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Dark Circles during Pregnancy - Causes and Remedies
Pregnant women usually get the remarks of how their skin seems to have a glow and their hair seems better than before. The developments in the biochemistry of the body end up creating a bevvy of results inside the woman, as well as outside. But not all of them are welcome. The occurrence of dark circles under eyes in early pregnancy is one of those that tends to ruin the self-image of a wonderful pregnant woman that you might have. Rest assured, there are ways to help reduce them as well.
Can You Get Dark Circles in Pregnancy?
Yes, there are chances that you can get dark circles when you are pregnant. This is a known effect in medical sciences, which is generally termed as melasma. Described in layman’s terms as the pregnancy mask, it usually occurs when the melanin in the skin stars accumulating on the face in a pattern resembling a mask. Most of the times, this pigmentation also ends up increasing in the areas under the eyes, leading to dark circles.
What Causes Dark Circles when Pregnant?
Although pigmentation is one of the prime reasons for the occurrence of dark circles, there are a bunch of others that are equally responsible as well.
1. Hormone-Induced Blood Vessel Dilation
The levels of various hormones in a pregnant woman’s body undergo rapid changes, which end up affecting different aspects of the body. One of the effects it has is on the blood vessels, which end up dilating to hold more volume. This causes a larger amount of blood to be pooled in an area, which gets a dark-red sheen resembling a dark circle.
2. Lack of Exercise
A healthy person’s blood is usually bright red in colour. This is because good blood carries oxygen in substantial quantities making it healthy. When oxygen synthesis is reduced due to lack of demand caused by lethargy or absence of exercise, the blood starts having fewer oxygen levels in it. This causes its colour to shift towards bluish-black shade, which results in dark areas on the skin.
3. Insufficient Sleep
This is one of the causes that plagues everyone, pregnant or not. Suffering from lack of sleep is a major cause since it does not give enough time for the skin to recover and rebuild itself. This leads to stress on the eyes as well and results in dark circles under them.
4. Inflammation
When an area of the body undergoes inflammation, the first thing that occurs is that the blood flow starts reducing. This causes a lot of blood to stay contained within the area. The combined colour of all blood cells can resemble dark-red, which looks like black on the skin.
5. Retention of Fluid
Fluid retention is a common problem observed in many pregnant women. Although it directly may not result in dark circles, this definitely is a precursor for inflammation to take place. Inflamed regions cause blood pooling in certain areas, leading to dark circles.
Tips to Cure Dark Circles while Pregnant
A bunch of quick home remedies can be quite effective in curing dark circles in pregnant women.
Avoid drinking aerated drinks while you are pregnant.
Opt for food that is rich in Vitamin C.
Use fresh milk cream and apply under eyes for quick results.
Apply raw almond oil under eyes and let it stay overnight.
Crush mint leaves, extract juice and mix it with tomato juice for a quick application on your face.
Placing cold tea bags under your eyes can be effective, too.
Premium quality rose water is known to work wonders.
Meditate and undergo relaxation exercises to reduce stress.
Cucumber slices can be complemented with raw potato pieces as well.
Don’t use skin bleach to remove dark circles as it can be more harmful.
Easy Homemade Face Mask That You Can Try to Get Rid of Dark Circles
Face masks are the best remedy that a pregnant woman can opt to reduce dark circles quickly and replenish the glow in the skin, too.
1. Turmeric and Sandalwood Mask
Not only is this mask a great one to reduce tanning and restore a glow on the face, the antimicrobial properties of the ingredients are a healthy addition, too.
How To Prepare
Take a bowl and mix together the sandalwood powder with the turmeric powder.
Once mixed, add some honey to the mix and stir them properly so that a homogenous paste is formed. It is great to smell and can be used anywhere on the body.
How To Use
Take some paste on your finger and apply it on the dark areas of the skin.
Let the paste dry on the skin and stay there for about 15-20 minutes.
Then, wash the face, pat the skin dry, and apply some moisturizer on it.
Carry this out daily to bring about a reduction in dark circles.
