Monica Michel

The second most recommended product that a handful of fellow madres recommended when I first announced I was expecting — a very popular body butter (with a VERY distinct smell) said to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. I predominantly used coconut oil during my first trimester, a very critical time for both mom and baby, and I introduced essential oils in my second trimester as part of what I enjoyed calling my “nightly oil spa. The mere anecdotal evidence out there and available to us oil advocates suggests that certain oils and butters when combined can deeply nourish your skin and help to reduce or prevent the appearance of stretch marks. Coconut oil is a great carrier oil that keeps your skin moisturized without leaving it feeling greasy.

Similarly, I don’t invite it, especially as a low-producing mom, struggling day in and day out, to produce enough milk to feed my daughter. The supplement includes 610 mg of Organic Fenugreek per serving plus a blend of botanicals including Organic Fennel, Organic Shatavari, Organic Milk Thistle, and Organic Marshmallow, all of which can help increase milk production. If you can throw in a few power pumping sessions during the week and on the weekends, this can definitely stimulate your body and help you boost your supply. Please don’t make this mistake and change out your pump parts as soon as you notice a big dip in your supply.

He kept asking, “what do you mean a pull-up bar, she’s a baby. The pull-up bar is secured to your wall (via studs) and much safer and stable than those items your baby is currently practicing on. If you have a baby that is not interested in pulling themselves up quite yet, I would recommend installing a full-length mirror and place your baby in front of it during tummy time. Remember the bar sits on the handrail brackets so you want to install the handrail brackets a few inches below your desired bar height.

You can opt to use artificial food dye if you wish, but please note there have been reports of side effects correlated with the use of artificial food dyes. *Please note that all natural food dyes although natural, will never reach the color intensity of artificial food coloring and dyes. I do not encourage the use of artificial food dyes and invite you to consult with your pediatrician or health care provider prior to using artificial food coloring or any ingredient shared on Madre2Madre, natural or not. I will share a post on how to use natural ingredients to make your own natural food dyes at home.