Pregnancy & Body Issues

[preschoolteacher]

Well when I was pregnant, with all three of my children I ate what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it. My Dr. was concerned that I was gaining too much weight. As far as stretch marks, I have 4. I will never have the body of a 18yo, but I'm 26, a few pounds overweight(160)and Ive never felt more confident, sexy Good luck with your pregnancy and congrats

[Anonymous]

When I was pregnant with my first I stumbled across a blog that posted post-baby belly shots and it depressed me for weeks...actually months until 6 months after the birth of my baby when I found out that my belly did almost return to pre-pregnancy form. I think it's completely normal to be worried about things like post-baby appearance no matter what age you are (in fact, I worried more as an older mom b/c my skin was older too)! OP - Have you tried creams or moisturing you belly every day? It might be worth a shot and help make the skin more elastic.

[Anonymous]

I have heard that cocoa butter is the best cream to prevent/reduce stretch marks. My sisters say be sure to put it everywhere though because you can stretch in places you didn't think possible - my sister got stretch marks on her legs. I'm about 26 weeks (and about 20 lbs) into my first pregnancy and so far so good. I am just using the stuff from the Body Shop but if someone can recommend something better I would be happy to hear about it.

[Anonymous]

OP - Eat well, take care of yourself, and don't worry about the stretchmarks! Not because they aren't ugly but because they are (more or less) beyond your control...

I had my first baby three months ago. My pre-pregnancy weight was normal, and I gained 25 lbs (the average of the recommended range). My mom had two kids and not a single stretchmark. I used cocoa-butter on my belly every day...I was doing SO WELL until the 34 week, when DD dropped. And overnight, I got all these horrible-looking things.

Now, three months post-partum, my weight is back to normal but the stetchmarks are still there...Well, I just decided that if they really bother me, I will think about surgical options at a later stage. But right now, they are more important things to take care of!

[Anonymous]

Out of curiousity, OP, what did your babies weigh?

[Anonymous]

OP here. My babies were in the normal range. 7 pounds, 2 ounces.

[Anonymous]

Please don't feel bad about any marks on your body. I was feeling bad about the new veins on my legs but it could always be worse. And no matter how well you take care of yourself it is mostly genetics that will determine how your body deals with pregnancy.

It happens to all of us http://www.theshapeofamother.com/

[Anonymous]

My grandmother had 6 boys and claims to not have gotten any stretch marks. I didn't get those genes. I have a few but they're not too bad--they're lower down and it's not like I'll be in a bikini anyway until I get rid of the belly.