That's it, the test is positive, you're pregnant! Congratulations!
After the initial joy, are the first fears starting to surface?
Don't worry, everything will be fine.
Of course, hormones will turn everything upside down, you'll gain weight, you'll have to watch your diet, maybe stop exercising, take care of your skin...
A lot of changes all at once, it's true, but you'll also have to redouble your efforts to take care of yourself, pamper your skin and your body. Feeling good about yourself is essential for a peaceful pregnancy.

In this article, we give you all our beauty & wellness tips to adopt a routine adapted to these 9 months of an enchanted, emotionally intense period.

Here is our wellness and beauty program:

Step 1: Hydrate!

• Drink (and drink for 2!)
  We recommend about 2L of water per day, as you will tend to dehydrate more quickly than usual.
  Never go out without your bottle, especially for those who are pregnant during these hot temperatures!
• Adapt your day cream 
  Opt for rich and moisturizing creams, otherwise you won't escape the tightness associated with pregnancy…
• Choose a rich soap
  Cleanse your skin with soap-free and superfatted products (superfatted cleansing bars or shower oils)
  For your hair, use gentle shampoos to have baby-soft hair!
• Moisturize your hands and nails
  During pregnancy, nails tend to grow faster, but be careful, they will be softer and more brittle, so remember to moisturize your cuticles at the same time as your hands.

Step 2: Adapt your beauty routine

The skin tends to be more sensitive.
Tightness, pimples, dryness are sometimes present.
Some will have drier skin and others oilier. Others will see their skin problems (eczema, acne) worsen or improve.
What we are sure of is that our skin is much more sensitive and reactive. So, in any case, it is essential to adopt beauty gestures that present no risk, neither for oneself nor for baby.

• First priority: Mom & Baby's health

Our advice: Limit the number of cosmetics and long lists of ingredients.
Certain chemical substances can be harmful to your baby.
This is the case for parabens, phthalates, or nanoparticles because your expectant mother's skin doesn't block everything.
Also avoid deodorants containing aluminum and endocrine disruptors (here's an article on the subject)
So, prioritize beauty products containing few ingredients. Read the labels carefully.

To help you decipher INCI lists, many platforms exist, among others:
- The website: "La vérité sur les cosmétiques" (The truth about cosmetics)
Equipped with a simple and easy-to-access search bar, cosmetic compositions will hold no more secrets for you.
- Applications that scan compositions: Yuka, CleanBeauty, QuelCosmetic, etc.

Les Petits Prödiges' Tip: Formulated with only 7 natural ingredients (so no risk of any kind of intoxication for your baby, we strongly recommend using the Unscented Balm from Les Petits Prödiges, which will take care of your skin without endangering Mom & Baby.

⚠ Cosmetics to put aside during your pregnancy:
- Creams containing retinol or retinoic acid (like some anti-wrinkle or anti-acne creams)
- Pure essential oils or those contained in products
- Permanent hair coloring products (opt for vegetable hair dye)

• Second priority: Prepare your body 

After the "health" aspect, some other goals for some of you are the prevention of stretch marks and the "pregnancy mask."

- Stretch marks
The skin of the abdomen, breasts, and thighs stretches during pregnancy and is therefore prone to stretch marks. These pink streaks appear around the 5th month and fade over time.

To prevent them:
→ Try from the beginning to not gain too much weight (but no stress either! 10-12 kilos distributed over 9 months are normal, even recommended.
→ Use an anti-stretch mark cream (we recommend products based on silicon, arnica, or/and sweet almond oil). A body oil or cream can also do the trick.
The right reflex: spread it well all over your body every day, insisting on your little belly!

Les Petits Prödiges' Tip: Formulated with sweet almond oil and arnica, among other things, you can opt for the Coconut Balm  from Les Petits Prödiges, which will deeply nourish your skin throughout your pregnancy and, above all, strongly prevent the appearance of stretch marks... To learn more about the prodigious ingredients in our balms, feel free to check out our article on their benefits!

Step 3: Adapt your lifestyle

We're not asking you to isolate yourself in a glass bubble, just to reflect on your lifestyle and perhaps adjust some habits.
The key word: serenity for your well-being and that of the baby to come.

