Best belly cream to prevent stretch marks?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone recommend a belly cream/butter they used to prevent stretch marks? There are so many choices out there I don't even know where to begin... is it really worth the money?

[Anonymous]

I've heard this is hereditary and from what I can tell it is.

I got stretch marks but only on my chest. They were red at first but now they are just faint lines. I don't think a cream would have helped.

[Anonymous]

Truthfully, I don't believe they really work - I think it is mostly genetics. Nonetheless, I have been using "Beautiful Belly Balm" from Whole Foods, which I like because the ingredients are all natural and non-toxic. Many creams and lotions contain chemicals which may be carcinogenic and have been shown to cross the placental barrier. If you want to look up a particular product, a good resource is: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1
Congratulations and best of luck with the stretch marks

[nabailey]

Everything I read says that you can't prevent stretch marks, but I use cocoa butter anyway. I've got super dry skin, and cocoa butter does moisturize, which I figure will help keep my belly from being super itchy as it's growing.

I buy the CocoCare sticks for 99 cents.

They sell them at Walgreens or CVS and it's supposed to be 100% natural (I've looked it up on the Cosmetics Database). It's just a stick of cocoa butter that you can rub on your belly. Smells yummy, so I rub it on a few nights a week before bed. I figure for 99 cents, you can't go wrong, even if it doesn't prevent stretch marks.

[Anonymous]

I've been putting Crisco on my belly. My pediatrician recommended it for my baby's dry skin. I started putting it on myself because I was so itchy. It's working. It's cheap, easy to find and I swear I don't smell like KFC. The first night I put it on my baby I realized it was working because her legs still felt moist by morning. Last time I was pregnant I used almond oil because South American friends recommended it.

[Anonymous]

Look at your mom, if she has them, you may too. Creams do not prevent them, but it sure feels good to rub it all over your belly.

[Anonymous]

try lightenmylabor.com--there are all kinds of natural pregnancy products

[Anonymous]

My friend swore by Bella Butter so I used it religiously throughout my pregnancy.....and have a ton of stretch marks.... I think it's hereditary

[Anonymous]

I believe it is hereditary but I religiously put cream on my belly 2x a day anyway. I used whatever was around (Vaseline Intensive Care, petroleum jelly, etc.). I only got a very few stretchmarks on my side, but I already had a few from my yo-yo diet days. I also think maintaining a safe weight gain helps a lot! My doc had told me that pregnant women only need an additional 300-500 calories a day and if you think about it, that isn't a whole lot! I gained about 30 pounds and feel that if I gained more, I may have gotten a few more lines. Also, a friend of mine used expensive creams and she got a ton of stretchmarks that weren't noticeable until after she gave brth. She gained almost 50 pounds, but I am not qualified to say if this was the reason.

[Anonymous]

Like the PPs, I'm not sure there's really anything to do to prevent them, but it's certainly worth a try. I used Aveeno lotion on my belly every day after the shower - it felt great to rub it on and if I didn't I was super-itchy. I didn't get any stretch marks but I don't know if that was because of the lotion, heredity, or just because I never got all that big (gained 28 pounds but I'm tall and carried high and long the whole time), but like I said, it certainly doesn't hurt to use lotion.

[Anonymous]

I know they say it's hereditary but I did not get strech marks on my belly on my first pregnancy, but I got them in my breast, so i guess I'm prone to them. But I used an oil from CLARINS special for strech marks and it went very well, not a single one! I did not use it on my breast and I got there....so now that I'm pregant again I will use it everywhere. It is a little bit expensive ($40) a bottle but totally worth it.

[Anonymous]

I was very concerned about putting anything on my belly that had chemicals in it, so bought some Almond Oil for skin at a health food store which said it was even safe to eat! When that bottle ran out, I used the cheaper option of just buying a cooking almond oil at whole foods, which seems exactly the same. I put in on in the shower. I haven't had any stretch marks yet and who knows if that has had anything to do with it, but it does provide good moisture at least and prevents itching. It also has no smell. if you want a more traditional cream, you can always check out the cosmetics database at www.ewg.org to look at the ingredients and safety of the product.

[Anonymous]

Just for moisturizing olive oil is great (big part of ayurveda treatments) I use that or baby oil (the gel kind is easy to apply) in the shower and rinse off. Not sure about the stretch marks.

[Anonymous]

MUSTELA! My mom got stretch marks and I didnt after using the Mustela stretch mark cream for all 9 months. It also smells nice and makes ur skin feel soft. Make sure you massage it in in circles.

[Anonymous]

I second the cocoa butter. I have used 100 percent cocoa butter with both of my pregnancies, and no stretch marks. I always put it on my thighs as well.