Motherhood Marks: Stretch Marks 101 for Expecting Moms

Stretch marks- many pregnant women are terrified of them and many won’t even discuss them. On the other hand, there are those that are proud of them and wear them as a “badge of motherhood.” Even before your baby is born, he or she is already leaving their mark sometime between 13-21 weeks into your pregnancy. Over half of all women will experience these pink/red/purplish streaks. Most of the time, they are across your butt, breasts, thighs, belly, and hips.

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Causes of Stretch Marks

A stretch mark is actually a tiny tear in the supporting layer of tissue just under your skin. These tears happen because your skin is being pulled to the limit when as your baby is growing and developing in your womb. Half of all women get them, and whether or not you will depends heavily upon genetics: if your mom got the, chances are that you most likely will too. Rapid weight gain during your pregnancy can make you more likely to develop stretch marks. Also, dark-skinned women are much more likely to get them than those that are fair-skinned.

There are those that say that you can prevent stretch marks- but, no matter what you do there is no proven way of treating them or stopping them from developing. However, rest easy because they won’t stay so vivid for the rest of your life. After you give birth to your baby, they will typically fade to a much less noticeable and easy to conceal silver-gray color.

You may not be able to completely stop them, but there are some things you can do to try to slow them down:

Use a moisturizer: cocoa butter is definitely a good idea, but it is not really the miracle that everyone says that it is. At best, using a daily moisturizer will help with itchy, dry skin that is associated with pregnancy. Plus, it can be fun to have your significant other rub it on your belly- it will help him to develop a bond with the baby before he or she is born. Below are some DIY home stretch mark cream remedies.
Nourish skin: making sure that you’re getting sufficient vitamin C in your pregnancy diet can help keep your skin toned and make you less likely to develop stretch marks.
Keep an eye on your weight; many times, moms-to-be think that since they’re “eating for two” that they can eat everything in sight, which causes the weight to pile on quickly. However, you should be slowly gaining weight instead.
Wait for it: sure, you want something yesterday- but you should keep in mind that you can get treatments from your dermatologist such as laser therapy or Retin-A. Neither of these are safe to use during your pregnancy.

Homemade Stretch Mark Creams

As you can see, developing stretch marks during your pregnancy is perfectly natural. However, as was mentioned earlier, there are a few DIY homemade stretch mark creams you can try to at least slow down their development, and even help to heal them after you give birth.

Butter and Coconut Oil Stretch Mark Cream

This stretch mark cream is very nourishing and can help you to treat your stretch marks in the most natural way possible. Simply blend together 2 tablespoons shea butter, 2 tablespoon cocoa butter, and 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and a few drops of Vitamin E oil. If you wish, add some aromatic essential oils to the mixture, but be sure that they are pregnancy safe. Place all ingredients in a pan and melt on low heat. Once mixture has begun to dissolve, whip it and take it off the heat. Store in an airtight container.

Aloe Vera and Olive Oil Stretch Mark Cream

Mix together 1/4 cup aloe gel and 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil in a blender. Add Vitamin E oil and Vitamin A oil. Blend well to a soft consistency. You can use this cream every day to help treat your stretch marks. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help prevent damage to your skin from free radicals. Vitamin A is an effective way to prevent and treat wrinkles.

Cocoa Butter Stretch Mark Cream

Cocoa butter is an effective treatment for stretch marks because it nourishes your skin and enhances the suppleness and elasticity. Using a double boiler, liquefy 1 cup of cocoa butter. Add 1/4 cup avocado oil and approximately 30 drops of lavender oil. You can use this as an effective stretch mark cream. For added benefits, you can add a few drops of apricot oil and wheat germ as well.

Essential Oil and Butter Stretch Mark Cream

Place 15 grams of cocoa butter and 15 grams of beeswax in a heavy bottomed container. Add in 50 grams of coconut oil and 30 milliliters of Evening Primrose oil. Melt ingredients together over low heat. Stir continuously, while sprinkling in some water. Once you have achieved a fluffy consistency, you should take it off the heat and add 2 milliliters of lemon essential oil and 3 milliliters of lavender essential oil. Continuously whip the mixture until you have a soft, fluffy consistency. Store in an airtight container. Massaging this cream on your stretch marks on a daily basis will deliver miraculous results.

Essential Oils Stretch Mark Cream

A mixture of a few different essential oils is typically a fast and effective way to treat your stretch marks. This particular stretch mark cream contains only essential oils. The most important oil in this mixture is Frankincense, because it has been reputed for having healing properties. Simply mix together 3 drops of lavender oil, 3 drops frankincense oil, and 3 drops sandalwood oil. Add in 6 teaspoons of sesame seed oil. Blend ingredients well. This mixture should only be stored in a glass container- no plastic, as the plastic and essential oils do not work well together.

The truth is that in most cases, if you’re genetically predisposed to developing stretch marks, there’s really nothing you can do to stop them. However, you should be taking care of your skin and at least preventing the itchiness and dryness of pregnancy. So, before you shell out lots of money on those store-bought stretch mark creams that may or may not work- try doing some of these DIY stretch mark creams.