Stretch Marks and My Vanity

First of all Congratulations and Good Luck on the upcoming birth.Stretch marks have nothing to do with your muscles at all.So because you were able to get back that flat stomach after your last birth, maybe the same will happen this time as well.Strecth marks are simply the skin being stretched.For some the marks remain but fade so not very noticible.For others they remain and look terrible.Theres no prediction on these types of things.I don't believe that any cream or lotion in the world will prevent them, but some swear they do.I personally feel those people weren't going to get any anyway so they think this magical lotion worked.I know you're excited and tired and want the baby out, and to get marks has put you over the edge but it's going to be ok.During my last week of pregnancy I got marks but in all places on my ankles.I developed pre -e and swelled up like a balloon.They looked terrible at the time(of I was tired and felt horrible so that escalated my feelings about the marks).But after,while they are still there,they aren't noticible unless someone is up really close.Hopefully your marks will fade as well.

I feel your pain. I have tried everything I can possibly think of for my stretch marks...and I still have them. I am to the point now that I am actually thinking about laser therapy. Good luck!

Oh A.-how I feel for you. I had my daughter on 04/14/06 and my stretch marks came in Febuary and they didnt stop till she was born. They went up and over my belly button. They actually hurt they were so deep. They are still there but a much lighter color. I know that I will never be sporting a bikini or tankini again but you might be able to. Yes, there are creams and lotions out there but trust me they dont work. I put them on 2x a day and I still look like 10 cats were put on my stomach and scratched their way down. I dont think that the stretch marks will effect your abs but if they dont fade then you wont want to show them off. They should though, if mine did then anyones should. Hang in there, I know its tough but when they place that baby in your arms nothing else really matters. You will adjust to the stretch marks.

I think if you want to excersice you can get your stomach flat again. Mine is almost there (I didn't excersice) but it took 3 years, almost 4. My stretch marks have faded to almost nothing and if you didn't know to look, you couldn't even tell they were there. I think for most people for the most part, they go away on their own. They make stretch mark cream and stuff that you can buy in the store, but I don't know if that stuff works or not, but it couldn't hurt anything I wouldn't think. No matter what you'll still be beautiful, and those are proof that you've done something more painfull than any man will ever do! Good luck, believe me, if you want to get that 6-pack back and work hard enough, you'll get there! If I could do it with out working out (I don't have a 6-pack, but my stomach is flat) imagine what you can get if you do work out! But like I said before, you will still be beautiful no matter what the outcome. Good luck with the delivery.

Coming from someone who was down to an unhealth 8% body fat, and worked out 16 times a week, I understand the vanity part, and I am happy that you are blessed with a child, but you are going to have to adjust your vanity. Same story, first time no stretch marks, back to six pack of abs. Second time, stretch marks and a remarkable thing that I hate. Your abs will not come together in the center anymore unless you have a tummy tuck (which I have not). I can get my abs flat, but no more six pack. In fact, I can push my fingers in the space in the middle of my abs and almost grab the underside. You can see it when I flex my abs. I have, however, adjusted myself, and still wear a bikini, and walk with my head proud. I would never change what happened, my children are my life, and so what if I don't look exactaly like I used to. I am a more rounded person, with more wisdom and more pride because every time I look at my kids, I am filled with pride.
Good luck.

The Body Shop makes an abosolutely wonderful product. Moisturizing cocoa butter stick. It is kind of like a stick deodorant, but cocoa butter instead. My cousin(she works for them) gave me two when I announced I was pregnant and every morning, after my shower, I would rub it all over my belly...and believe me, I was enormous(at the end, I measured over 47cm!!). I also went through 2 or 3 tubs of their cocoa butter body butter(also a godsend). I have two very tiny stretch marks,,,that is all. After you have the baby, Palmers makes a wonderful cocoa-butter skin firming lotion. I have only been using it a few weeks and have already seen a difference. Somethings, though, just aren't going to be the same anymore...we have age and gravity to thank for that. Hope you snap back. Good luck! S.

