Pregnancy is a wonderful and exciting time for any expectant mother. Although this is a joyous occasion, pregnancy does have its pitfalls. Mobility is one of the main problems that come along when you’re expecting.
You may feel like you have to say goodbye to luxuries such as pedicures, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, with your belly swollen to the size of a watermelon, finding the time to pamper yourself is vital during your pregnancy.
You won’t have to wait nine months before you can start treating yourself to a set of freshly painted toes. It may take a little more effort than usual, but you can do it right now.
Is It Safe?
There are many things that you need to give up during your pregnancy in order to protect your baby, but thankfully, nail polish is not one of them. While it’s important to remember that nail polish is made up of potentially harmful chemicals, there hasn’t been much research proving that it will harm you or your baby during pregnancy. Despite the chemicals in most nail polishes, when you paint your nails, you’re only exposed to small amounts of them, Making the chemicals relatively harmless.
Some nail polishes may contain formaldehyde which is known to cause miscarriages in people who have been exposed to the products in high volumes, such as salon workers. Another harmful substance found in nail polish is phthalates which can cause damage to the endocrine system. Nail polish can also release strong fumes that could cause nausea and headaches. Your safest bet would be to read the label on the bottle before using any nail polish.
A safer option would be painting your toes with gel or acrylic polish. Other than a strong smell that could potentially irritate you or make you nauseous, there are no known chemicals that can harm your baby. You can always check with your nail technician if their products are safe to use while pregnant if you’re unsure.
How to Paint Your Toenails While Pregnant
Being able to reach your toes is probably your biggest concern when it comes to painting your toes during pregnancy. Footwear Assist has you covered on that front. This device was invented to help people with disabilities or mobility issues and is perfect for when you need to reach your toes, but you’re obstructed by a baby bump. The device sits on top of a door and uses a pulley/lever system to help raise the person’s foot in the sling.
Prep Your Work Station
As ideal as it would be to fall into your bed and paint your toes there, things aren’t that easy when you’re pregnant. So even if all you do is find a place you can set up your Footwear Assist, having a designated space to paint your toenails will make the entire process significantly easier. If possible, find a place that’s far away from any hard surfaces and shape edges for a safe and stress-free environment.
Take It Slow
Before your pregnancy, it would’ve hardly taken you any time to shower, get dressed, and paint your toenails, but things are different now, and simply putting on a pair of pants seems to take forever. Remember to be patient with yourself; you’re doing this to pamper yourself, not to cause more stress. If your back starts aching or you begin to feel lightheaded, it’s better to call it quits and celebrate the fact that you made it this far.
Use Tape
Pregnancy is all about working smarter, not harder, and finding nifty ways to make your life easier. Creating a barrier between your nails and your skin using tape is a fantastic way to ensure your pedicure is neat and perfectly done without hunching over your foot for hours.
Pregnancy is difficult, but it shouldn’t mean that you have to give up the things you love. While it may take more effort, your toes can still look stunning throughout your entire pregnancy. Just remember that you’re going to be experiencing some mobility issues, and your toenails might not look perfect, and that’s okay.
Pregnancy is an amazing prelude to motherhood in the sense that when things don’t go as planned, you need to keep on pushing. You should have the same attitude toward painting your toenails. Just because it’s more difficult than usual it doesn’t mean you should give up.