How I did my makeup during labor and delivery

I recently came across an article titled “Why More and More People Are Wearing Makeup While Giving Birth” and freaked out because this literally just happened to me. Apparently, birthing makeup and delivery makeup had been trending on TikTok since so many people have time to get ready with a scheduled c-section or induction.

Doing my makeup the morning of my new daughter’s delivery was such a comical, palpable, memorable part of our birth story. I hoped, at the risk of sounding superficial, there would be a way that I could share it. Lo and behold, TikTok pulls through with trending “birthing makeup”. I knew I couldn’t be the only one! I took it as permission granted to share. It seemed to me, such a relatable moment of the most intimate experience.

My understanding of labor came

Like most people, my understanding of labor came from movies. Your water breaks, and you rush to the hospital. There’s screaming and sweating and all the drama. I didn’t realize that’s not reality, AT ALL.

During the last 5 weeks of my pregnancy, my ob-gyn kept telling me she’d be “surprised if I make it to my due date” and “she really thinks the baby is coming early” blah blah. Every day for an entire month I swore I was having contractions. I though each day was going to be the day. That there was NO WAY I wasn’t going to be early. Every day, I was doing my hair and makeup for the hospital (you know, a natural no-makeup-makeup look) and resisted washing my face every evening just in case it happened overnight. From a girl who thinks sleeping in makeup is a cardinal sin, I was borderline sleeping in my makeup. These felt like the longest days EVER.

Sure enough, my due date came and went. Still pregnant. I had a scheduled induction the following week so for the first time in a month, I FINALLY let it go and started to relax. I came to terms that I wasn’t going to go into labor naturally. I’ll be perfectly prepared to go when we’re scheduled, I thought.

No time for makeup, not even a little skincare

It’s the day after my due date, I take off all my makeup, wash my face, do my nighttime skincare routine, and get ready for bed. My head hits the pillow, and I start to dose off (I’d been an insomniac that last month with the anticipation of labor lurking at every turn) it’s about 10 pm… and it’s happening. Still not as dramatic as the movies, but I was in so much pain I told my husband it was time to go into the hospital within 30 minutes of the first contraction. No time for makeup, not even a little skincare.

I feel extremely fortunate to say that my labor and delivery felt like a dream. Well, after I got the epidural. We slept some as I dilated overnight. Once the sun started coming up, I told my husband we needed to call our moms so they could be at the hospital for the birth of their grandchild. The plan was to get ready to push come morning.

A professional photographer comes by and asks if we want her to be there for the delivery. I had no idea they did that! The idea of having pictures taken made me realize that, regardless of the photos, I wanted to feel pretty to meet my child for the first time.

I wanted to feel pretty to meet my child for the first time

The epidural has me feeling a little too good. So my mom comes to the rescue with the Jet Set Multi-sticks she had in her purse. Now, even though she’s worn full makeup all her life, she’s definitely not a makeup artist. Fortunately, the multi-sticks were so easy to use, her amateur artistry skills hardly mattered.

She used two different Jet Set Multi-sticks and added some flush to my cheeks, some bronze to warm up my face, a little definition on my lids, and of course some color on my lips. Blend, blend, blend with our fingers, and viola! My no-makeup-makeup look isn’t perfect, but it’s everything I need.

The photographer ended up missing my delivery (which I wasn’t upset about) because she was in another room. But she did come back later to take newborn photos.

I couldn’t have used any other type of makeup. Powder? Too messy. Brushes? Didn’t have any. Liner? Yeah right, like we could have pulled that off with all our nerves and excitement. The creamy, easy-to-blend formulas were just the ticket to applying effortless color.

Delivery makeup

Delivery makeup, to me, meant so much more than just trying to look presentable. It gave me a sense of peace as well as the rush of confidence I needed.

Being able to do my makeup during labor gave me a sense of control. I’ve been doing my makeup almost every day for as long as I can remember. So being able to do it that morning established a sense of normalcy and calm.

All of the makeup we used is natural and non-toxic. There are no dyes or synthetic fragrances. No artificial preservatives or fillers. The Jet Set Multi-Sticks are as healthy as makeup can get.

If it weren’t for having non-toxic makeup that’s clean and safe, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable using it. I knew that what I was applying wouldn’t be harmful to me and most importantly, my new baby.

Click here to shop natural probiotic multi-sticks and non-toxic makeup

Watch Annie's TikTok about delivery makeup