Do stretch makes worsen with another pregnancy?

[GlitterCity]

Hi, I’m covered in stretch marks after my first pregnancy, The ones on my boobs and upper thighs are mild like puberty stretch marks and don’t bother me. However, my lower abdomen has severe stretch marks (deep ridges, acouple of them are a thumb width wide but luckily very low down.) i can deal with the ones on my sides/hips despite one side being quite bad they have faded a lot. However below my belly button there is literally more stretch marks than normal skin and this really gets me down. I hate dh touching my stomach as you can feel them and when you rub your hand along the stretches skin feels wrinkles because of the marks even though it doesn’t look it. My lower stomach looks like the nhs stretch mark picture they have on their website (infact very similar ) which before pregnancy would have made me cringe. If I stand in a low light you barely notice them and my stomach looks almost like before pregnancy and I convince myself they’re getting ‘alot’ better but then when I look in the daylight in the morning you can really see them all again and they look bad and my heart sinks. They have gone silvery white now and are no longer pink and aren’t as deep as they were but are no where near as healed up as I would like.
I realise I will have to come to terms with them as it’s a year and a half post birth and this is probably my end result?

I only gained the appropriate amount of weight and kept hydrated, ate healthy, lathered self in oils/lotions and all the rest of it but in the end my genes won.

I’m really worried about my stretch marks lengthening and spreading to above my belly button after another pregnancy. At the moment my only saving grace is that the top part of my stomach is unscathed. The highest points of the marks are in line with my belly button either side. I don’t think it could cope if they grow even more and I’d be worried they’d do to my upper stomach what they’ve done to my lower. Please can you ladies with stretch severe abdominal stretch marks like me tell me if they got worse after a second or subsequent pregnancy? Also do you think the gp would prescribe a steroid cream I could use straight after another birth? I didn’t go to the doctors the first time about my marks as didn’t think they could do any thing and I felt stupid and time wasting asking but really wish I had have went.
I realise this sounds vain but we’re not talking about little marks this is severe ridges all over my lower stomach.

Thanks and sorry about my long post.

Baby number one (boy) i got stretch marks all down my legs and my whole bum, none on my belly, baby number 2 & 3 (girls) i got them on the bottom part of my stomach as you have described, they were quite deep but they did lighten to a subtle pink/white colour. I'm now 33 weeks with baby 4 (boy) and they have not worsened or become darker than they were and i have moisturised daily. Please don't be self conscious of your stretch marks, you grew a child so wear them proudly! I also have scars from csection and keyhole surgerys on my stomach & its just something i will live with as they are apart of me. I use coconut oil on mine and they aren't any worse than my first and second pregnancy, if anything my legs and bum are alot worse they are like tiger stripes but are white just shiny 😊. Be proud of them but i would say you cant predict what will happen just always moisturize of you do have another as it will stop them being so deep when your belly stretches well in my experience anyway x

Thank you so much @Anm4 for your lovely reponse. I love your positive attitude. I’ve never been cut on my stomach but to be honest if I had you really wouldn’t notice as the stretch marks would cover it. I could accept them a lot better if they were milder. I think it’s rare to get them this severe after only one child too and it scares me to think they could get worse. ImI love my child so much and everything is worth it for him. I do however wish I had less severe stretch marks. I accept stretch marks are part and parcel of pregnancy and by no means am I complaining about ‘normal looking’ marks. The ones I have are severe and I feel that getting so many like this is unlucky. I am incredibly lucky to have my baby though and I’m thankful everyday for him.
I try not to let them worry me but I have sat and cried about them and I know this sounds so stupid!! I hate what I see in the mirror. I have been shopping for a nice one piece to go swimming in to try make myself feel abit better as I can’t ever wear a bikini again now. I also bought a two piece with the high bottoms that just about cover them all. I’ve lost my pregnancy weight and trying to lose some more and tone up to make myself feel better as well. I wonder if a flatter stomach will change their appearance and maybe they won’t look as bad. I could just be deluding myself though.

