Stretch Marks Remedies While Pregnant - What I Am Doing To Reduce Stretch Marks
“Before we get started into this topic I just want to stress that stretch marks are uber normal. According to all my research 90% of women get stretch marks during pregnancy. ”
I have to admit, I didn’t think about stretch marks until my second trimester and then all of the sudden I got SUPER worried about it. I don’t know what triggered me to all the sudden be worried, but I decided I should do something to help reduce them as much as I could. So, I started to do a little research on what I could do to help reduce stretch marks during pregnancy. My goal was to reduce them as much as possible knowing sure well I was going to get them.
There are soooooooo many different products out there it is crazy, but honestly products are not the only thing that you need in order to help reduce stretch marks. You are going to also have to do things right things. Before we get too much into the weeds on what I am doing to reduce stretch marks lets just talk about them in general.
So what are stretch marks? According to whattoexpect.com:
Stretch marks are actually tiny tears in the supporting layers of tissue under your skin as it's pulled tight during pregnancy.
Whether or not you get stretch marks has a lot to do with the elasticity of your skin. You can mostly thank genetics: If your mother had stretch marks, chances are greater that you probably will too. Lifestyle habits, including eating well and exercising regularly, also promote skin health and elasticity.
When did I get stretch marks?
I was pretty surprised that I didn’t get stretch marks until my 38th week in pregnancy. Wow right?! To be honest, I was pretty upset when I saw my first one only because it was so late in the game. I was thinking, wishing, or hoping, that some how I was that 10% that didn’t get them lol. Ya dream on Bessie :)
So, I am almost 39 weeks pregnant and have 3 stretch marks. They aren’t deep, more just a red line on my belly. We will see what happens in the next 2 weeks.
They say to expect to get stretch marks beginning mid second trimester. It all depends on skin elasticity, if your belly grows super fast, etc. So you might get stretch marks earlier than that. It all depends on you and your belly.
Stretch Marks Remedies While Pregnant -
What I Am Doing To Reduce Stretch Marks While Pregnant
Ok, so I have been doing a few things to try and help reduce stretch marks. I am doing a few all natural things and then also using a few different products on a regular basis. So lets get into it!
Nourish skin from the inside out:
Taking care of your skin is super important and one way to do that is by nourishing your skin from the inside out. In order to nourish my skin from the inside out I am :
Taking prenatal vitamins
Eating as healthy as possible - this is a hard one just because while you are pregnant some things really do not work for you were others do. For example, during my first trimester the only thing I could eat was sourdough toast or McDonalds. Ya…. so that wasn’t a very healthy trimester :)
Drinking lots of water - If you are struggling with this make sure to check out my tips on how to drink more water every day.
Gain weight slowly
If you gain weight slowly it will allow your belly/skin to stretch slowly. With that being said, your body is going to do what your body is going to do. You can try to gain weight slowly by eating healthy and staying active, but your body might be reacting to pregnancy and hormones … well…. not as you expected or planned.
My weight gain has been really weird. During my first trimester I gained 10 pounds almost instantly. I was shocked and, to be very honest, super worried! Then all of the sudden the weight stopped coming on. I didn’t gain weight for weeks on end. Again, made me worried. Then during my third trimester I wasn't gaining much weight. Either no weight or a half a pound in a week. This is pretty normal, but all of the sudden one week I gained 4 pounds. Yes, you read that right, 4 pounds in 1 week!!! It was crazy and again, made me worried.
According to the doctors and the internet, you are supposed to ‘gain weight slowly and consistently but not too much weight and not too fast’. If you don’t gain weight there could be a problem. If you gain too much weight there could be a problem.
So, what is my point? My point is, you can do all the things right, but your body is going to do what it is going to do. Make sure you are eating healthy and moving your body, but don’t freak out if you gain alot of weight, or if you don’t gain much. Just continue to talk to your doctor to make sure everything is going good. Just relax and trust the process. Your body was meant for this.
Keep your skin hydrated with hydration products
Lastly, use a product to help hydrate the skin and create a bit of elasticity. There are so many different products out there and they come at a very different price as well. For me, I wasn’t really thinking about using anything until the second trimester when it dawned on me that I probably should use something to try and help reduce stretch marks while pregnant. So, I did some research, bought a few products and ended up really liking the Bio-Oil Skincare.
I still did get stretch marks, but I honestly think I would have gotten a lot more if it wasn’t for this oil. I have been using it 1-2 times per day since half way through my second trimester. Now, there is no way to prove that this actually helped e reduce my stretch marks, but it did definitely help with itching! Whenever my belly started to itch I would add some of this oil and the itchiness would go away, so that in itself was awesome.
There are other products that I looked at and that were highly recommended by other ladies. Here are some of them for your browsing:
So there you have it. What I am using for stretch mark remedies while pregnant / what I am doing to reduce stretch marks.
Do you have any tips or tricks on this topic? Are you currently pregnant and struggling with what to do? Comment below. I would absolutely love to chat with you!
Wishing you nothing but absolutely beautiful days!
Bess
If you liked this post make sure to check these out:
