First Trimester (weeks 1-12)
How to ease pregnancy pains (& the pregnancy body butter recipe you can make at home)
Katherine Compton | 5 Aug 2021
Ease pregnancy pains, naturally
Pregnancy is a journey filled with countless joys and challenges. On one hand, there’s the pure excitement of starting or growing your family. And on the other, the persistent aches, and pains.
From the early stages to your final stretch, you might find yourself contending with a lot of discomfort. Those of us at TRB who’ve been there recognise this struggle and dedicated ourselves to looking for solutions tailored to help us feel nourished, relaxed and at ease.
That’s why we’ve created a perfect pregnancy body butter recipe, specifically to help soothe the discomfort, inflammation, and joint pain that you can experience during pregnancy.
Key ingredients to ease pregnancy pain
While the ingredients listed below have many health and skin benefits, we have focused primarily on the benefits of reducing itching, inflammation, and soreness.
Marshmallow root
- Marshmallow root is often used in lotions to give the effect of softer skin and to reduce swelling. Swelling is a pregnancy symptom that can affect all areas of the body but primarily affects the ankles and legs, which is why it would be a good addition to your body butter recipe.
- It is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral and contains antioxidants. This is also good for sensitive skin as it forms a protective, moisturizing layer when mixed into a lotion and it is anti-irritant. Along with swelling, marshmallow root can help with itching, chafing, and redness which are other common symptoms of pregnancy.
Shea butter
- Shea butter is often referred to as the ‘tree of life’ as it can help with multiple issues concerning hair and skin health.
- It contains essential fatty acids and vitamins such as Vitamin A, E, and F. This can have healing properties, offer collagen production, and UV protection. This butter works on all types of skin from oily to dry, and hydrates the skin by forming a protective, breathable layer over the skin, without clogging your pores, to help retain moisture and keep you hydrated.
- It can help you through your pregnancy as it can cure rashes (and diaper rashes on your baby) and it can help to heal and rejuvenate the skin.
Mango Seed Butter
- Mango seed butter is rich in vitamins C, A, and folate.
- It also protects against radiation such as UV and x-ray. It also helps to moisturize the skin as it contains high amounts of fatty acids like oleic acid which is rich in Omega-9. This helps to tighten and firm the skin. Mango seed butter is also soothing and helps with sensitive and dry skin.
Lady’s Mantle
- Lady’s mantle has properties that can aid in women’s health. For instance, it can regulate your menstrual cycle and gastrointestinal health, which can ultimately help with early pregnancy period pains.
- It can protect newly formed elastin fibers which help with skin elasticity. It is also a powerful antioxidant, as it contains tannins, which helps to ensure the skin is safe from oxidative damage. This also helps to tone and tighten skin which enhances your smooth complexion.
- Lady’s mantle is also known to help heal wounds much like aloe vera, so it is commonly known for its benefits when used on skin conditions like acne and eczema.
Coconut oil
- Coconut oil is highly nourishing to the skin and helps to keep the skin hydrated, improving its elasticity.
- As coconut oil is anti-inflammatory it can fasten the healing process of any scarring and inflammation. By helping to reduce inflamed skin, some of the discomfort associated with the symptom can ease.
Cocoa butter
- Cocoa butter is an incredibly potent antioxidant which can protect your cells from free-radicals.
- It also has additional benefits for sensitive, dry, or marked skin.
Alternative ingredients
If any of the above ingredients are not palatable to you for your body butter, either for allergy reasons or maybe you don’t like those fragrances, there are alternatives that you could try that also provide similar benefits.
We have mainly used anti-inflammatory ingredients to help with your swelling and, oils and butters that help with the itchiness associated with stretch marks. Ingredients that contain omegas and amino acids are just an additional bonus to nourish your skin with healthy nutrients.
Some good alternatives to look into are:
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- Olive oil – contains Vitamin E and antioxidants and hydrates cells, helps with hormone imbalances and encourages healing
- Argan oil – contains Vitamin E and protects skin from sun damage and free radicals
- Turmeric – hydrates, heals and protects skin from UV damage and toxins
- Aloe vera – contains vitamins A, C, E, B12, folic acid, calcium and is deeply healing and soothing to skin
How to make pregnancy body butter – the recipe
Once you have chosen your ingredients, you simply need an electric whisk, a bowl, and a jar or storage pot with an airtight lid.
Steps:
- Measure out your desired amounts of each butter and oil.
- Place the butters and oils in a bowl.
- Add any herbs and spices.
- Blend all the ingredients together using an electric whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the mixture into a jar or storage pot with an airtight lid.
- Store in a cool, dry place and use within one to two weeks as the shelf life of shea butter is shorter once it has been whipped.
Beyond their cosmetic benefits, body butters can do wonders to help your skin. Because of how rarely this is discussed, it’s beneficial to have a list of ingredients along with their advantages while purchasing a pre-made body butter.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure the ingredient you are looking for in a pre-made body butter is listed first or at least very early on the ingredients list. This will tell you if the ingredient is primary to the body butter or not.
You’ve got this, mama. If you need additional support and information on pregnancy aches and pains, read this next: The pregnancy acupuncture 101 – from labour induction to back pain relief
