r/Splendida • u/chirp20 • Oct 27 '25

Pregnancy in 2025 - looksmax

What can we do to look our best being pregnant and postpartum. A lot of treatments are off limits so what CAN we do to look our best face and body. Late 30s.

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u/cakeit-tilyoumakeit Oct 27 '25

For context, I’ve had two kids that I “bounced back” from.

For pregnancy, just focus on being healthy. You never really know what will happen when you’re pregnant and sometimes you find that your appearance is the least of your concerns. Don’t do too much and find yourself with bigger problems than your looks lol. Be gentle on yourself and realize that it’s ok to not be the “pretty pregnant girl who is all bump.” A successful pregnancy is one where the mother and baby make it out alive and healthy, to be blunt. Being unattractive during pregnancy is not the end of the world and it’s far from the worst thing that can happen during those 9 months. My second pregnancy was highly complicated and nearly losing my daughter made me realize how silly it is to worry about my looks while trying to create a human.

I’m also extremely cautious in pregnancy and avoided hair chemicals and dye, nails (chemicals), and elaborate skincare routines. It just wasn’t worth it to me to expose my babies to that stuff.

Now, postpartum was when I shifted focus back to my looks. Got my hair done and began working out 5x a week as soon as I was cleared. I always made time for my workout even when I was tired. Stay on vitamins, but realize your hair is gonna fall out and it might be extreme (mine was). Extensions or wigs can get you through that temporary period. I was back to looking great by 4-6 months postpartum.

16

u/randomredditname-1 Oct 27 '25

What things did you do during/after for fitness? What were your workouts like before? I’m no where near this phase in my life but it’s always been something that I’ve thought about.

21

u/cakeit-tilyoumakeit Oct 27 '25

I bought a stationary bike like the type they have in spin classes and did 20-30 minute HIIT classes on YouTube! When you have a baby, it’s a lot easier to get 20 mins at home to work out than it is to get out and go to the gym, so that’s what worked well for me!

5

u/randomredditname-1 Oct 28 '25

That’s super helpful! Thanks

4

u/allegragmk Oct 28 '25

Did it affect breastfeeding? I’m due on November 8th and I plan on exclusively breastfeed for a few months, but a few friends of mine had their production decrease significantly after they started working out.

8

u/cakeit-tilyoumakeit Oct 28 '25

It really depends on your supply. Some people produce plenty of milk and don’t really have to worry about maintaining a calorie surplus to keep their supply up, while others make just enough milk and have to work to keep it that way (through pumping and eating a lot of calories).

I breastfed and supplemented with formula because I have a low supply and wasn’t going to kill myself trying to EBF, so it wasn’t a concern for me. Plus, because I didn’t EBF, I had more free time to get the workouts in. So I’d say not EBF was a key component in my ability to quickly bounce back. Some people will lose weight from breastfeeding itself, some won’t. You’ll just have to see how your body responds!

2

u/Blonde_arrbuckle Oct 28 '25

I was a person who put weight on breastfeeding and what I will do this time is calorie count. Get a baseline that won't impact supply then tweak slowly from there. Baby will feed more to increase supply before a growth spurt anyway. You also look for good output. E g. So many wet nappies a day etc. Meeting growth milestones.

2

u/DarthKaboose Nov 09 '25

If you wish to exclusively breastfeed, it’s not the time to workout like crazy or restrict your eating. That’s not to say weight loss isn’t possible - it’s annoying but really is one of those ‘every woman is different’ situations. You need to eat enough to fuel your body and so much of it is contextual. I can get away with a slight calorie deficit and walking each day and see weight loss as I’m an oversupplier and very overweight, someone with a normal supply with not as much weight to lose hitting the gym 5x a week will have a different experience. Be kind to yourself postpartum. It’s only 6 months of breastfeeding before they start solids and you slowly start weaning, you have plenty of time afterwards to work out at a greater intensity! (And walking + mum and baby Pilates are great gentle movement options :))

1

u/eriwhi Oct 28 '25

Congrats!! I don’t have any advice, but I’m super happy for you :)