• Stop smoking
  We know the harmful effects of smoking on health and on the fetus. Ideally, you should stop smoking a few months before conception.
  In addition to increasing the chances of getting pregnant quickly, this will help cleanse your body before these intense 9 months.
  Also be careful with passive smoking. If the expectant father smokes, he should avoid doing so inside the house...
  However, some doctors will advise heavy smokers not to quit overnight if it causes an enormous amount of stress, but to gradually reduce. It's up to you to judge...
• Pay attention to your diet 
  Feeling good in your body also depends on what you eat. A good diet is particularly important during the first trimester because certain foods play a crucial role in the proper development of the fetus.

The Upsides:

✓ Fruits and vegetables: for antioxidants and fibers that promote transit.
→ 5 to 9 fruits and vegetables per day

The Downsides:

Generally, avoid foods that are too sugary and too fatty (despite cravings!)

⚠ Raw or cured meats: due to the risk of transmitting the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis.
⚠ Raw or marinated fish, and shellfish: due to the risk of listeriosis.
⚠ Cheese rinds & grated cheese: due to the risk of transmitting the listeria germ.
⚠ Soy
Don't worry, during your first consultation, your doctor will advise you on the best diet to adopt during your pregnancy.

• Stop alcohol
  We won't list the harmful effects of alcohol, but we'll just say that at the beginning, the risks of malformations are numerous, and later there can unfortunately be premature births or mental retardation, to name just two.
  So replace your aperitif with a fruit juice or a smoothie! Some expectant mothers experience a natural aversion to alcohol during pregnancy. Luckily, this might be your case!
•   Give up your high heels!
  During pregnancy, the body's posture changes and its balance axis shifts forward. Wearing high heels therefore requires effort. Even if we're not going to forbid it and we're not going to a wedding or an evening event in sneakers, when the pregnancy is advanced, it's better to choose shoes with heels of 3 to 5 cm maximum and not too narrow at the toe. 
• Sleep!
  To adapt to this new situation, the body needs more sleep from the first months. The heart, lungs, and kidneys considerably increase their activity, so you need to recover by sleeping. Going to bed late every night and getting up early in the morning to go to work is not a good plan. The ideal is even to rest more during the day and take a half-hour nap, with your feet slightly elevated.

Step 4: Move but gently!

Walk, swim (in addition to its calming virtues, swimming and aquaerobics improve your breathing, which is highly recommended for childbirth preparation). You also work your pelvic floor and strengthen your muscles, so it's all positive.
What else?

The Upsides:

✓ Yoga: It will bring you the same benefits as swimming and is also good preparation for childbirth.
✓ Pilates: relieves some aches and pains related to pregnancy and allows better control of breathing.
✓ Maintenance gymnastics: of course, avoiding abs and preferring short sessions.
✓ Cycling: No, contrary to what you might think, nothing forbids it as long as the belly doesn't take up too much space (up to about the 5th month). It allows you to get fresh air and tone your perineum. Obviously, gently, it's not about falling! Of course, we're talking about cycling, not mountain biking!

Les Petits Prödiges' Tip: We advise you to take a look at the platform Maternice.
Their concept is great: to encourage you to fully experience your motherhood, by offering personalized support in choosing activities (fitness, beauty, and well-being) exclusively dedicated to motherhood and to book online with a selection of certified partners.
More information: here. 

The Downsides:

In all cases: no fatigue and even less shortness of breath. If you are short of breath, it means the baby is lacking oxygen (in early pregnancy, heart rate is faster). Do not go beyond your limits. You should be able to talk throughout the effort and recover in less than 15 minutes. Obviously, adapt your activity to your physical condition.
However, for serious athletes, calm down! During pregnancy, you lose muscle mass, there's nothing you can do about it... Maintaining your muscles is okay, but reasonably so.

So, you've understood: it's certainly important to stay active and maintain an optimal weight for the baby's well-being, but stop trying to stay perfectly thin and sexy during your pregnancy!
Yes, sometimes you might feel "ugly and fat" but it only lasts "just" 9 months...

♡ 9 unforgettable months where you are the most beautiful because you are carrying life. Nothing is more beautiful than a pregnant woman who embraces herself ♡