While some women dislike their stretch marks, most can agree that they were a small price to pay in exchange for their children. I knew that most women get stretch marks during pregnancy, and I was okay with the fact that I was probably going to get them as well. Matter of fact, I was expecting to get stretch marks since my mom has them, and I already had a few from puberty. However, I thought if it was possible to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, I should give it a try.
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Stretch marks are certainly not the end of the world, and some women actually grow to love their stretch marks. If you would rather avoid them all together, try these 5 tips for preventing stretch marks during pregnancy.
STAY HYDRATED
There are plenty of reasons to drink more water during pregnancy, the fact that it can help prevent stretch marks is just an added bonus. I know you don’t want to spend all day running back and forth to the bathroom, but hydration is crucial for your skin. By drinking plenty of water, you help to keep your skin soft and hyrdated, which adds elasticity. Most doctors recommend anywhere between 70 to 80 ounces of water a day for the average pregnant woman. You may need more or less depending on how you feel. I know this can be difficult if you are struggling with morning sickness, so just try to sip water slowly and frequently to reach your recommended daily amount of water.
REASONABLE WEIGHT GAIN
While weight gain during pregnancy is inevitable, it helps prevent stretch marks to not gain more than the recommended amount. By staying within a healthy weight during pregnancy, it avoids excess stretching of your skin, helping to prevent stretch marks. Try not to take “eating for two” literally, because most pregnant women don’t need but just a couple hundred more calories a day than they needed before pregnancy. Simply eating healthy and exercising can help keep weight gain under control, and can even make it easier to get your body back after you have your baby!
VITAMIN D
You are probably already taking prenatal vitamins, but a little extra Vitamin D can help prevent stretch marks. It has been proven that those lacking Vitamin D are more prone to stretch marks, which is great news if you are going to be heavily pregnant during the summertime! A nice dip in the pool helps soothe those pregnancy hot flashes, so soak up the sun! When going out into direct sunlight, be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, as you may be more likely to get sunburnt during pregnancy. I did not heed this warning and ended up with a pretty nasty sunburn during my pregnancy because I underestimated how much pregnancy can change your body. I won’t make that mistake again!
MOISTURIZE
There are a ton of lotions, creams, and oils out there that claim to prevent stretch marks and while I haven’t tested many of them, I do believe moisturizing the skin is important in preventing stretch marks. These are most effective when used from the beginning of pregnancy and continued until after giving birth. While I was pregnant, I used Palmers Tummy Butter, and it worked well, I just didn’t really enjoy putting it on because it was hard to work with. Whenever we decide to have another baby, I want to try Bio-Oil based on good reviews.
TRY NOT TO SCRATCH
After you skin starts stretching, it will probably itch pretty bad. Moustirizing will help a lot, but you will still get the urge to scratch your belly every now and then. Try your best not to scratch it, as it will only make things worse by damaging the skin. Whenever your skin gets itchy, that’s a sign it needs more moisture, so rub it down with your favorite lotion.
KEEP IT UP AFTER DELIVERY
I did not get any stretch marks during my pregnancy and I was feeling great about it. A few days postpartum I decided to peek in the mirror at my new body to find a collection of stretch marks that had formed in a few shorts days. Gaining weight rapidly can cause stretch marks, but so can losing weight rapidly. When your uterus starts trying to shrink after delivery, this can cause stretch marks, so take that Bio-Oil and Tummy Butter to the hospital with you, you’ll be glad you did!
It’s understandable to want to prevent stretch marks, but it’s also totally fine to embrace your stretch marks! There are a lot of factors that go into weather or not you may get stretch marks, including genetics. Try not to stress too much about if you will get them or not and just focus on having a healthy and happy pregnancy.
Did you get stretch marks during your pregnancy? If not, what is your secret for preventing them?
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