strech marks....

StrongAndHealthyMommy

how do you ladies prevent stretch marks???
is there any magical secret???

I am not pregnant... but I'm thinking about it... I know babies are amazing, but there are a lot of little stuffs that freak me out... like no being able to have a pretty stomach again....

rosy003

I think this one is up to genetics unfortunately. I used bio-oil, cocoa butter, vitamin E capsules, etc and still wound up with them all over the front of my belly. I have some on my thighs from puberty, so I think I'm just one of the unlucky ones.

RBXChas

I think this one is up to genetics unfortunately. I used bio-oil, cocoa butter, vitamin E capsules, etc and still wound up with them all over the front of my belly. I have some on my thighs from puberty, so I think I'm just one of the unlucky ones.

Agreed. You can do all of those things, and they may help, but you likely will still end up with some. Don't despair, though. Mine were really bad on my lower belly with my last pregnancy, and honestly I couldn't even see it until after I'd given birth because they were on the underside of things. They were red and angry-looking, too! But that didn't last long, and they disappeared somehow, for the most part, within weeks. At nearly 31 weeks with this pregnancy, I don't have any new ones yet, but they tend not to show up for most women until the last month or so of pregnancy.

I have white ones on the love handle area from past weight gain, so those are stretched out now but haven't become red or pink again. Same with the ones on my boobs, as they've "refilled" during pregnancy.

laurab1217

Has anyone tried the Mederma stretch mark cream (after pregnancy)? Just wondering because Mederma products seem to work really well and practically erase any kind of scars, so I'm wondering how the stretch mark cream would work. Luckily I don't have any yet....but I do have really fair skin so if I get them they will be pretty obvious.

RBXChas

Also, after my son was born (vaginal delivery), my stomach did go back to being flat with weight loss, and I could wear a bikini without worry (regular bikini, not a string bikini or anything). Only if I, say, got in plank position and looked down at my belly did it look kind of sad right where, um, the hairline would be. (Of course in workout gear it is all held in.) But even my husband would never see that unless he saw me doing planks or push-ups naked, which isn't exactly a habit of mine. In any other position, my belly looked normal. The only place that was really sad was my boobs, but I think that had more to do with losing so much weight than with breast feeding, especially since I didn't breast feed for very long.

RBXChas

Has anyone tried the Mederma stretch mark cream (after pregnancy)? Just wondering because Mederma products seem to work really well and practically erase any kind of scars, so I'm wondering how the stretch mark cream would work. Luckily I don't have any yet....but I do have really fair skin so if I get them they will be pretty obvious.

No, but I did look into it when I had angry red ones right after delivery. I'm not sure if it's Mederma or one of the other ones (or all of them), but even though they are topical, some or all were not recommended for use during breast feeding.

MtMcConnel

I agree this one is up to genetics. I am at 31 weeks and don't have any from pregnancy yet, but have lots from puberty. They do eventually fade and aren't really noticeable. I don't know anything about Mederma stretch mark cream but Mayo Clinic (a good resource for pregnancy related health info) says you can treat stretch marks to reduce visibility of marks, but they won't disappear.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretch-marks/DS01081

Pepper2185

No magic potions, sorry

You really won't care about a few stretch marks after you have that baby in your arms.

Plus: they fade with time.

kellykneppergrundy

This one is indeed up to genetics. If you got a bunch during a growth spurt in puberty, that might be an indicator that you will be more prone to them in pregnancy. I only got a few during pregnancy (right under my belly button) that didn't show until after delivery. It's been 4 years since then and they are hardly noticeable. It wouldn't stop me from baring my stomach ever again. My mom and sister or the other hand got them very, very badly. You just have to accept they are a badge of honour and will eventually fade and not be so bad. Not gaining excessive amounts of weight while pregnant can help as it's less stretching for your skin to do, but it won't prevent them.

StrongAndHealthyMommy

Thanks for sharing your experiences...... I don't really have any stretch marks... even though I got boobs implants 5 years ago..... hopefully I wont get any stretch mark with the pregnancy...... (or at least not that many)