Avoid Stretch Marks During Pregnancy

Mom Stages - Pregnancy

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Stretch marks are a fact of most pregnancies. More than half of all pregnant women will develop them. Stretch marks are streaks or lines on the skin that appear due to the intense stretching that occurs as a pregnant woman's abdomen grows. They vary in color. Stretch marks can be pinkish red on fair skin or a whitish color on darker skin. No matter what the color, no woman wants them.

While you may not be able to avoid stretch marks if you're genetically predisposed to them, it is possible to take preventative measures to help lessen their intensity.

Avoid Excessive Weight Gain

Gaining weight is natural and necessary during pregnancy, but you'll want your weight gain to be steady and to fall within the recommended guidelines. It's the rapid gaining of weight that causes the stretch marks to appear on your breasts, belly, hips, and buttocks. Talk to you health care provider to determine a healthy eating and exercise plan in order to improve your chances of minimizing stretch marks.

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is crucial to healthy skin, even more so during pregnancy when hormonal changes may cause excessive dryness. Be sure to drink lots of water to maintain moisture balance. And although skin creams are not proven to prevent stretch marks, it's still a good idea to moisturize your skin in order to avoid the discomfort of itchy, dry skin. Creams containing cocoa butter, vitamin E, vitamin C, or natural oils like almond or jojoba are often recommended.

Eat Your Vitamins

Yes, you've probably been prescribed prenatal vitamins, and it is imperative that you take them. It's also important to consume the proper vitamins and nutrients for a healthy baby, as well as to promote healthy skin. Remember, healthy skin is key to lessening your chances of getting stretch marks. Be sure to eat foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc, as these are components in the formation of collagen, which is necessary to give skin its elasticity.

All of these things are good for your overall nutrition and the health of your baby. Taking preventative measures such as these will give you peace of mind and may help to keep those nasty, streaky stretch marks away.

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Baby Ribbons jodicleghorn (Author) 2009-04-21 01:08:43 I used cocoa butter throughout my pregnancy and only broke out in stretch marks when I went over post dates on the underside of my belly! I look back at photos of me pregnant and realise how huge I was (I birthed at 42 weeks) and am grateful for a very steady and negligible weight gain throughout my pregnancy which prevented me for getting any more. Most of my worst stretch marks are from my teenage years.

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