Pregnancy stretchmarks are something a lot of women worry about and I was no different. I was really bothered about them at first, but decided that if they happened, I would welcome them as part of the changes that come with being a mother.
I want to emphasize that carrying and birthing an entire human is no small task and will leave you completely changed, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Some of the physical changes may include stretchmarks and you can wear them proudly if you choose or have them removed if you want to. They are absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
My Experience
I have gotten zero stretchmarks from this pregnancy so far and want to share some of the things I think helped with this. Please understand that I cannot guarantee that this will work for everybody as every woman is different and our bodies respond differently to things.
A friend of mine who just had a baby with zero stretchmarks told me about a belly butter she made and used during her entire pregnancy and advised me to do the same. I took her recipe, tweaked it a bit to suit my body, and will be sharing it with you guys later on this post. My mum told me that stretch marks could pop up on my arms and other parts of my body so I ended up using the belly butter everywhere except for my face and neck because it was way too greasy.
I didn't start using this butter till my second trimester because as I shared with you guys in my first-trimester post, I was too ill to care about anything. By early second trimester when I got some of my energy back, I made this belly butter and have been using it ever since. I use a generous amount and massage it across my body, focusing especially on my belly, waist, back, and arms.
This butter is quite heavy and will make you sweat especially if you're going to be out in the sun. This wasn't really a concern for me because I was indoors almost my entire pregnancy.
Belly Butter Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups melted shea butter
1 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup glycerine
1/4 cup argan oil
Steps
- Put a pot of water on fire and place a bowl in it
- Pour shea butter in the bowl and let it melt
- Add coconut oil
- Add glycerine and argan oil and stir
- Take the bowl out of the pot and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the mixture solidifies.
- Take the bowl out of the fridge and whip with a mixer until fluffy.
- Put in a container of your choice and your butter is ready for use.
Conclusion
You can use cocoa butter instead of shea butter, which smells a whole lot better. I however used shea butter because I also use this on my hair as a pre-poo and to seal my ends.
In trying to prevent stretch marks, it is very important to drink a lot of water every single day. This can be quite annoying because of the number of times you'll have to pee, but it is totally worth it. Also, eat a balanced diet and be careful with your food intake so you don't put on too much weight at once.
Please understand that I am in no way an expert and can only speak on the things that worked for me. I really hope you find this useful.
