Tiger Stripes

Itchy, ugly, annoying, and appeared out of nowhere. Can you guess what it is?

Stretch marks!

I lasted my entire pregnancy without one streak, or line, on my body. I had the softest skin. You know how they say that pregnant women carry around a pregnancy glow? Well, I really did. I think I looked best when I was pregnant. My skin was clean, my hair was healthy, my body felt good. I hydrated my skin and my body. I ate healthy, and was forced to stay active. (my house was literally under construction my entire pregnancy)

I figured this is how pregnancy was, I couldn't understand why some moms complained. "What's the big deal?" I thought. Nothing drastically changes to our bodies, other than the belly.

My happy, cute pregnancy body, 0 stretch mark skin lasted up until I was 36 weeks. One week before delivering Mini, I woke up in the morning and I looked like a completely different person. I was about 45 pounds bigger at this point, my skin was irritated and my stomach inflamed in stretch marks. Over night!

I could not believe it! At this point, there was no return. "I'm ruined!" I thought to myself.

Lets fast forward to almost 2 years from that day. I worked out, like a crazy person, and ate super healthy until ALL that baby weight came off. I continued treating my body and my skin good. Although half of my hair fell off after giving birth, it's finally finding it's was back now. Phew! My stretch marks? You guessed it, they are still there. They have faded away, and my skin has tightened around them, so they aren't as noticeable as before.

Unfortunately, there isn't much scientific research spent behind stretch marks. Some say it's hormonal, some say it's genetic, some say it's just the drastic change in weight gain and stretching of skin. I mean, all of that makes sense, right?

The Brains of the operation:

You skin consists of three key layers. Your stretch marks form in the dermis, also known as the middle layer of your skin, when the connective tissue is stretched of the limits of it's elasticity. This is very common and normal due to the quick contraction of your skin.

As your body grows, the connecting fibers in the dermis have to stretch to accommodate the slow growth. HOWEVER, when there is a rapid growth, this causes your skin to suddenly stretch drastically. This causes the dermis to basically tear, which forces the deeper layers of your skin to show throught.

My advice to you:

Don't go to crazy trying to prevent it, during pregnancy. 50-90% of women will experience their time with stretch marks. And DON'T spend you money on those brand names, $100 per pop, stretch marks creams, oils, or whatever. The key to try and avoid stretch marks it to keep your skin moisturized, drink lot of water, and have your partner slowly massage you. Massaging your skin brings circulation to the area and helps the skin stretch without leaving stripes behind. It can also be a bonding moment for you and your parter. It's a win-win!

Keep in mind, there is a reward for all of this. It takes up to 42 weeks to arrive, but it's worth every line.

With love

a mama + her mini

Credit:

*Tiffany Burke Photography