the face, the VBeam laser can effectively treat blemishes on the back and décolletage as well.

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Take a babymoon

Pregnancy is as much a joy as a stress for both the mom-to-be and the daddy-in-waiting. Have you ever heard of a babymoon? A babymoon is one final vacation for parents-to-be with the purpose of focusing on their relationship before the arrival of the baby. Babymoons can be so much fun and extremely romantic.  Remember this is all about the both of you so dedicate time to make it work! There are plenty of options that can be chosen as a location but make sure you get clearance from your obstetrician before travelling. If you put in that extra bit of effort, the nine months of pregnancy might not be too tough after all, yummy mummy!

Read More: Battling Pregnancy Beauty Woes – II. Pigmentation

Join Dr. Low Chai Ling and other esteemed guest speakers @ MUMMY TO YUMMY post-pregnancy fixes talk, whereby medical experts from plastic surgeons to O&G specialists give valuable insight on the latest innovations and treatments that can help you not only restore your beauty but take it to the next level.

Early bird discount: 10% off before 20 July, enter code <Early20>.

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