Expecting a baby is life’s most precious miracle you’ll ever experience in your lifetime. The changes that take place in your body will last for just nine months, but the beauty of motherhood will embrace you for the rest of your life.
Pregnancy will take over your life for the next nine months, but with the bitter-sweet pain of pregnancy comes a few discomforts in the form of stretch marks. It is a well-known fact that they are not the most beautiful things in the world. You need to accept the fact that is a natural phenomenon in a woman’s life.
However, it is quite natural for you to think about ways to prevent it from happening. Still, there are possibilities to reduce the formation of stretch marks. By taking a few simple precautionary measures from the beginning stage of the second trimester, you can still enjoy a healthy pregnancy & reduce the ill effects of stretch marks.
What is a Stretch Mark?
Stretch marks are quite common during the pregnancy period, it indicates the breakdown in the elasticity of the skin as it stretches around the abdomen area. Initially, these marks have a purple, pink, or red hue, which at a later stage fades to a more skin-toned color. As you get pregnant, the skin area around the abdomen area starts to get stretched, which needs to be nurtured with some kind of thick cream or lotion to make it supple & to maintain its elasticity levels, thus reducing the ill effects of skin discoloration.
Follow these simple guidelines to reduce Stretch Marks formation:
Skin Care routine
Moisturizing your body during pregnancy, especially the abdomen area with a good moisturizer during the night can make a huge difference. Again, you don’t need the fanciest product on the market. You just need a simple cream or oil that can help your skin rejuvenate as you sleep. Remember your skin becomes thinner as you age, as it retains less moisture, so a good overall body skincare moisturizing routine can definitely make a difference.
Stretch Marks Cream
Nowadays specialized stretch mark creams are available, which on regular use from the second trimester to the 6 months post-pregnancy period, are said to give the best results. Popular brands include Cocoa Butter-based formula, Shea & Cocoa butter-based formula, Bio-Oil for its Chamomile oil & PurCellin Oil-based formula to name a few.
Home-based Remedy
During the good olden days, tried & tested method of regular application of pure butter around the abdomen area was practiced which was used to give good results. Even still today in a few rural areas such methods are still in practice due to their popularity. But as said earlier regular use from the second trimester to 6 months post-pregnancy period, is said to give positive results.
Treatment via Dermatology
When it comes to treating pregnancy-related stretch marks, it is an open fact that there’s no magical lotion or cream that will erase them completely. Skin patching & Laser treatment is possible, but again it has its own set of disadvantages such as being expensive, repeated treatment visits, possibilities of skin allergies & side effects due to medication intake, etc to name a few.
Get enough Sleep & Drink Enough Water
As the old saying goes, always get enough sleep during pregnancy, studies show its benefits in increasing your body’s immunity, which helps in keeping you & your baby safe. During sleep, your skin tries to rebuild its lost collagen and repairs damages from wrinkles, stretch marks, and loss of elasticity of skin. Just in case you are finding difficulty sleeping, you can take the help of a cozy pregnancy pillow instead, for a comfortable sleep.
During pregnancy, many women tend to underestimate the power of drinking water. The reason for you to drink more water is to ensure that your body’s pH value stays balanced. As you grow older, it is tougher for your body to retain water, so by drinking more water, you are helping your body and your skin to stay hydrated along with maintaining the skin elasticity of your body.
conclusion:
However, at any stage occurrence of stretch marks can’t be completely ruled out. This is because it also depends on your skin type, the elasticity of your skin, the food that you take, and genes, to name a few. You need to accept the fact that is a natural phenomenon of a woman’s life and there is nothing to feel ashamed about it.
All we can say, as a pregnant woman with simple precautionary measures in place at an early stage, you can reduce the ill effects of stretch marks & still enjoy a healthy pregnancy. We wish you all the very best for a healthy safe delivery & remember to keep your set of baby products ready for your Lil precious one & to make your life easy!
