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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Stretch marks - advice please!

27 replies

totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 19:32

I'm 32 weeks pregnant and up until last week I didn't have a single stretch mark. All of a sudden I have quite a few and they seem to be growing. I've been covering myself in cocoa butter constantly whilst pregnant, to the point where I smell like a Malteaser most days but it doesn't seem to be helping!😂

Does anybody have any advise on anything that actually works to stop them getting worse or do I just need to accept them? People have mentioned Bio oil but does it stop stretch marks from appearing or just make them fade once you already have them?

OP posts:
GrowBabyGrow · 10/06/2022 19:40

Just need to accept them I'm afraid! There isn't really anything you can do to stop getting stretch marks, it's genetic. I was similar to you, thought I'd got away with it until about 32ish weeks and now I'm 37 weeks and I have so many. I'm trying to embrace them - it's a sign if what my body is doing to grow my baby!

MatchaTea · 10/06/2022 19:44

Creams with Centella Asiatica are more effective at preventing , especially if combined with massage. Bitter almond oil is also more effective than cocoa butter.
What you eat / don't eat matters since some deficiencies or lack of nutrients can make it worse. Try to favour colourful food, blueberries, carrot, papaya, green leafy veg, .... and keep an eye on the scale.
If you can and it is a sunny day, expose yourself for 15 min without sunscreen. Vitamin D is beneficial
Bottom line, it is a combination of factors. Topical cream, diet and weight.

Original poster
totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 20:28

@GrowBabyGrow I didn't even have much of a pregnancy bump until I was about 26 weeks so I really thought I had got away lightly haha! I suppose its not like I will be wearing a bikini in the near future anyway 😅

OP posts:
amorningperson · 10/06/2022 20:31

I got them last month of pregnancy with my DC1- if it makes you feel any better they faded really quickly and you can’t tell I ever had them now :)

Ruffelo · 10/06/2022 20:34

Accept them, love them. Your body is doing an amazing thing - give it (and yourself) a break!

Original poster
totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 20:35

@MatchaTea I've never heard of Centella Asiatica but will definitely look it up! I've always eaten quite healthily and have only put on a stone and a half so I really thought I had managed to escape the stretch marks.

OP posts:
Original poster
totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 20:36

@amorningperson Thats good to know! Did they fade on their own or did you use anything on them?

OP posts:
crackersforcheese · 10/06/2022 20:38

I was very lucky and didn't get any new stretch marks whilst pregnant, however I did when I deflated after birth!! Just keep nice and moisturised! Mine have faded so you can barely see them now anyway x

Original poster
totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 20:53

@Ruffelo It's just so hard to watch your body change so quickly but I know it will be worth it in the end 😊

OP posts:
Raindancer411 · 10/06/2022 21:03

I didn't get them with my first until a couple of days before I had him!! Then this time I got them a bit more I had my girl but all seem to have faded. In certain lights you see the sheen but don't really see them now

ShirleyPhallus · 10/06/2022 21:08

crackersforcheese · 10/06/2022 20:38

I was very lucky and didn't get any new stretch marks whilst pregnant, however I did when I deflated after birth!! Just keep nice and moisturised! Mine have faded so you can barely see them now anyway x

This exact thing happened to me, I felt quite nice and pleased about having got away without having any but then they all turned up a few days after birth. I assume they were there all the time but not really visible.

Anyway, they went a few weeks later. Not much you can do OP apart from what you’re going now

Original poster
totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 21:20

It's nice to hear that they can fade quite quickly. They just look so red/purple and angry right now but thats probably because I'm getting bigger every day (at least it feels that way!). I'm trying to see it as a sign that the baby is growing rather than dwell on it.

OP posts:
VeronicaFranklin · 10/06/2022 22:14

I've been using expert midwife stuff and it's really good, palmers coco is okay but I'm not a fan of bio oil. I think to be honest stretch marks for most are a part of pregnancy and they do fade over time.

Oceanus · 10/06/2022 22:16

OP, first of all congrats on the baby!
Honestly, it's mostly down to genetics and bad luck! After you've had the baby and while they're still red (not white, this is important) go to a dermatologist. There are things that work brilliantly but they must still be red. When they're white, they're for life. When they're red there are lasers and other stuff. In the meantime Coconut Oil (not the kind that smells like sunflower oil) is supposed to help but who knows? We're all so different and unique!
I've heard about something called Biodermogenesi (it's an Italian treatment) but it's very recent so I wouldn't put my hopes and money on it (yet).

Onceuponachime · 10/06/2022 22:18

Mine appeared on my due date. Baby just had to go way overdue 🙄
there’s nothing you can do. No amount of creams or lotions go as deep as the layer where stretch marks form.
they do fade. Which makes them easier to accept. But the indents don’t . Just one of those things.

gamerchick · 10/06/2022 22:22

They fade but it can be mostly genetic. However, remember the skin is the largest organ in the body and the first to suffer when we don't drink enough water.

They do fade though I promise.

Sbqprules · 10/06/2022 22:29

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User65412 · 10/06/2022 22:34

I had lots of very red and purple ones under my boobs after pregnancy which have now completely gone (less than a year later). I really don't think there's anything you can apart from drink plenty of water.

Original poster
totallyaddictedtocheese · 10/06/2022 22:56

It's strange because my mum has had 6 children and says she never got any stretch marks so the good skin gene must have skipped me 😕Hearing that they can fade fairly quickly is reassuring. I'm definitely going to start drinking more water though!

OP posts:
Oceanus · 10/06/2022 23:08

They don't fade per se. They go from being red or purple-ish to being white (white means they're old), so might not be so noticeable if you're very fair but if you go to the beach they don't tan, so only the rest of the skin will tan around them. Go to a dermatologist before they've turned white, which is what I wish sb had told me.

Sarah8719 · 11/06/2022 20:38

Get a secret saviours belly band and of a night slather on silderm oil. Look for the oil on amazon.
I got no stretch marks with my first baby who was 9lbs and I have one tiny one, and I mean tiny above my hip with this one and I’m having the baby tomorrow.
I get a lot of it is genetics, but I have stretch marks from puberty and definitely think the band at least minimises things

CoalCraft · 12/06/2022 06:57

There are lots of supposed remedies but there but they'll only a help a tiny bit, if at all - it's just genetics and age! Best just to accept them x

doorbore · 12/06/2022 07:07

It's also hormonal hence why teenagers get them. I got some on my bikini line at 3 months when I hardly had a bump & then didn't get any later.

CallmeMrsPricklepants · 12/06/2022 07:17

I really would not worry, you won't be worried about them in the first year as life will be so different (you'll care more about not falling asleep in the fridge) and by then you'll be used to them just hope that one day you'll sleep again and your bones won't hurt anymore. The stretch marks are just part of life.

Jahssck · 01/08/2022 17:06

Microneedling works best, but consult your physician first before partaking any action, specially if you are pregnant.