2. Papaya Based Mask
The constituents of papaya are known to reduce the pigmentation in the skin, making it a great mask for women.
How To Prepare
Take a plate or a bowl and add few pieces of papaya to it.
Follow up with some honey and aloe vera pulp. Mix them all together until a fine paste is formed.
How To Use
Take some portion on your finger and apply it on the affected area.
Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes as it cools the skin down.
Wash the face and pat it dry.
Repeat thrice a week or even on a daily basis for quick results.
3. Cucumber Based Mask
The combination of cucumber and lime is well-known as the most popular face mask to be used.
How To Prepare
Grate a cucumber properly and squeeze out its juice in a bowl.
Mix some lemon juice in that bowl as well and stir it together.
How To Use
Take some pieces of cotton and dip them in the bowl.
Put them on the eyes and let them sit there for about 10-15 minutes.
Later, remove them and wash the face, repeating this daily.
Can Dark Circles Be Prevented during Pregnancy?
There are a few ways you can reduce the chances of dark circles from occurring when pregnant.
Stay hydrated by drinking water regularly and keeping skin moisturized.
Use cold towels on eyes to keep them bright.
Place slices of frozen cucumber and lemon on eyes before sleeping.
Undertake regular exercises meant for pregnancy.
When to Call a Doctor?
Dark circles could also be a sign of thyroid problem or even anaemia. Get a health check-up done to confirm the same. If the dark circles start getting irritating, the skin gets tender and red and begins to bleed, contact your doctor immediately.
Dark spots under eyes during pregnancy is not what a woman wants in one of the best phases of her life. Although it might be due to various medical reasons, lifestyle choices could bring out the same as well. Adhering to proper exercises and keeping yourself hydrated and happy will have those dark circles fade away in no time.
Also Read:
Eye Infections during Pregnancy
Common Pregnancy Problems and Their Solutions
Can You Get a Facial While Pregnant? Read more
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9 Benefits of Reiki- The Ancient Healing Tool for Your Mind and Body
We all want to always be fit and healthy, right? But, after pregnancy, you, as a mother, have to face demands from both your body and your baby. In looking after the baby, you may often tend to neglect her own health. And then, the visits to the gynaecologist just become more frequent. But, apart from popping pills, there’s so much more you can do for your mind and body. Quite similar to acupuncture, Reiki healing is becoming popular for its amazing pain and stress-reduction benefits. But, first of all, let’s understand what this healing mechanism is.
What is Reiki Healing?
Centuries ago, the Japanese discovered that one would recover from an ailment eventually, even without taking any medication. Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is an alternative therapy that focuses on the human body’s self-healing mechanism. It was founded by Dr Mikao Usui and comes from the Japanese words rei meaning “universal” and ki meaning “life energy”.
According to this healing method, the human body has seven chakras, and life energy (known as prana in India) flows through each of them. At times, chakras tend to get blocked, thus stopping the life energy and leading to various health problems, big or small. The goal of Reiki is to open up these chakras, relax the body and reduce pain. A study1 was conducted to find out whether Reiki really benefitted people with chronic illnesses. It was seen that Reiki had immediate effects on heart rate variability, cortisol levels, and body temperature.
The Five Principles of Reiki Healing
Reiki is based on a set of five principles. Anybody who opts for this type of alternative healing has to practise them in their daily lives. If you’re wondering how long you’ll be able to keep up, there’s some good news. You make a promise just for today.
Health Benefits of Reiki
Reiki has immense health benefits. Some of them are:
1. Reduction in Stress Levels
Young moms face such a lot of stress every day- make their child eat, take care of their husband and household, and so on. Reiki is very similar to meditation, but it also helps the body heal itself rapidly by reducing stress levels.
2. Improvement in Chronic Health Conditions
Many women continue to have trouble with their blood sugar levels even after giving birth. It is believed that Reiki helps to control chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
3. Improvement in Relationships
Reiki also helps you on your journey of spiritual growth and personality development. You start viewing situations and behaviours differently. With regular practice, misunderstandings with family members fade away, or at least you become more tolerant.
