Happy news! We have conceived our third child and he or she is due sometime in February. Our family is growing so quickly…what a blessing. 🙂

In preparation for this baby, I’ve come up with a couple recipes that I’ll be using to prepare myself and our little one for our journey ahead: a regimen and belly butter recipe to treat and prevent stretch marks, and a smoothie recipe to fuel the growth of my child and provide good nutrition for myself.

To prevent and treat stretch marks:

A few times a week, I dry brush my belly and then slather some luxurious DIY stretch mark belly butter. My old stretch marks have already faded significantly.

Balm recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hard oil (tallow, cocoa butter, mango butter, or coconut oil)
• 1 cup soft oil (olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or sweet almond oil)
• 2 tablespoons vitamin e oil
• .75 oz shredded or cut-up beeswax

*If you are using coconut oil as a hard oil, increase the amount to 1.5 cups and decrease the soft oil amount to .5 cups.

In a double boiler or a pan with a bowl on top, place the hard oil, soft oil, and beeswax. Turn on the stove to medium/medium-high and allow the oils and wax to slowly melt. You want the oils to melt together, not begin to boil; this is a gentle process used to avoid damaging the ingredients with too much heat. This could take up to 20-30 minutes. Then, add in vitamin e oil, stir, and pour your ingredients into a glass or metal mixing bowl. Allow it to cool off on the counter for 1-2 hours, and blend with a hand mixer every 2 hours if you desire a whipped consistency. Once the cream is totally opaque and cooled to room-temperature, your belly butter is ready to use. I like to store mine in a mason jar. Enjoy!

Smoothie for pregnancy and beyond:

Though I can’t tolerate this smoothie right now (morning sickness–ick!), I plan on re-implementing it into my diet as soon as I can. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw milk kefir (or yogurt)
• 1-2 tablespoons organic unrefined coconut oil
• 1-2 (frozen) bananas (2 bananas for a thicker/creamier consistency)
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 3 dates
• 2 egg yolks from healthy free-range chickens (optional)

In a blender, place all ingredients and blend well. This makes a large smoothie that I share with my children, so adjust the size as needed. Sometimes, I add 1-2 tablespoons of organic cocoa powder and/or peanut butter to change the flavor. Sometimes, I add in a whole avocado if I want more of an ice cream consistency. Delicious! PS– don’t be afraid of adding a lot of coconut oil. It blends right in and only imparts a slight coconut taste.

Here’s why I added each ingredient:

Raw milk kefir (or yogurt): To provide b vitamins, calcium, loads of probiotics, and many other important nutrients. All of these things are important in pregnancy, especially for those who suffer from constipation and hemorrhoids from the weight of the baby in the womb. I am not sure what I would do if I didn’t have access to this tremendously helpful and much-needed superfood. Speaking from personal experience— it is an absolute gut-saver!

Organic unrefined coconut oil: To provide energy, fight pathogens (such as Group Strep B (GBS)), and decrease the brain fog the comes with pregnancy. It’s also fantastic for both mother and baby while breastfeeding. Here is a great article summarizing more benefits of coconut oil in relation to fertility, pregnancy, and beyond.

Bananas: Because they provide potassium and they’re delicious! I like to add two frozen bananas to my smoothies because it creates a creamier consistency.

Flax seeds: To boost omega-3 consumption, provide naturally occuring DHA (so good for mommy and baby!), and add fiber to the diet.

Dates: Especially important in third trimester, dates have been known to not only act as nature’s most unprocessed sweetener, but also improve the chances of a faster labor. Delicious and useful!

Egg yolks (optional): Cholesterol is an essential building block for the nervous system of a developing brain. I also add these to provide b vitamins for myself and the child and help keep my frazzled nerves in a state of healing. Pregnancy is hard work and nutritional demands are high.

Hopefully these recipes can help you in your journey to health! Of course, these are not only for mothers…anyone can benefit from them. Stretch marks often show up due to weight gain or puberty, and we all know that good nutrition is important for everyone. Plus, who doesn’t want smooth skin and a smoothie that tastes like a peanut butter cup?

What are your DIY lotion recipes? Do you have a favorite smoothie flavor?

Disclaimer: All information on this blog is for informational purposes only. I am not a licensed medical professional. Please discuss any dietary or lifestyle changes, supplements, or medical questions with your doctor.