To feel upset about these stretch marks? Will they fade? *pic included

[UltraArga]

I'm 37+6 so still might have a bit of growing to do. I only just realised these stretch marks. I swear they weren't there last week...

Are these really awful? Will they fade? I know that the fact I'm growing a baby is incredible and I would do it all again, but I can't help but feel a little sad... I don't trust when people say I can have a nice stomach again and that they'll 'barely be noticeable' in a year.

AIBU to feel a bit gutted?

@Cronesquerness you tell me now 😜

I got to about 37 weeks and then mine appeared all at once as well 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’d counted my chickens before they’d hatched unfortunately. Honestly, my baby is only 13 mo and they’ve been faded and barely noticeable for ages. Enjoy your new baby when he or she arrives

Mine suddenly appeared I swear overnight, I went from having none to being covered in angry red ones.

DD is 18 months and they are still there - not as noticeable but still there and I am very aware of them as they even though they are silver/white they are easily visible.

Once they are there, there are here to stay

In my experience oil only works for stretch marks if you start using them before they happen so right from the start of pregnancy. You might be better off asking the GP for their advice on something medicated if they sore or are getting infected

Oils don’t work at all. Remember googling it at the time. There’s obviously no harm in keeping your skin as hydrated as possible but from what I remember reading you can’t prevent them unfortunately.

I used Bio Oil throughout both my pregnancies right from the beginning, and have avoided stretch marks.

That could be just sheer luck or the B.Oil.

I used bio oil constantly throughout first pregnancy.. Cost a fortune and midwife was shocked I didn't have any stretch marks and that it was unlikely I'd get any either. How wrong was she. Soon after dd was born they were everywhere.
I was just so huge and stretched that I couldn't see them.
I didn't bother with the oil again as the damage has already been done.
They will fade though.
I agree it's a shock but youl get used to them.
It's a nice memory of what a wonderful job your body did growing a baby!
Some people even without being pregnant get them too.
Just enjoy your baby,it's really not that important youl come to realise that.

They will fade op. Considering most of pregnancy growth happens on the belly I've hardly got any on my stomach and don't notice them. Got them everywhere else tho . My small boobs are addled with them, my thighs and calves too but it hasn't stopped me feeling attractive most of the time.

I haven’t had a baby but had stretch marks far worse than that due to massive weight gain. I would cry in the mirror thinking I had disfigured myself and they’d never go.
However, now I have lost weight they are only noticeable if you really look. Yours will go down as your baby belly goes down (plus you get a scrummy newborn at the end)

Bio oil is your friend.

I have ones like that. They fade to silver but they don't go. They don't bother me.

That happened to me too, none until 37 weeks then one morning, boom! Purple stripes everywhere. It's a bit of a shock! They're fine now, hardly visible unless I go looking for them. Yours are really truly not bad at all, I'd put money on them fading to almost nothing.

Mreh. They might go, they might not. They are a known possible symptoms of skin strerching, so really shouldn't come as a surprise.

They will fade, mine were a lot worse than than. My DP has never once mentioned them, I think he was so grateful after he saw what going through labour was like! Honestly don’t worry about it

They don't totally go but they fade loads and they don't look too bad now. I could hardly believe I'd ever have a flat stomach again but I did and just faint marks around my belly button and hips. Try not to focus on it for now, it'll be ok.

They look completely typical, OP, but your bump and body look really trim!!!!

You are either prone to Stretch marks or you’re not - completely outside your control. They do fade though, and will at some point although we’d all prefer to be without them. you won’t care about them.

Love you Battlescars ❤️❤️❤️

I got my suddenly and deeply with first pregnancy. Still very much there although now silvery in colour. Small price to pay though especially as bikinis and me aren't on speaking terms!

Oils and other stretch mark preventions/treatments do nothing. It’s good to keep the skin moisturised regardless of course, and that can help minimally with fading, but any oil or moisturiser will do. Don’t shell out any extra for something with stretch marks in the description. The only thing that makes a real difference is laser treatments and skin coloured tattoos.

Whether you get them and the severity is almost entirely genetic, and the rest is general health. Things like smoking and poor diet damage the connective tissue and fibers of your skin, making it less elastic and more prone to stretch marks, but it’s still mostly about your genes though.

Never underestimate the body's ability to heal. I had major surgery on my lower leg a few years ago. One of the scars in particular was horrible- like a raised piece of gnarled purple rope just under my knee. You can barely see it today. It's just a very faint silvery line that you can only see if you look hard.