I’ve always heard that if you drink plenty water during pregnancy you could prevent stretchmarks. Unfortunately, I didn’t follow that plan exactly. I did try to eat good, did some yoga, and drank more water than I normally would for the 1st and mid 2nd trimester, but then I just relaxed and did whatever. I didn’t gain any weight until after 16wks, and though my stretch marks aren’t that bad, I can’t help but feel that if I had only drank more water my skin would have bounced back. I think I would appreciate my marks more if I knew that there wasn’t any amount of exercise, diet, or water I could have drank and been mark free, instead of thinking that I did this too myself by not taking care of myself properly. So can any moms(with or without stretchmarks) vouch for whether plenty water did or didn’t work for them? Please detail what you did and how much you did.
I don’t have any stretch marks, and I attribute it to good genes, my mom doesn’t really have any either. But I did drink a lot of water and eat a lot of good fats–coconut oil, butter, almond butter. I wonder if the good fats helped keep my skin supple or if it really is a genetic crap shoot.
I was super healthy and drank a ton of water during both my pregnancies. The first I didn’t get any marks at all other than one teeny tiny one on my side that you couldn’t see unless you looked really close, I gained 21 lbs, only being 141 lbs at 9 months pregnant, and my baby weighed 6lbs 8oz. During my second pregnancy, I was just as healthy, wieghed 144 lbs at the end, but my belly go a LOT bigger, the baby was 7lbs 12 oz, and the teeny mark I had got HUGE and deep, and I got three more big ones on my other side, and a really really big one going out in all directions on my belly button!
I don’t think water had anything to do with it, I just got bigger, and ended up with some marks to show for it. I still lost all the weight, and they have faded now a year later, and I don’t really regret them, since I still look fit, but have marks to show that I once carried two miracles in my womb!
I have been told by Doctors thats its just a matter of what kind of skin you have. If you scar easily or dont have evry elasticy skin youre more likely to get them. I used every “prevention” under the sun and so did my sister. We both used all the creams, lotions, vitamins, water,balms etc and i got tons and she didnt get any. I have always scarred easily it showed afetr pregnancy. I think that it goes to show its just a matter of everyones body and theres no real way to prevent. Hopefully Im wrong!
Genetic crap shoot. Really. I have 3 sisters and we all had stretch marks before we ever had babies–we just have skin that is prone to striae. Our brother has them, too. We are various weights and heights, just all stripey.
Don’t sweat ’em. They really do get less obvious with time; my old ones are white and flat and silky to the touch.
there is nothing you could have done to prevent stretchmarks. they are hereditary & no amount of water, creams or oils will prevent them. you can, however, fade them slightly by applying vitamin e oil daily. my marks were relatively small & dark, but are very light now, 15 months pp. i didn’t do anything, they fade on their own. the water was a good idea because it’s important for a pg mama who is growing a baby, a placenta, providing amniotic fluid & doubling her blood volume to stay hydrated.
Stretch marks are totally genetic. You did nothing wrong. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Every woman on my side of the family seems to have them and every woman on my husbands side does not. No amount of water or lotion will prevent them. :)
I drink water like crazy, and I increased my water consumption while pregnant. I also slathered my tummy with Palmer’s Cocoa Butter religiously. I ate very healthy and exercised throughout my pregnancy. I thought I was going to get away with being mark-free, but during the last month my stomach literally exploded with them. I am short (5’2″) and my baby had no where to go but out. She was also a big girl for my frame (8 lbs. 9 oz.). I believe it was inevitable that I got stretch marks. Not only is it hereditary (my mother had them), I also think it had to do with my body frame and build.
I drank water all day every day like it was going out of style. I also lathered stretch mark creams all over my body every day. I gained 50 lbs (carrying twins) and in the last month despite doing everything humanly possible to avoid getting them…they showed up. Not too many and not very visible, but there none the less. This just goes to show if it’s gonna happen it’s gonna happen. I believe genes have a lot to do with how you body reacts to pregnancy, so don’t beat yourself up about it thinking you could have done more to prevent them. Love your body in all its glory. It is the vessel that will transport you through this short time we have on earth, creating life along the way. It doesn’t get much more miraculous than that!
I think it has to do with a couple things…first off genes! If our mothers have beautiful supple skin, then hopefully they passed it on. Also, the water intake and how much weight you gain have a lot to do with it. The strength and toneness of yours stomach muscles have a lot to do with it also.
it’s all genes. if your mother got them, you will probably get them. and it’s how fast you stretch. like I didn’t get any on me until I was almost overdue, then they went everywhere (cept my belly). it’s because my skin stretched too fast. Cocoa butter and all that stuff doesn’t matter if your skin stretches too fast :]
I can tell you that drinking water has absolutely nothing to do with stretchmarks. I am an esthetician and studied skin in school and we were taught that there is no magic cream, no special things to do that will prevent stretchmarks. Even women who have gained only a small amount of weight have many stretchmarks and others fly through 5 pregnancies with no stretchmarks. Don’t feel bad about them, they are part of becoming a mother!!
