Your Body After Baby: How Moms Can Look Their Best After Giving Birth

Women undergo a lot of changes during and after pregnancy. The skin stretches and acne appears along with the weight gain that don't easily go away even after the baby arrives.

As part of its "Pampers Salutes Moms" campaign "My Body After Baby", Pampers teamed up with The Spa Fort Bonifacio to give moms advice on how to deal with common skin problems that plague most new mothers as well as present treatment options on how to get back in shape.

Ms. Joyce San Juan from Skin Dermatology and Laser Center talked about the importance of taking care of one's face and body to get back the skin's glow. Hormonal changes, after all, can wreak havoc on the skin. Moms are advised to find the right combination of moisturizer and non-soap cleaner to bring back skin moisture. 

For those whose sebaceous glands became more active and which caused acne flare-ups, moms can apply topical preparations to treat existing pimples and prevent future acne eruptions. If you get a severe case of acne, however, you could consider undergoing Skin's laser treatment that targets the sebaceous glands. There are also other treatments being offered at Skin to target wrinkles, tighten skin, contour the body, and reduce cellulite. 

As to getting back in shape, there's Barre 3, a revolutionary class that combines the grace of the ballet barre, the wisdom of yoga and the strength of Pilates. Three of us guests gamely joined a 45-minute crash course class with Teacher Joie Viado. She patiently walked us through postures that help align the body. I expected that the workout would be intense, since I don't have very flexible limbs, and it was. 

Still, it was fun to get to try out the movements and challenge myself how long I could keep up certain postures that really stretched my muscles' endurance.Surprisingly, I wasn't as sore I thought I would be the next morning. There were some aches here and there but generally, there was no major pain in one particular area of my body.

Barre3's aim is to help women develop strength, flexibility, and stability but, more than that, it is commended as an environment that encourages women to get to know their bodies better. "It's also an environment where we honor your strengths and weaknesses. If you're not able to do some movements, we say it's okay, you may be able to do it someday," said Teacher Joie.

Hmmm, so I'm not such a lost case yet after all :)