Thanks again x

No. I gained lots of stretch marks with DC1, most of which came out during the third trimester. They were right across my bump, hips, boobs and even my thighs. They had faded to white by the time I was pregnant with DC2 (and there’s only a 15 month gap between the two!) I didn’t gain another stretch mark nor did they even turn purple again. In fact, I had a midwife remark on how lucky I was to not have any stretch marks . I was certain she needed her eyes testing.

It took me a long time to become positive but i had to, i started the gym which did tone alot of my belly. Have you thought about asking the doctor to be referred to a skin specialist i think you would benefit from that as they may be able to recommend a special cream if they are so severe. But i do think a first pregnancy does stretch your skin so your no more likely to not get anymore a second time. I still have a long way to go after the baby is born to lose the weight but i will always have my tiger stripes. Honestly though i do think a skin specialist would be able to help xx

Thanks OutPinked that’s really good to hear and gives me some hope that it’s possible they won’t get any worse.

Thank you Anm4 I will go to see the doctor if I pluck up the courage. I don’t want to waste the Doctor’s time with my stupid insecurity over my stretch marks, I feel so vain and wish I could stop being obsessive about them. The collagen promoting creams on prescription i’ve heard of I know are only effective if they’re new marks. Mine are a year and a half old so not sure what they can give me. I’m also planning another child and thinking maybe I go after I’m finishing having kids if I haven’t learnt to accept them by then and pray they don’t get worse next time around. It’s promising to hear people don’t normally get many more second time around. My stomach went so big the first time (Midwife thought I was carrying a lot of water because I hadn’t gained too much weight and baby was average size yet measuring 2/3 weeks ahead towards the end. I was also two weeks overdue and people thought I was having twins because i went so big. I had no marks until the third trimester where I noticed some tiny ones and from there it all went wrong and more appeared post birth. You sound like you’re been doing fantastic with your weight loss and toning, well done you. It’s really hard especially with dc to look after You sound like supermum, I struggle to exercise with one child apart from walking. Congratulations as well on your pregnancy and how lovely two girls and two boys xx

Outpinked I forgot to say I feel embarrassed showing the midwives my stomach should I be lucky enough to have a second. I hope whoever I see will have bad eyesight haha as they’ll think Halloween has arrived early if they see my stomach. At the very least I hope she will be older and have really seen it all. I do realise we are our own worst critics. My lovely husband keeps telling me they’re not so bad. He’s a good liar.

Don't be embarassed, docs have seen it all but they may be able to offer advise aswell to maybe rejuvenate the skin where they are deep, i think unless you had surgery (which is extreme) you may not completely get rid of them but I'm sure there are treatments to lessen the depth of them, i know there is for scars it's almost like a botox it fills them but i think if it's making you feel so bad then your feelings aren't silly, it is obviously impacting you so I'm sure they can offer a solution. You do need to listen to your DH though as he is seeing the beauty regardless, my DH always tells me how proud he is to look what my body has created it's something that i had to learn to believe but it did take a long time! I was the same with my first i went from being under 8 stone to 12 mainly after 6 months so i was huge it's just balancing everything for me now. We're feeling very lucky to be having another baby as he wasn't planned but our other three are over the moon! They tell mummy she is beautiful every day too so although you may not love yourself fully I'm sure your DH & Son are in awe of you everyday. I think when your body has changed it's hard to adapt that's nothing to be ashamed of. Xx

@Glittercity these are mine, i wanted to share them with you as no-ones perfect! I would of sent the pic privately but i am at peace with them and i can't tell you to not be ashamed and then hide mine 😊 xx

Thank you so much Anm4, what lovely messages. You sounds like an amazing person and a wonderful Mum, your dc are very lucky to have you. It was very nice of you to share your picture and thank you for doing that. I wish I could be as brave and post mine but maybe one day I will be. I must say your skin looks great and you barely notice yours at all. I guess we are all our own worst critic and to others they’re not as bad.
Thank you for your information about the possible treatments. I will go to the gp after my next pregnancy and when I know the final result (if I’m lucky enough to have another baby.) We’re talking about starting try from September so I might have to hold off seeking treatment for now. I am however smothering coconut oil, vitamin e and aloe Vera lotion all over twice a day and find it is particularly effective after showers/baths. I’m also drinking lots of water and ‘trying’ to eat healthy. Hopefully over time I will see more improvement aswell.
You’re right I think people do say your body changes after having children but I really wasn’t prepared for how much. It doesn’t help seeing lots of flawless celebrities snapping back after a couple of weeks with perfect bodies but I guess it’s easier for them with private chefs and a team of experts helping you than it is for us regular Mums.
Congratulations again on your baby, I bet you all can’t wait to meet your new little one. Thank you as well for replying when you already have enough to think about with your pregnancy and everything.
Thanks againxx

