I was a bit concerned about getting stretch marks during pregnancy.

I wasn’t overly neurotic about it. But I figured there was no harm in being a bit proactive.

The literature on stretch marks was not helpful. They said there’s no guaranteed prevention for stretch marks. There are only things you can do to reduce the likelihood of them appearing.

Moisturise!
When I was 3 months pregnant, I used cocoa butter cream 3 times a day. Morning. After a shower. And just before I slept. I LOVED the smell of cocoa butter. It was like rubbing chocolate all over your body. It was a yummy, calming, night time ritual.

I used The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Stick. Then I switched to Palmer’s Massage Cream for Stretch Marks.

Skin Flexibility!
I did a bit of yoga. I didn’t do classes. I bought a book and did it in my lounge room.

I drunk 2L of water per day. By the end of the pregnancy, my baby was pushing against my bladder that I had to pee every 15 minutes. It was ridiculous. So I had to reduce the amount of water I took.

As well as those special multi-vitamins for pregnant women, I took vitamin E and salmon oil. Apparently they are good for your skin.

I didn’t take any caffeine throughout my whole pregnancy! I was so proud of myself. They say too much caffeine is bad for your skin. They also say too much sugar is bad for your skin, but I wasn’t giving up my chocolate for anyone.

Eat Healthy! Be Healthy!
I ate healthy, balanced meals each day. My appetite increased, but I don’t think I OVER ate. And I was always within the average weight gain range.

I didn’t do any rigorous daily exercise, but I walked for an hour each day.

I bought myself non-underwire bras. And made sure I wore not-so-tight jeans.

In The End
For the whole 36 weeks I was stretch mark free. I thought I was home free.
The following week, either I put on weight suddenly or the baby dropped. My whole tummy, under my belly button was blazing with dark, purple, angry stretch marks.

I actually thought I’d be more upset about it, but I just shrugged and thought, “Ah shit. Oh well.”
A few days later, I had the baby. Baby was 2 weeks early. I weighed 60kgs (from my 47kgs).

Months following the birth, I used Bio Oil. 3 times a day.
I did tummy exercises and mild physio.

It took about 6-8 months for the stretch marks to fade. And even now, they’re not gone. I’m not exactly Miss Wash Board Tummy Swimsuit Model, but I guess things could have been worse. I still shrug and think, Oh well.

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