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Dear mum-to-be,
Your skin goes through a lot during pregnancy. Hormones can make it dry and itchy, and it is stretched, especially on your stomach. Our body lotion has a soothing effect thanks to its natural oils, provides plenty of moisture and embraces you in a mild fragrance.
My tip as a midwife is to drink plenty of water and take the time to apply cream every day. And if the skin on your stomach feels especially taut, a sea salt bath can provide relief.
Nurtures and relaxes:
This rich skincare lotion with extracts of rose hip, sea buckthorn and green tea is quickly absorbed, makes the skin supple and prevents stretch marks.
Dear mum-to-be,
A warming shower feels just great, especially as your waistline expands. We developed our shower cream precisely for little moments of respite like that, tailoring it to your skin’s needs during pregnancy. It is replenishing, with a fragrance that even sensitive mums-to-be find pleasant.
My tip as a midwife is to go swimming:
it can be a great relief to take the weight off your legs and stomach and ease back pain. That’s why our shower cream fits perfectly in your bag for a trip to the swimming pool.
Cleans and nurtures:
This soothing shower cream gently cleans your skin, reducing feelings of tautness, and nurtures it with replenishing rice bran oil and valuable sea buckthorn extract.
Dear mum-to-be,
In the early stages of pregnancy in particular, your hormones can upset the balance of your skin slightly. Whether or not this causes blemishes, your skin will benefit from using our cleansing gel on a daily basis.
My tip as a midwife is to cleanse your face thoroughly and then, rather than letting a few spots spoil this exciting time, list at least five nice things about yourself.
Cleans and clears:
This gentle gel with green tea extract thoroughly cleanses the delicate skin on your face without drying it out, making it effective against blemishes, even before they appear.
Prenatal course! Do I really need it or is it just a course for learning how to moan in a group?
In this video, I give you quick answers to the question of whether a prenatal course is necessary or not. A question which an extremely high number of expectant parents ask themselves, after all, and to be honest: prenatal courses are an absolute no-go for many, as the embarrassment of giving a glimpse into your “intimate zone” couldn’t be higher. Talking with people you don’t know about secretions of fluids and openings of bodily organs below the waistline seems to be absurd for many people at first. But in such courses, we as midwives naturally talk about things like sex, vaginal flatulence or mucous plugs – while about 50 per cent of course participants then desperately search for a tissue or their mobile phones in their handbags. As a form of distraction, of course!
Sweating out of fear during the prenatal course
At the same time, a cold sweat breaks out and the ears of soon-to-be dads begin to burn. “Is this going to continue like this? Do we now all have to simulate a birth and yell out an ‘AAAAA!’ together in the room until the plastic doll pops out of the model and falls on the freshly cleaned wooden floor with a loud bang – while the midwife resiliently continues to call out ‘Go, go, breathe in!’?” Come on, no one wants that anymore!
Participation in a prenatal course should always be a personal decision. If you’re keen on it, then I can absolutely recommend it. If you’re lucky enough to end up in a nice group, it can be a lot of fun and you are excited about the next session when a new week begins. Frequently, participants exchange phone numbers to plan a meet-up after the baby is born – and sometimes close friendships ensue which become even closer with the birth of your baby.
We mums don’t have to manage everything on our own
My personal approach is to give expectant parents lots of important information. I explain what happens, when and how. It’s about taking away the fear and giving parents the space they need to ask questions and get straight answers. I want to give them solutions and tips for starting life as a harmonious family in a stress-free way. But it’s also important to get everyone on board. Because giving birth is not only about becoming a mother, it also about the man becoming a father, the female partner becoming a co-mother and your own parents becoming grandparents.
As you can see, the topic of “having a kid” suddenly involves lots of other people. Everyone whose help you will profit from in your life at some time and also be dependent on. They, too, have to be taken along for the journey and informed to ensure “family” actually works. Because one thing is very clear to me personally: as mums, we should not have the mission of always wanting to do everything on our own, and absolutely not have the feeling of having to do everything alone. We need a network to support us. And I’ll come back to this topic again later.
There are many offers centred on birthing preparation!
The Covid mandates have required us to give a lot, also regarding the courses on offer for pregnant women and expectant parents. Today, many meet-ups take place digitally, which has some advantages, but also many disadvantages. One the one hand, we can stay on the sofa at home – on the other hand, we miss having personal contact. There are a range of course models on offer on many online platforms which cater to our needs. Whether courses take place across several weeks, there is a weekend crash course on offer, a purely mother or father course, or courses for people who are already parents – there’s something for everyone. Even special focal points are covered. Would you prefer to do yoga or mediation, focus on breathing or a self-reliant birth? Nearly every desire can be satisfied today.
Sign up for a course at this point in your pregnancy
A good time to sign up for a course is in the 20th week of pregnancy. My tip: don’t wait too long to look for a midwife to support you during your pregnancy and afterwards. You have a right to a midwife the moment your pregnancy test is positive. The costs for this are paid by your medical insurance. Please find out from your insurance company as soon as possible which additional services are covered. After all, the partner fee as part of the prenatal course is also sometimes included.
We from TUJU would like to support you on a part of your journey by giving you valuable tips. As a midwife, I would like for you to profit from my knowledge and, as a mother of seven, tell you: I feel with you! Sometimes, everything is quite chaotic and stressful, but together we can do it. Simply let us take you by the hand and accept our support.
It's okay if you don’t want to attend a prenatal course
As a midwife, I say: every decision is okay. Don’t feel obliged to take a course. Some expectant parents only need a book or to talk with their own midwife. But either way, you don’t have to worry about group moaning on demand – important is the information that you receive as parents about the pregnancy, the birthing process and the postnatal time. At TUJU, too, you’ll find lots of information and tips centred round birth. It’s important to us that we make your family life easier by sharing our knowledge with you. We want to lovingly support you and take away your fears. This is unbelievably important to me personally.
Looking for a hypnobirthing course? I have a personal tip for you.
My personal tip
I say, “Do what you feel like doing.” Maybe you feel like touching your belly and coming into contact with your baby. Simply use our Stretch Mark Oil for this. Your baby in your belly feels the touching from the outside and may even tell you with a small kick, “Hey mum, I’m here.” Our oil naturally also has caring ingredients for your skin, increasing its elasticity and possibly saving it from getting small stretch marks.
Your Kerstin