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Aww thankyou i do try but ultimately i just know how hard life can be and you have to be strong. You're more than welcome my belly is very tight at the moment from baby so they are looking quite smooth but normally they aren't but coconut oil helps, i think you are doing the right thing to keep your skin healthy but you are only human so don't let pressure from celebs affect you, like you say most have chefs, trainers etc and surgery so aren't always naturally "flawless". I'm glad if i have helped in anyway, it took me three years for my belly to go relatively flat before we fell pregnant so just give yourself time! Good luck with ttc. Sending all the positivity i can. Xx

OP I feel the same about my stretch marks. If it was just the price that everyone pays for having a baby I could live with it, but I know people who have no stretch marks and still get to have their babies. It’s so unfair.

Unfortunately I don’t just have stretch marks. My stomach is massively deformed, I have a huge pouch of a belly that hangs down like a flap and it’s completely numb because of my c section. I could live with the stretch marks and numbness if I could just be a normal shape again and wear normal clothes. So it could be worse.

My first pregnancy fucked up my stomach - not just loads of stretch marks (tho have those) but the texture of my skin is bad. Plus there's a bit of a flap.

On the plus side - it got no worse at all with dc2. Currently pregnant with DC3 so watch this space.

I didn't gain more than a fairly average amount of weight with either pregnancy and lost it pretty easily afterwards but my stomach has never recovered and I suspect never will. I don't really care most of the time but my bikini wearing days are def over

Here are mine!

It took me a long time to accept mine, I'll be honest. I always joke that the skin on my stomach is like corduroy! My stretch marks are all round and above my belly button and spread all over my lower abdomen, with a decent amount on my hips and bum and breasts. They've all faded to silver now. Also, my muscle tone and skin tone on my stomach isn't great. (Not that I had a washboard stomach pre-kids!) All the damage was done with my first pregnancy, I was huge - comedy huge!

It's taken a long time for me to not hate my stretch marks, I think I'm at peace now. A few foreign holidays over the last few years where I tanned really helped improve the physical appearance of my marks, which meant I had a mental boost too. I do wear bikinis now; after a few angsty years of wailing about it I realised that nobody on the beach was paying me any attention and I was just making myself sad! I barely think about them in a negative way now. Instead I run my hand over them and appreciate what they stand for. They're part of my story.

Things that have helped slightly over the years are - suntan (appreciate that's probably a bit controversial, but it helped me), drinking lots of water, taking up running and probably the biggest one - just getting older and developing a "fuck it" attitude! I'm incredibly lucky to be 40, fit and healthy, and have two kids. Im not into wearing midriff revealing tops so nobody sees my stomach anyway!

Honeybee your skin looks great and your marks are very mild. Thanks for sharing. Thanks everyone, It’s weird because some lighting and angles my stomach looks fine and you barely notice and then close up in bright day light they look disgusting and mine are worse than any I’ve seen.

This is my stomach and both pictures are mine. One is taken close up in bright daylight and see how severe they are. The other picture is taken slightly further away in lower light. My stomach keeps tricking me and I think it looks better than they look dreadful again when the daylight hits them. @Anm4 do you think doctors would do anything for me? They look deep to me. Thanks everyone for your lovely messages and sorry if i’ve put you off your breakfast as I realise they’re severe.

