Let’s Talk About Postpartum Skin

As much as I love sharing about pregnancy and birth, I think I most love finding camaraderie in the postpartum phase of motherhood. 

Pregnancy is a little less than a year, birth, in the best circumstances, is less than a day, but postpartum? It lasts forever! Once you have a baby, you’re always postpartum! 

During this season, hormones are shifting. Wildly so. I know, for me at least, there are about a hundred different postpartum phases. There’s immediately after birth, and then the adjusting weeks, and then when your milk settles, then the time where your body just lives and breathes to grow another human. That’s followed by your cycle jumpstarting, sometimes with just cramps, sometimes bleedings, sometimes every emotional sway known to man. All fueled by hormones. Postpartum hormones. They wreck me. And my skin.

In the past I’ve just dealt with my skin flaring up after baby. I’ve told myself, “My baby doesn’t care about these tragic cystic zits as long as I’m making milk so we’ll just call it another home day and avoid showing this mountain of a blemish to the world.” So so good for my postpartum self-esteem. Not. 

I’m not a religious face washer (it helps that I don’t wear make-up every day) and I don’t really claim any particular routine. I like products that smell nice and that aren’t too heavy. I definitely like products that don’t take a lot of time. Because that, is always in short order during postpartum. 

Once I turned 30 though, I did start to think that I should invest a little more in my skincare routine. 

But, thinking is where it stopped.

And then, halfway through my pregnancy with Eli, my sister introduced me to Rodan + Fields when I casually mentioned that I was on the hunt for a new moisturizer. It was everything I had been looking for!

I ran out shortly after he was born and then time got away from me. Or I was distracted. Or sleep-deprived. Probably a combination of it all. Then we paid our home birth bill and finally I remembered that I was planning to take better care of my now 31 year old skin. So, I opted to order the whole Redefine line from Rodan + Fields*. Rodan + Fields has four lines, you can take their skincare quiz if you’re curious about what yours might be. Click here and scroll down to “Find Your Regimen”, then complete the few questions to get your results. 

Truly, when it comes to skincare the only thing I’ve ever really cared about is moisturizer (well, except for when I went crazy for astringent in my teen years), but, I quickly fell in love with Rodan + Field’s daily cleansing mask and pore minimizing toner too. They’re fast, easy, and so very refreshing. Best of all, after just a week or two I started to notice that my skin was very, very happy with how it was being treated.

It wasn’t dry. Or oily. Or lackluster. Rather, it felt brighter and smoother. My pores were smaller. AND, NO ZITS.

I figured my improved skincare routine was just coinciding with a break in postpartum zit-a-palooza, but friends, it has been four months and my skin has been practically flawless. I won’t call it a miracle, but it’s pretty darn impressive. I’ve done this post-baby thing four times now and this is the only time I’ve felt confident in my postpartum skin. And I’ve tried many a thing that has promised me good results. I don’t know if the photos do it justice (it’s hard to capture, I wish I could just meet you for coffee so you could see me in person!), but I definitely feel a difference in the health of my skin.

Definitely got some sun on my nose in that after pic … oops! Hello, summer!

Ok, a few final thoughts. When I ordered the Redefine line there was a Lash Boost promotion going on and honestly, putting that serum to use has been a perfect addition to my skincare routine. I’ve always wanted longer, thicker lashes and Lash Boost is giving me exactly that!

Boom! Crazy, right?

Thanks to Rodan + Fields, my daily make-up routine now consists of a quick swipe of mascara and a bit of under eye coverage. ^^^ Photo above ^^^ That’s all I need to look presentable! Quick side note while I’m getting all naked about my skin … I naturally have pretty dark circles under my eyes. It’s not just from broken sleep over the last eight years, they’ve been like that forever. It’s part my eye structure and I also think the darkness could be related to a dairy intolerance, but that’s a whole other story. Bottom line, these days, my skin is smooth, flaw-free, and looking healthier than ever thanks to Rodan + Fields products! Love love love.

I’m so happymy sister tipped me off to the wonders of Rodan + Fields. She’s actually a consultant with them now (a no pressure one, cross my heart!) so if you have questions or want to see what products might be a good fit for you – join her Facebook group and ask away! That’s also where she shares about sales and promotions :) 

Ok, one last look at that smoooooooth postpartum skin and my amazing lashes …

*Currently, I am not using the Overnight Restorative Cream from the Redefine line. It has a retinol derivative in it that isn’t recommended while breastfeeding.