4. Relieves Pain
Reiki indeed has some miraculous benefits. It acts as an instant reliever for body pain like headaches, stomach aches, etc.
5. Complements Conventional Modes of Treatment
Reiki is a complement to different traditional modes of treatment such as allopathy, homeopathy and Ayurveda. Pregnant women can use Reiki to solve their pregnancy issues. That said, it’s not advisable to skip taking tablets just because you’re practising Reiki.
6. Aids Better Sleep
When our bodies are relaxed, we tend to sleep better. With Reiki treatments, getting a restful night’s sleep will not be that hard anymore. It also improves digestion.
7. Produces a Feeling of Empowerment
Our health conditions often become a cause of anxiety and worry, and we start feeling helpless. At such times, the guiding light of Reiki can make you feel empowered and induce positive thoughts.
8. Helps Speedy Recovery after Surgery
Reiki can help new mothers with a speedy recovery, especially with those who have undergone a C-section.
9. Improves Immunity
As Reiki rids the body of toxins, it improves blood circulation to the heart, lungs, kidney, liver and the gall bladder. This, in turn, makes us more resistant to common health problems like cold, cough, etc.
FAQs
1. What Happens in a Reiki Session?
During the session, you will be asked to either sit in a chair or lie down. The Reiki practitioner beams Reiki energy to each chakra in your body. This will likely take around 30 minutes. The person receiving Reiki usually feels relaxed and calm and may even go off to sleep.
2. Where Can I Get Reiki Treatment?
You can go to any qualified female Reiki practitioner in your city. You can also learn Reiki yourself and heal yourself every day.
3. When Does Reiki Start Showing Its Benefits?
One thing you should keep in mind is that Reiki is not a miracle. It’s a slow and steady process, but with regular treatments from a practitioner or yourself, you may start noticing its benefits in as soon as 30 days.
If you, as a mother, want to feel relaxed at the end of the day and get some relief from your worsening health problems, you should give a thought to Reiki this year! Who knows, it might probably make all the difference!
Also Read:
Yoga Exercises for Release Stress in 10-Minute
Tackling the Surprising Things That Are Stressing You Out Everyday
With These 5 Simple Step Method, You Kick Self-hate Out of Your Life Forever! Read more
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5 Toys My baby played with the most till 1 year
It is very difficult to choose appropriate toys for babies below one year. Many times we ended up stocking lot many toys but very few of those attract baby to play for longer time.
I feel this write up will help readers to choose right toy for their babies. Giving here a glimpse of toys my baby played with till one year. Also, listing some precautions to be taken care of while giving any toy to baby.
RATTLES were my baby's best friend from birth till 5 months. I brought bpa free and kid safe rattles as sometimes baby take its toy to mouth and try to bite. I always avoided toys with small parts as those small parts may cause choking.
PLAYMAT was the most benefitting thing as my baby learned crawling on that. I brought that for giving my baby good tummy time when she was of 3/4 months. It was of around 500 rupees and very color with different characters on it. She is still love play on it.
STACKS are still in the list of her favorites. First time when my baby started sitting Independently at 6 months, we introduced ring stack (very common and of around 150 rupees). Rings of different colors attracted my baby a lot.
ACTIVITY TABLE was gifted to my baby by some relative when she was of 9 months. I feel my baby loves it and I found her very much playful with it. The activity table we have, has a small book of 3 pages. My baby learned turning pages on it and also alphabets A & B at 10 month itself. I feel this can be introduced bit early as baby approaches 6 months and starts sitting.
TODDLE CONVERTER TRICYCLE was also gifted by a friend. The moment I introduced this to my baby of 7 months, she crawled to hold the butterfly the toddler has on its front panel. My baby learned standing with this and later on walking. After that when she started walking we converted it into tricycle.
There were other toys too which my baby had till one year. However, these toys helped her in brain development and motor skills.
There are some points we need to take care as we should always keep baby in supervision while given any toy. Secondly, toys should not have very small parts as broken parts may cause choking hazard. Also, we should immediately take out toys if it has sharp edges or is broken as it may hurt baby.
