When did stretch marks show?

[Mummyk1982]

Hi all ,

I'm 31 weeks tomorrow, and (thankfully) no stretch marks yet- and I still feel like I have a little more room to grow within my skin! For those of you who got stretch marks when did they appear? I don't want to celebrate just yet!! :-)

[Rockchick1984]

Not until after he was born, when my skin was shrinking back down! Took about 12 months to go. None yet this time at 33 weeks, but not counting my chickens yet!

[Shropshiremummy2B]

34/35 weeks sadly. Although it may have been earlier as they are under the bump so I didn't spot them.

And I religiously applied Clarins oil on a twice daily basis. Grrrr.

[YomAsalYomBasal]

35 weeks but most appeared after the birth

[cathpip]

Didn't get any with dc1, with dc2 had the really small ones all around my belly button, they appeared at 30 weeks. With this pregnancy they appeared at 20weeks but only the old ones, no new ones as yet! Ps, oil your boobs I got stretch marks on my boobs after dc1 was born when my milk came in (boobs expanded 3cup sizes in a few hours) :)

[Pascha]

DS1 they appeared 3 days after he was born. I thought I had done so well too. DS2 they arrived somewhere in the last trimester, I had gone beyond caring by then.

[IHatePopUpTents]

Mine appeared with my dd about 30 weeks, but they were horrific, and so red one women in the street said my hip was bleeding... It was a stretch mark! A year later and they have just gone white.. I'm 12 weeks pregnant and expecting it all over again!

No amount of cream or oil will stop them!!

[AmethystMoon]

I got one tiny one about an inch long right at the top of my pubes! It appeared the day before I went into labour, so 38 +3 and was purple.
I thought I had managed to escape them (religiously applying bio oil twice per day from the start) but was actually rather pleased to have a tiny momento
I looked for it recently and it had pretty much vanished my DD is now 19 month.

[Mummytobe2014]

I got some around 20 weeks and im pretty sure i have just gained some more at around 32 weeks

[HazleNutt]

a month after having the baby! Not a lot of them, but still - I was already congratulating myself on my skin elasticity.

[Jolay100]

okay so the next question is what are the best products for avoiding them. are expensive oils really worth the outlay or is a simple E45/aveeno type cream sufficient?

[PavlovtheCat]

After baby! I was never strict enough with myself to moisturise every day, what a faff! But, I have heard that a) drinking lots of water throughout pregnancy is as useful as moisturising as the skin dehydrates more easily due to the larger quantity of fluid in your body, you need much more water. I don't know how true that is. I have also heard bio oil is good. If you want to try it, I just bought a 200ml bottle from Amazon for £8 (normally £20 in Boots) so might be worth checking that out?

[PavlovtheCat]

ok, there was no b)...

[SecretRed]

They day after my dd's due date. I went 6 days over and my stomach was a mess within a week! I was devastated, as I thought I'd got away with it.

[Rockchick1984]

None of the creams and oils can penetrate the skin deeply enough to stop them, but it can feel nice and soothing especially if your skin itches when it is stretching.

[Mummyk1982]

I've been using bio oil since around 18-20 weeks every day- I know it won't stop them but it can't do any harm :-)

[ziggletttwiglett]

well if your really unlucky like me you have them at 12 weeks!! I have no bump just terrible skin i guess, for the last 4/5 years i have gained weight although i wouldn't say quickly and i'm only a size 12/14 with the weight gain and yet they seem to be popping up from no where! i dread to think what i'm going to look like by the end of this PG haha i'll probably end up resembling a road map of britain! Still DP doesn't seem to mind one bit, so i'm not THAT bothered by them.

[lynniep]

With DS1 - I got to 38.5 weeks. Then BOOM. (sorry, you probably don't want to hear that)
With DS2 - at about 20 weeks they just went nuts. Rather than just underneath from pelvis to tummy like DS1, it was like a very wrinkly underground map. I was about 2 st heavier when I was PG with him though.

[LastOneDancing]

I know it doesn't stop them but I've been liberally slapping in the bio-oil 2/3 times a day since 13 weeks. Thanks for the tip Pavlov, I'm nearly through my second giant bottle!!

I need to feel like I've at least tried to reduce the damage, and I have a lovely soft bump

I see every stretch mark free day as a triumph - I was that kid with horribly marked thighs at school. Being made to wear gym knickers was utter torture.

[PavlovtheCat]

last I think it's technically £9, but if you do it as subscribe and save you get a little more off (I think on reflection I got extra 15% off as I bought it with other subscribe and save stuff) but even without the subscribe an save £9 is a bargain. If you choose subscribe and save, you can chose 6 monthly option, then delete it when you get your first order if you don't want more, or if the price goes up (or just buy several bottles now).

I am using it to help reduce scar from surgery, and to even my skin tone as it allegedly does this , so the theory is, even if it doesn't stop stretch marks, it can help reduce the visibility of them in time in the same way as it is meant to with scars.

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

With DS1 about 37 weeks I suddenly got an explosion of stretchmarks. Subsequent pregnancies they have shown up sooner because they were there already. I'm currently 34+4 with DC3 and haven't got any additional ones, just the same tube map of stretchmarks from my previous pregnancies. I am slathering on the oil and moisturiser to stop my skin feeling so tight.

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

With DS1 about 37 weeks I suddenly got an explosion of stretchmarks. Subsequent pregnancies they have shown up sooner because they were there already. I'm currently 34+4 with DC3 and haven't got any additional ones, just the same tube map of stretchmarks from my previous pregnancies. I am slathering on the oil and moisturiser to stop my skin feeling so tight.

[stopgap]

I'm 38 weeks, none this time, none the first time. I've used Mama Mio Oil religiously from day one, and drink (always have done) 2-3 litres of water a day. My mother got stretch marks with both of her pregnancies (and only gained 1.5 stones) and I got stretch marks on my hips during puberty, so maybe there is something to the water intake/slathering oneself in oil regimen.

[Fingerscrossedfor2014]

Hi ladies I didn't have any til I was almost 8 months gone and used coco butter however a trip to the hospital and poking and prodding from the midwife to help turn my daughter round soon changed all that I went to bed that nite with none and woke up with I can only describe as a little tree stump mark that quickly grew over the last few weeks covering most of my belly from the belly button down :( my daughters now 14 and there still as bright and has ugly as the day I had her I've tried almost every cream/oil/scrub u can think off barring lazor treatment and believe me if I had the money I would try :) I've just learnt to live with them xx