Don’t beat yourself up, drinking water, weight limitations, creams… it’s all inconsequential, genetics is the only determinant. My sister’s pink freckly skin didn’t get any even though she started out bigger and gained more, this brown skin of mine has many deep deep gashes… we have to find a way to love and live with what we have. Be at peace.
I have not been pregnant, but two of my close friends who do NOT have stretch marks have told me that it was due to drinking LOTS of water. So, that is what I plan to do when my time comes.
I ate healthy, drank TONS of water, used lotion and cocoa butter, even olive oil on occasion, and I still got a bunch of stretch marks. I only gained 35lbs.
I’m of the opinion that if you’re going to get them, there’s no way to avoid it and the people who spread myths like that are just trying to cash in on the fact that women are so weight and body obsessed that they’ll buy into anything.
So don’t feel bad that you got some marks on you. If you HAD continued drinking tons of water, and still got them, you’d probably wonder if you should have been using cocoa butter or some other silly thing. Your marks are beautiful, so let them remind you of the fact that you carried and nourished a healthy little miracle. Good job!
Gotta say, I think it’s largely genetic. I drank a ton of water and applied a stretch oil religously. I didn’t gain much weight either.
While I think it really helped my skin from getting a ton of marks, I still got some. They didn’t show up until my last month. I thought I had escaped them and bam! there they were.
I should have known better though since I got stretch marks during puberty too.
I think it is all in the elasticity of your skin…so I don’t think there is really anything you can or can’t do. I just had my third baby two months ago and I didn’t get any stretch marks for any of my pregnancies. I started out at 128 pounds, being 5’8 and a size 4. I gained 40 pounds. I didn’t drink a lot of water or eat really well…I just ate like I always did…pretty much whatever I felt like. I do like veggies and salad, but I love ice cream and chocolate too, and I ate plenty of that as well. I went back to 132 pounds after that, but still a size 4. With my second baby I also gained about 40 pounds and then back to 133-134 pounds. With my third I also gained 40 pounds and now two months after having her I am at 148 pounds and a size 8…I am still working my way back to my size 4. The first two weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and the third weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces. But like I said, I didn’t drink a ton of water with any of my pregnancies and I got no stretch marks. So I wouldn’t beat yourself up about that…I really think it is all in the skin and you can’t choose what kind of skin you were born with.
I am 30 weeks pregnant, I drink 2-3 liters (8-12 cups) of water a day, and I rub 6-7 capsu,es of vitamine E on my belly daily. Ive only put on 18lbs so far, but I already have some stretch marks under my belly button, kinda like little sunshine marks… I think its all genetics.
Its all about genetics. I didn’t think about stretch marks, mainly because mine didn’t show up until I was about 7 mos along. Then later, when my son was a few months old, I was watching my mom get changed and I realized we have the SAME stretch marks. Kinda interesting.
I just love the feedback and I have appreciated reading everyones’ comments on this subject. I actually thought no one would like this topic, but hey.
But I do try not to worry about my stretch marks, and hearing you alls’ feedback has just helped confirm things. And the marks are here so there’s nothing I can do now, lol.
As a nurse, I know stretch marks are entirely genetic…GENETIC…genetic, but hey, nothing hurts to try…just dont scratch and keep your skin hydrated…
In my case, I drank water like Hell…and it didnt work…
water was about the only thing i could hold down for the first seven months of my pregnancy and i can safely say that it didn’t help all all my stretcharks run from my upper stomach all the way down to my lower stomach. But after my pregnancy i ran into an old friend that said to try rubbing olive or virgin oil on them next time and they wont be so bad her mother used them when she was pregnant and doesn’t have any so maybe that works. I hope i helped
I, too, have beat myself up over getting stretch marks. NO ONE IN MY FAMILY HAS THEM! I thought I was invincible, but after gaining 60 pounds they exploded all over my stomach in week 38 of my pregnancy. I can’t help but wish I hadn’t gained so much weight, or had delivered 2 weeks early. In the beginning, they were deep, red, and angry. But almost 2 years post-partum, they truly have faded. I still will never wear a bikini in daylight again, but I wouldn’t trade it for motherhood for anything in the world.
Im pregnant with my 3rd at 19 wks an still have not gotten stretchmarks. I didnt get them with my other 2 pregnancies and i eat fairly healthy and drink a bitt of water. I used bio oil morning and night. I’ve done alot of research on this and i think its all to do with good genetics, if ur mum got them u most likely will to. But it doesnt hurt to watch ur weight during pregnancy and use a cream on ur belly.