A.,
I had strech marks too and I found that Arbonnes Rejuvenating cream helped them to go away faster. Hope this helps. You can check out my website if you want www.BuildSuccess.myArbonne.com
A.

True yo ucan get laser surgery but you can still do something abou tit now. Since they are so new you cna still minimize the effects of what they will settlin into after the skin stops stretching all together. You don't even have to spend a bundle. Walk into any drug store and Palmer's Cocoa Butter sticks (yes several) adn their COcoa Butter oil. You have to be obssesive about his: apply the Cocoa Butter, which is pure, to all of your belly, but especially where the strecth marks are. Rub it in gentlyfro several minutes and continue to do it several (I mean as often as you can remmebr) times a day. I have to warn you that all you wear and your sheets will have that Cocoa Butter smell. I wore only tank tops and boxers in the house and threw it all out afterwards but it was well worth it. I mean I always had a stick in my purse adn whenever I was sitting somewhere waiting fro something (appt, etc) I would pull up my t-shirt (as I gave birth in the summer) and start rubbing gently in circles. Yes a couple of people looked at me sideways but who cares I don't have one singel stretch mark from my pregnancy. Adn just so you know I gained an incredible 50 pounds adn it was ALL in my belly. I thought it would split open any second, at t heend of the pregnancy. I did loose all the weight adn an extra 5 lbs. Your abdominal skin will never be the same but it can look great. I breastfed and still do 2 years later and that contributed greatly to my recovery. When my daughter turned 9 mos (coinciding with one of her growth spurts) I could not keep the wight on even if I tried. I went down to a very very slim 108 lbs (and I have actualyl put on about 2 to 4 pounds depending on the time of month or what is going on. Oh also I gto pregnant at 2 months before I truned 34 and gave birth at 34 for the first time.

Please run (do nto walk) to th edrug store and get Palmer's.

Good luck,
R.

Sorry about the typos my daughter is competing with you for my attention.

Hello A.,
You brought a smile to my face after reading your request, not because it is funny, but because it is life. I am 39 and had my first child at 30. I also bounced right back and proudly wore my bikini. However, I had my second child at 34 almost 35 and things changed. I was blessed to not get stretch marks, but those pesky little veins in my legs decided to stay and my stomach has never been the same. I have a "pootch" and the skin is alot less tight. It drives me crazy and I excercise every day because of it. I use to wear a size 4 but because of my non=existent waist, I am a 6. I use to obsess about it, but now that I am turning 40, I have come to realize that it really is not that important. I still wear my bikini, and yes I would love to have the body I had in my 20's, but short of plastic surgery, it is not going to happen. Take a look around you at other women your age, and except for a small percentage, (mostly kidless), you will find that you are looking the way you should. Like a woman!!! I really do enjoy my curves and imperfections, they are part of my history, part of me, and that is o.k.
Focus your mind on who you are and what you have to offer your family, friends, and community and slowly you will forget about the perfect stomach. It really is not that important. Be greatful for your good health and the health of your beautiful children.
Enjoy growing older and if you find any success in changing God's plan, let me know....I want in.
~A. L.

Well, all of the other women said what I wanted to say, LOL! So I will just state that if you google "Tatoo Remover", you can go to a tatoo remover place, and it is quite pricey, but you can get laser surgery. Jenny McCarthy (the author of Belly Laughs) stated that they never go away, but with laser surgery, you can help reduce the appearance of it. Look at the stretch marks as if they are tatoos, and you can get rid of them, but then you may have the scarring from the laser surgery. Consult a laser technician. Good luck, congrats, and I hope that you have a healthy baby, which is important above all, but I also feel for ya. With scar removal creams, mines went away. Here is the Scar Removal cream info: Mederma, www.mederma.com - You can always get the second-hand in case it's on the pricier side, depending on your budget.