Stretch marks

[chloemegjess]

Hello. I am pregnant with my second baby - DD only 10 months old!

This time I am really worried about stretch marks. I have loads already and really hate them, much more than I hate the fat.

I have been putting loads of cream on in the evenings.

What does everybody find best? Would be great to know recomendations

OR is it a lost case?

[Zebraa]

I'm also pregnant with my second baby and ds is only 11 months old! When are you due?

Sorry, stretch marks... well I didn't get any first time round but i've got a few faint ones appearing on my hips at the mins. What creams/oil are you using? I heard johnsons baby oil rubbed in whilst wet after the shower and pat dry, along with the recommended water intake a day is the only thing that works.

[starmucks]

I have them. Smoothered myself in all kinds of oils, creams - some even bought in the US at exorbitant cost. Didn't make any difference. Even more annoying was the fact that I didn't even get that big - my bump was pretty modest. It's purely physiological - either you get them, or you don't. I try not to worry about it too much although now and again, when I can wear something because I think they'll show, it bugs me.

[yama]

I used Clarins Oil. Not sure what it is called but it is yellow and actually states that it is okay for use by pregnant women (lots of oils have essential oils).

One bottle should last whole pregnancy but I would use one baby arrives too.

[yama]

Sorry - 'once' baby arrives too.

[Lib76]

hey chloe i got stretch marks when i was 38 wks! totally gutted as i was all baby no extra weight. They got worse (i hate to say) after i had DS (22wks) it has really got me down as otherwise i am back in size 10 jeans! i have tried EVERYTHING, just like starmucks bought cream from US!! crazy i know but when they get you down you will try anything. Bio-oil is good. currently using Thalgo stretch mark cream given to me by a friend who is a beautician. she says the trick is not just to put cream on quickly and leave it but it massage it in. She says that when they are red then they still have blood supply and massage will help.

[starmucks]

How does it get worse with DC2? Is it a case of getting more, or the ones you have being aggravated? Sorry, odd question but we're trying for another...!

[MissKubelik]

hmmm well I think that if you are destined to get them you will, no matter what creams you put on.

anyway if it helps, I am not prone to stretchmarks and I use The Sanctuary Mum-To-Be Body Butter all over every night before bed. It is fab, smells lovely and is very soothing on my itchy bump! You can get it in Boots, costs a tenner but is worth it IMO.

[littlelamb]

I found that with ds they thankfully didn't get any worse, which I was really worried about as I had them badly with dd. Second time around they didn't get red either, just stayed silvery, so tummy looked pretty much the same postnatal as it had before I was pg, (which probably says more about my tummy than anything, but there you go )Ds was almost a pound heavier than dd as well, and tummy seemed to be much bigger, but no new stretch marks so a big relief. I'm firmly in the camp that believes if you're going to get them, there's nothing you can do about it. I know both my mum and grandma had them badly so I guess I had no chance. Its my boobs that have taken a beating this time tbh

[pollyblue]

I thought I'd get them during pregnancy as I got some on my hips during my teens, but non appeared last time, and non (so far!) this time. I used religiously - and have stuck with - Palmers Cocoa butter oil, cost less that a fiver in Boots and smells fab. Sometimes mix in some vitamin e oil too.

[chloemegjess]

Zebrra - I am due 22nd April, so still got ages left. How about you? And my DD was born 29th December so is actually more than 10 months now. When was your first born?

I know I will probably get them anyway as I am prone to stretch marks and so is my mum. But I want to at least do the best I can.

I did buy some bio oil but found it went down extremly fast and now just use it in the bath, as it says this is ok too. I have been using the Santuary Mum to be cream for the last week and it is also going down quick, but I have been doing my whole body every day and my DH even said to me that I smell really nice in it! And he is useless and never notices anything so it must be good!

I think half the reason why I am so worried is that we are going to tennerife in a big group next September, so not long from baby to holiday so will want to loose weight and try and get rid of some of the stretch marks. I don't want to be hot and not want to strip off! I literally have them right from my belly button, all over the base of my tummy, all down my tighs and even some on my calfs. I had some on my boobs at school but they are pretty much gone so as long as they don't get worse when Pregnant then I will be ok boob wise! My Mum has seen my stretch marks and didn't even know what they were as they are so deep it looks so awful!

Even now, If I go swimming, I wear shorts over the top of my costume. They need to be DHs big shorts though to cover them.

[iamamummy]

hi chloe

first congrats on baby no.2!!

i have a ds who is 9 months and whilst pregnant i got hideously bad stretchmarks from under my tummy button all the way down to my knees from about 7 months onwards. i tried lots of creams etc and nothing improved the rapid rate at whichh they were coming so in the end i gave up.

i take ds swimming once a week and it was very hard for me initially to start as i was so paranoid people would be staring and talking about all of my stretchmarks but now i reaslise its a sign of motherhood and i wouldnt change them for the world as its because of them i now have my son.

after ds was born they did get worse and were bright red but they are starting to fade now albeit very very slowly!!

enjoy your holiday too

[Zebraa]

I'm 20 weeks, and just found out I'm having a girl. DS was born 10th December!

I've got some marks on my hips/tummy. they look quite bad in certain light and not too bad in daylight. I think it's ok to worry about them, we're only human and LADIES after all x

[MrsYang]

Congratulations, Zebraa!

I've had stretch marks even before pregnancy, so I am sure I'll get some more now (even though I have bought expensive creams and oils). If they work then they must be really good (I'm a lost case).

[MrsMattie]

I got killer ones late on in my first pregnancy. Got a few new ones on my tummy this time (in the last few weeks - am 38 weeks now), despite obsessive daily Bio Oil applications. Ach well.

[Haribolicious]

Congrats!!
I started with Palmers Cocoa butter too but then the smell got to me and I switched to the Body Shop's vitamin e body lotion. It worked for me and I have no stretch marks at all - yipeee but I'm not totally convinced that lotions and potions can stop stretch marks as friends used quite expensive ones and they still got them! I do think that, unfortunately, if you're prone then nothing you do will stop them.

[gingercat12]

I had awful ones in late pregnancy, but I could not see them. They were a distant foreign country to me together with my toes. So I boldly told everybody I had no stretchmarks. Before DS's entrance to this world I rarely used creams.

After birth I had not time to put any cream on. Lo and behold! They are gone. Just like that. I am clearly not experienced in this, but I think stretchmarks come and go whatever cosmetic companies want you to believe.