Stretch Marks: One minor Downside of Pregnancy and Childbirth

Pregnancy will bring a beautiful bouncing baby boy or girl into your life in a very short nine months that can sometimes feel much, much longer due to the changes in your body.  Yes, not only will you get to experience being a mother in nine months, you will get to experience nausea, fatigue, back aches and frequent urination in the meantime.  Oh, there is one other thing that odds are good you will get to experience also, stretch marks pregnancy. 

You know, that’s where your belly grows larger and larger at a faster rate than your skin can adapt to the changes, therefore stretching you skin past its point of elasticity.  Oh and did I mention that other areas of your body are subject to this overstretching also.  Be sure to keep an eye on your upper thighs, your breasts, your buttocks and keep in mind that if you gain too much weight, even your arms can be susceptible to stretch marks pregnancy. 

Will your body ever recover from all this stretching?  Only time will tell, but there are some things you can do to try to minimize stretch marks pregnancy. 

The first thing and probably best thing you can do is to try to eat a well balanced diet that is healthy and diverse.  Some women will use their pregnancy as an excuse to eat.

Unfortunately, many of the foods they choose are loaded with useless fat.  If you have got to eat something, try to make it something healthy instead of useless fattening calories.  Remember, you want to try to keep your weight gain between 25 pounds and 35 pounds, if possible. 

Anything over 35 pounds is more than likely going to be extra weight that you will not lose immediately after childbirth.  Eating a healthy diet is not only good for your developing baby, but it is also a great way to help keep your skin strong and healthy so that it can stretch during this wonderful experience in your life. 

You will want to be sure to massage the areas of your body that are experiencing stretch marks pregnancy as this will increase the circulation to these areas.  This can be done in the bath or shower using a body brush or washcloth.  

Be sure to adequately moisturize your skin regularly with oil or lotion so that your skin stays soft and supple and can stretch as your body grows.  Be sure to drink plenty of water so that your skin stays hydrated. 

This is essential for your developing baby also.  Your pre-natal vitamins will help keep you healthy and will help to provide your growing baby with many necessary nutrients to grow strong and healthy as well. 

Moisturizing your skin after childbirth is very important because depending on the amount of weight loss from the pregnancy, your skin may no longer cover your body properly if you have a lot of excess weight that needs to be dropped.  These are just a few tips we hope you find helpful for helping with stretch marks pregnancy.