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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Why doesn't anyone seem to get stretch marks?

113 replies

inky1991 · 26/01/2023 14:10

Hi there

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and noticed a stretch mark on my belly for the first time this morning. This obviously doesn't bode well for me, starting to get them this early on. I imagine they will only be getting more frequent and larger from now on 🙁.

I'll try not to moan about it too much, as I know it's a mark of motherhood and not the end of the world. The thing that bothers me is that I feel like hardly anyone else seems to get these? Social media is flooded with all these massive bare baby bumps, on tiny petite women without a single stretch mark? My friends who have had babies before me didn't get stretch marks either. They all share their lovely 8/9 month bump photos with me, showing their lovely smooth but stretched skin

Anyway I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this? I read online that 90% of women get stretch marks during pregnancy, but this doesn't seem to be the case from my experience

If I'm starting to get stretch marks at 28 weeks, do I basically need to prepare myself for a tiger striped tummy?

OP posts:

Mamaneedsadrink · 27/01/2023 00:50

Dondigdu · 26/01/2023 14:29

I think its genetics and how tall you are. I'm 5'1 and I'm mainly all legs, my torso is really short, I have many many stretch Mark's, from my pubic bone to above my belly button. Their really deep too. I've had 3 babies. My mum is slightly taller than me but has similar stretch marks to me.

My friend who is 5'7 has had 6 babies and has ONE single stretch mark 😅

My other friend is 5'5 and only has a few

Its took me years to "accept" my strecthmarkd and I do feel slightly bitter that "most" people seem to have gotten off lightly 😅

I think it's random. I'm the same height as you and I got none, I didn't even moisturise my belly. I do have some on the top of my thighs though that I got when I was much younger

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 27/01/2023 01:07

I didn't get them until close to the end with my first pregnancy. Second pregnancy I started getting them much earlier (I was a lot bigger) and they were still appearing after the birth. My stomach still looks shocking almost a year later and because I have a really short torso they cover the vast majority of it.

I've never looked at anyone else's bump though so no idea how mine compares.

LadyJ2023 · 27/01/2023 01:24

Didn't have any with my 4 and I thought I may get them with our twins but no and no moisturising etc either I had no time for it lol..But my sis in law she had 1 baby a few weeks ago and crikey practically thru the whole thing has them so bad

Arizonasun95 · 27/01/2023 03:01

Hi there congratulations on ur pregnancy. I had twins a few years ago and i gained 4 stone in 7 months and i never got stretch marks at all even though my sister got loads so i dont believe the hereditary claim. I made sure that every night i sat in a hot bath containing a quarter bottle of baby oil and when i got out i smothered bio oil all over me and i swear by this u have to do it every day and use as much as u can. I never even got 1 mark

YoureAMeanOneMrGrinch · 27/01/2023 03:20

I didn't get any with my first and only got some from 38 weeks with my second along the bottom of my bump

FantasticFeasts11 · 27/01/2023 03:44

I think it’s purely down to genetics. I also think more get them then don’t, but think those without are far more likely to show pictures of their bump. Same with those ladies who ‘bounce back’

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 27/01/2023 04:05

If it’s genetic I wonder why so many of us on this thread got them at puberty but not during pregnancy. Anyone know? Hormones?

Three pregnancies here - no stretch marks. But I have them on my hips and thighs from puberty.

cucumberegg · 27/01/2023 05:26

I got 2 with my first and they only showed up after giving birth. With my second my bump was fine but my legs looked like they had been through a shredder. I'd say they're 80% gone now though 2 years later.

JL642 · 27/01/2023 05:32

No stretch marks here at all after my first child. I do have a huge emergency cs scar to make up for it!!

I didn’t bother with extra moisturise etc during pregnancy as a) not sure they work and b) I didn’t care about stretch marks tbh.

romdowa · 27/01/2023 05:42

It's genetics mainly. I didn't get a single one, while my friend was absolutely distroyed in them.

Kellykukoo · 27/01/2023 06:36

I don't think stretch marks are inevitable for everyone and that its all down to genes. I have stretch marks on my boobs and bum from a growth spurt in my teens, so I am prone to getting them. A friend with 4 previous pregnancies advised me to use Bio Oil religiously, at least twice a day and even more whenever my tummy was feeling itchy. She said never to scratch my tummy no matter how itchy it got but to always rub in Bio Oil to soothe the itch instead. I probably used 2 to 3 bottles of Bio Oil per pregnancy and I haven't got a single stretch mark on my tummy. I'm sure other oils work just as well, but I can testify to Bio Oil.
I think it's worth a good shot to try to prevent stretch marks, it may not always work, but it's worth the effort.

safeplanet · 27/01/2023 06:48

@ZZTopGuitarSolo it's is hormones, hence why common for teenagers.

Sleepwalkingintothewall · 27/01/2023 06:52

It's definitely just luck. I didn't get any until 38 weeks and then BOOM had a load under the bump. I had used expensive bio oil and mama mio I think it was called multiple times a day.

Second pregnancy my skin was so thin it could be rubbed off. It was so painful and sore towards the end.

That being said the stretch marks were thin and are the very least of my worries. I never ever think about them.

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