Please write in comment box if you need links or further details about the toys. Read more
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Learning while Playing is Beneficial for Kindergarten Children
I have a daughter who is now 6.9 years old. When she was born, my husband and I wept as we felt that God gave us such a beautiful child for 27 years maximum..then she will leave us and move to next home. But then we decided to make her the best child. My in-laws never wanted a girl child. So I left my job to take care of our little princess. We started living in a nuclear family, away from in-laws as they were not interested in seeing her.
Then I took care of my princess. She is a very active child. when she completed 1 year, I made her recognize pictures. I bought all the charts of fruits, veggies, animals, shapes, colours and started making her familiar with them using puppets and other fun stuff.
She enjoyed it. This was her first learning phase of Life. After some time I started making her recognize alphabets and numbers. My husband used to play music for her and make her dance. Play nursery rhymes and sing along with her. This way she learned a lot.
But as soon as her school started, we felt that she is not open to all. Then again, we put some extra efforts and made her join dance class..She showed no response there as well. Then one day, her friend came to me as she wanted to join the dance class.. but no one in her family was ready to take her there. I took her there along with my daughter. And saw a big change in my daughter. She started learning dance with her.
Things which we could not do, her friend made it possible. She learned so well in just 2 months, gave stage performance at school and got many prizes. Her fear and shyness were gone. I am a working mother, so could not continue her classes further. She then started learning from YouTube And now she is a very good dancer.
At home, she learned to do small tasks, like washing her handkerchief, folding her clothes, and then gradually some tasks of the kitchen ...like serving food, washing glasses. This all was done as a person of her playing . She is a true blessing for us. Thank you, God for such a wonderful daughter.
In short, I would say make your kids learn as much as possible. They will shine like stars. Don't think it's too early or late..but just make learning interesting for them as they are the future of India.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions and positions (including content in any form) expressed within this post are those of the author alone. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The responsibility for intellectual property rights of this content rests with the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with him/her. Read more
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
1 hour ago
Q. #asktheexpert my new born baby boy weight @ birth time 2.475kg, after 7 weeks weight 2.90kg. weight gain very slow. Can u pls advise why weight gain is slow till my baby using breastfeeding milk right now.
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
1 hour ago
A. failure to thrive please. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Sarika gupta has added a new answer
1 hour ago
Q. why can't I add child details in my profile
Sarika gupta
Mom of 2 children
1 hour ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much and please add in your profile aftwr login and still is you find any difficulty then you should contact first cry customers service department.
Take care
Rayan has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
1 hour ago
Q. right now I am 39 week pregnant but never feel any type of pain is it ok my due date is 5/5/24
Rayan
Mom of 2 children
35 mins ago
A. Hello mam, It's normal mam. don't worry a lot.Since your due date is near, eat healthy and sip your drinks. Keep yourself hydrated. Happy parenting and welcome new mom!!!
Indhumathy Ravikumar has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
1 hour ago
Q. #asktheexpert my newborn baby girl breast is hard n feel like lump
Indhumathy Ravikumar
Mom of 2 children
34 mins ago
A. please give gentle massage on breast before bathing.. and then squeeze the curdled milk in it.. after that keep pumping the breast from time to time.. it will cure with in two weeks..
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
59 mins ago
Q. after c section when we start physical relation?
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
49 mins ago
A. after 8 weeks or after proper healing of the wounds. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Rayan has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
54 mins ago
Q. #asktheexpert
good morning Ma'am..
My son is 4 months old. He gets stomach pain/ gas everyday at any time.. He cries for long when he gets pain.. I am giving him Colic aid everyday from last one month.. Only after giving colic aid he stops crying... what should I do to avoid his pain and medicine??
Read moreRayan
Mom of 2 children
31 mins ago
A. Hello mam! If it is due to colic pain /gas, it is common in newborns. Make sure that you burp your baby after every feed. Don't feed just before your baby is to sleep. Make a routine like feed, play and sleep. Burp inbetween feedings. Colic pain will stop automatically at 5 or 6 months. So don't worry. Happy parenting!
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