@GlitterCity, good on you for having the courage to post the pic, you've had some lovely encouraging posts here. I understand why you feel they are severe, but I honestly wouldn't look twice if I saw you in a bikini. If anything I'd think what a lovely flat tummy you have. It's easy for someone else to say, you have to find peace yourself, but I really believe that your reality is created by what you focus on and no one else would ever judge you as harshly as you do yourself. But equally you feel what you feel and you can't dismiss that. Defo getting whatever treatment helps you feel better is a good idea, and airing your feelings like this. It's so sad isn't it how us women tend to hate our bodies when we are all so beautiful in our own ways

@GlitterCity, remember yesterday when you said we're all our own worst critic.... that is what is happening with you 😔, you aren't seeing your belly the way your DH and we are, you should be very proud to share your pics. Your belly isn't bad at all, I'm kind of envious of how flat it is to be fair 😂. Mine have that appearance when I'm not pregnant, it's because your skin was so stretched that there is still almost a little excess skin, mine felt wrinkly prior to falling pregnant, i think if you were to go to the doctor they would probably be able to recommend something to help improve the feel of them as from the pic they do look quite light which is good, i have read up the collagen treatment is still effective on prior stretch marks as it basically fills in the depth of them to make them feel smooth which i think is what would make you look at them differently! But i think if your going to ttc again soon then i would definitely wait until after then but i don't think they would get worse with another pregnancy, they may just go pink again but they will lighten again for sure! I've got to say you have done brilliantly with weight loss my tummy hasn't been flat like that since before my babies. Xx

Glitter I know what you mean re lighting! In all honesty, they look pretty similar to mine and I know how you feel but actually, they're not so bad! Neither are mine now I think about it.

Nice to read so many positive posts on here!

Thanks everyone for your absolutely lovely responses and for being tactful.

Merename Thank you for your kind words, as for the bikini, if only they did swimming In low lights I’d be okay but on the beach in the daylight I wouldn’t want to frighten people! I’ll stick to one piece or high bottoms as long as they don’t spread any higher after another pregnancy (would be just my luck!)

Anm4 I would love to see about getting the collagen treatment you mentioned but I can’t afford it and know nhs won’t do it with it being cosmetic. I’ll see if the gp can give me a cream though although it’ll take one heck of a cream to tackle these bad boys! Thanks for your compliment, I still would like to lose some more weight and tone up more because I think it’ll make me feel better about my marks. I’m pleased I have got results from running around after my adventurous toddler and bending down a lot but it’s taken a long time for me to lose my pregnant look. I still have a way to go; I’m tough on myself. I think your skin looks fantastic An considering you’re having your fourth baby too, you’d never know. I look like I’ve had Quintuplets with these marks. I think they look worse because I have so many in one place. Id be fine even with deep marks if they were spread out and not as taking over my normal skin as they are. Dh is nice about them and thinks I’m lucky I have my shape and thinks I’m being vain and I wish I could be happier about my stomach. I’m trying and don’t cry as much anymore and i’m beginning to come to terms with it slowly.

Honeybee79 You’re look lovely and smooth and more spaced out and are barely noticeable. Thank you so much for your kind words though. You’re lovely and so is everyone on this thread.

Thanks again lovely ladies xxx

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Thankyou, you have given me some lovely compliments too and for someone who has had alot of self doubt in the past it means the world. I think we are all secretly harsh at our own appearances & the world we live in doesn't help but you took a step and was courageous to share your pictures. I truly hope you find a cream or treatment that will help and make you feel better, you never know how they will settle after another baby. They may go smooth so i think just cross that path then and don't fret too much now. Good luck when you do start ttc & i hope we have helped you even in a small way xx

Thanks an. I mean it when I say your skin looks great as it really does. I wish mine looked like that on my lower stomach. I’m jealous! I’m pleased I came on here and I’m pleased I posted my pics because if anybody is feeling bad about their stretch marks and then comes on here and sees my pic they may feel a little better hopefully and know there’s always people who have worse. I’ve never showed them to anyone apart from dh and I think it’s helped getting some more opinions too. I always knew that area was severely affected and not what most people get from multiple pregnancies let alone just one.

I think what you said @BigBlueBubble really resonates with me as well, it does feels like an unfair trade off when a lot of people get to have their babies and don’t get anything this severe. It made me feel how unfair it is and what have I done wrong. I did everything I was supposed to yet this was the result and why. Thank you for sharing.
I hope this thread encourages more people to share their pictures as you get sick of seeing perfect celebrities post baby. We need to see more real women and real bodies so we can know what ever we’re feeling is normal and there’s somebody out there who looks similar. Xx