Dr. Elsa Jungman: Baby on Board!

We sat down (virtually) with our founder and first time Mama to learn more about her pregnancy. Due in February Dr. Elsa shares how life has been, how her skincare routine has changed and her pregnancy must haves.

Have you noticed changes in your daily life? 

My daily life is really the same. I was very tired in the 1st trimester but since it’s been really an easy pregnancy. I feel very lucky.

As we’re still in a pandemic I have not been traveling or seeing friends at night or as often as I normally would, so I have been able to rest as I need.

How covid impacted it?

When I got pregnant, my doctors at UCSF told me to avoid traveling - especially flying as it seemed that pregnant women were more at risk to get more serious forms of Covid. I took the difficult decision to stay home and not see my family in France through the pregnancy. My family is also currently not allowed to travel to the US as they are French. So it’s weird to realize they will never see me pregnant and next time I'll be in France I’ll be a mom! I was not prepared for that! I love traveling, and usually visit many countries a year - so that has been a big change for me.

Do you feel any mood changes? 

Not really. However having a company and launching it while pregnant is quite stressful. We got a few issues at the launch regarding production. But I am learning to take a step back as I don’t want my mental health to affect my pregnancy or the baby.

Have you noticed changes on your body & skin?

Yes, what was so strange to me, is even before I knew I was pregnant, my temperature increased and my skin would even burn at night. I was hot all of the time! 

Today, I am 25 weeks, and my body, beside my belly have not changed much. I often tend to forget that I am pregnant! However my hair has never felt better. It is now super long, not dry and I only need to wash it once a week, it is fantastic!

Regarding my skin, some days I have a great skin, some days it breaks out. I also have more rosacea. I think it is really related to my hormonal variation and also to the increase of blood flow. 

What would be the pregnancy MUST have:

When I have heartburn I love drinking yogi tea, for stomach relief, it relaxes me a lot. 

I love pastries, so I treat myself a few mornings with a chocolate croissant!

In skincare, I kept the same minimal routine as before. As we are entering winter, in the morning, I apply the Start Over serum and then just a drop of Bio Restore serum on my dry spots and my skin is great. I like to do facial yoga to relax and also some massages in the evening to my belly. 

 

For fun, any non skincare related MUST have for pregnancy?

I love my pregnancy pillow, it's been hard to only sleep on the side so it helps a lot. My favorite moment to relax is going to bed and feeling my baby moving. It is a fantastic sensation because you feel it is growing but you don't have too much to make it happen, unlike growing a business!

How do you feel?

I am 36 and feel very lucky. I did not have to do fertility treatments to get pregnant. I have ovulation issues so I thought it would be a very difficult road. It's still hard to realize a baby is coming for real!

I got pregnant during the lockdown in SF while my fertility treatment had been postponed due to the pandemic, a spontaneous pregnancy as they say! I am very thankful for that and that’s my positive story about covid :)