How To Feel Pretty After Having A Baby

Getting Ready to Go Out

Feeling pretty after having a baby is all relative. Relative to how old your baby is now, the personality of your baby, how many children you have, and what your beauty routine was like before baby. My beauty routine before having a baby was pretty simple, except that I spent a lot of time on my hair. In the first few weeks after Georgie was born I was pretty happy if I could get dressed in clean sweats! Newborn= essentially no beauty routine. Now that he is older and will sit in the bouncy for awhile, my routine has changed a bit. I think the key is to decide what makes you feel pretty and prioritize. You won't be able to do everything every single day. So prioritize and start with what's most important. Here are a few things I do to feel good about myself while keeping up with a four month old.

• Most Important: shower everyday and brush my teeth. Why do I include brushing my teeth? That's a given, right? Well, there were a few days in the beginning when I couldn't remember if I had brushed my teeth or not. So, that's now at the top of my list. I shower and wash my hair everyday. Your hair stylist will tell you not to wash your hair everyday, but I have to if I want to feel pretty. Otherwise, it's a flat, greasy mess.

• Moisturize: It's winter in the Northeast. Lotion, lotion, lotion! It doesn't need to be expensive lotion. But, it does need to smell nice. I like Nivea from the drugstore. It has a light, clean scent.

• Blow Dry My Hair: Remember, these are my priorities. You may be blessed with hair that looks nice if it air dries. I have really thick hair that resembles a lion's mane when it air dries so I have to blow it dry. Otherwise, I feel like a lioness. I used to curl my hair everyday before baby, but I don't have time for that now. I use a round brush and try to turn the ends under. I can be happy with that.

• Dress in Clean Comfy Clothes: At this point in my life I feel pretty if I have on clean yoga pants and a sweatshirt without stains. Auntie Leila will tell you more if you want to worry about what color flatters you or what clothes look nice on your figure. It's great advice, but I don't have time for that yet. Like I said, clean yoga pants and a stain free sweatshirt are what I can manage now. (If I'm going out, I spice it up by pairing jeans with my stain free sweatshirt.)

• Put On A Little Makeup: The keyword here is little. Some of you might have lovely complexions that don't require makeup. If that's you, yay! Move along. I, however, have very noticeable dark circles under my eyes. So, in order not to frighten away the Jehovah's Witnesses* (Let's face it, they may be the only adults I talk to before Daddy gets home.) I put on some under eye concealer, face powder, and neutral colored eye shadow. This is just enough that I don't feel embarrassed to answer the door when unexpected company comes.

• Drink Water: I pretty much only drink water. I allow myself two cups of coffee in the morning because I love it. But other than that, I drink water. I feel so much better when I stay hydrated. I think it helps with my hair and skin too.

• Eat Fruit and Something Green: I'm embarrassed to admit it, but when Georgie was first born I pretty much lived off of granola bars. I would get to the end of the day and realize I hadn't eaten one piece of fruit or a vegetable that day. Not good. So, I started by eating the easiest fruit to prepare: bananas. If I had time to open a granola bar, I could manage a banana. And I could manage a few baby carrots too. It's gotten a lot better since the newborn stage. Now I have time to actually wash and cut things so it's easier to meet this goal.

That's it! These are my top priorities. If  I'm going to church I obviously get dressed in something other than yoga pants. But this is what I do on a daily basis so I don't feel like a slob.


*Disclaimer: I don't actually open the door to strangers, no matter how badly I want to talk to an adult. I'll call family or a friend. So, please don't leave me comments about how dangerous it is to open the door.