Pregnancy is magical and I will forever be in awe of my body for what it achieved - the changes it went through, how it adapted to growing this perfect little human being, and of course, how it’s chNged once again post pregnancy.
I’m only 5’1 and my pre-pregnancy weight was 8 stone, so as you can imagine, I’m only very petite. But by the time I was full term, I was 9 stone 10, meaning I’d gained 24lbs.
I didn’t closely monitor my weight whilst I was pregnant because I didn’t feel the need to. I knew I was eating healthily and that Eric was growing nicely, and that was all that mattered to me.
The only thing that I was concerned about was the prospect of stretch marks.
Pregnancy stretch marks are always a sensitive subject to speak about because ultimately, they are, for many women, a very natural part of pregnancy. But that doesn’t mean that everyone wants them.
I think it’s wonderful to see so many women embracing their tiger stripes on Instagram. Stretch marks are nothing to be ashamed of, whatsoever.
But equally, there’s no shame in admitting that you’d prefer not to have them. And it’s okay to want to know how to prevent pregnancy stretch marks. Your body is wonderful - stretch marks or not! But if you are looking for tips on preventing pregnancy stretch marks, then I’m here to help.
For the record, I didn’t get one single stretch mark whilst being pregnant with Eric. I actually snapped back into shape very quickly, which I believe was a lot to do with my healthy, balanced diet and the frequent exercise I engaged in during pregnancy.
But how did I prevent stretch marks?
And is there a way to not get pregnancy stretch marks?
Although I don’t have a definitive answer to this question (some of you may do exactly what I did whilst pregnant and still develop stretch marks), I do believe that the following things played a part in preventing pregnancy stretch marks. So, I hope you find this helpful!
Tips For Preventing Pregnancy Stretch Marks
1. Moisturise your baby bump every day
Even in the very early days of pregnancy when I was barely showing at all, I was moisturising my soon-to-be bump every single morning and night.
My favourite thing to rub on my tummy was the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil. I use this product regularly, anyway, but during pregnancy, I paid particularly close attention to my tummy, to help keep the skin in this area super moisturised and supple.
2. Gently Exfoliate your baby bump
Moisturising our baby bumps is something we are all advised to do, but not many people talk about exfoliating our bumps. And this is something I did regularly during pregnancy.
Every day whilst showering, I would pop on my exfoliating gloves, lather them up with my favourite The White Company Verveine Bath & Shower Gel, and gently massage my bump using small circular motions.
I found this process really soothing and relaxing - and better yet, it often caused Eric to have a little kick about!
3. Enjoy low impact exercise regularly
I kept so fit during my pregnancy, and I did this by simply going on long dog walks every single day.
My mum and I would take the dogs on huge, long dog walks, usually averaging around 11-12,000 steps every single day.
And I felt amazing for it.
I fully believe that this played a huge role in bouncing back into shape and preventing stretch marks alike, because this level of movement, despite being low impact, meant that I was gaining pregnancy weight healthily, but not gaining fat in other areas.
As a quick disclaimer, I’d just like to point out that again, there is nothing wrong with gaining fat during pregnancy. All I am saying is that staying active during pregnancy, for me, was wonderful and made me feel great about myself. My mental health benefited, and my physical health did, too - which is super important during pregnancy.
4. Drink lots of water
Staying hydrated is so important, but even more so than usual during pregnancy. And since hydrated skin also makes for softer skin, the likelihood of developing stretch marks decreases when you drink lots of water.
I actually felt like I needed even more water than usual whilst pregnant, so I was consranrly refilling my water bottle.
If you struggle to drink lots of water, be sure to check out my blog post ‘How To Drink More Water Without It Feeling Like a Chore.’ Here you’ll find lots of tips on how to drink more water (and enjoy it!)
5. Maintain a healthy, nutrient-rich diet
Nothing makes our bodies thrive more than a healthy diet that’s rich in vitamins and minerals. And during pregnancy, the likes of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc & protein are all huge contributors not only to a healthy body (make that bodies, actually) - but to very healthy, soft skin, too.
As I mentioned before, skin that’s nourishes from the inside-out is far less likely to develop stretch marks than dry skin that’s lacking nutrients.
The most important thing of all during pregnancy - and all of the time for that matter - is living healthily and taking care of your body.
Approximately 50-90% of all women develop stretch marks during pregnancy - a statistic that further clarifies everything we already know... that stretch marks are totally normal!
But, if you are hoping to minimise stretch marks or to prevent pregnancy stretch marks as best uou possibly can, then the above tips should prove very useful.
I wish you all a very healthy and happy pregnancy. Please make the absolute most of growing that perfect little human - irs such a magical experience like no other and it’ll be over before you know it. Treasure every second here on our!
I hope you all enjoyed this blog post and I can’t wait to share more mummy life blog posts with you soon. In the meantime, if you enjoyed this blog post then you may also wish to read my blog post ‘How to snap back into shape after pregnancy.’
Until next time, lovelies!
Lots of love,
Grace x
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