Anti-Stretchmarks
I do not have stretch marks on my stomach from pregnancy. (If you do, see the last product listed at end of this blog***) I do have a few small ones around my hips and booty - but thin, barely noticeable. Since all my friends have been asking, here's what I did... SO YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!
1) Product: Oil
Mother's Special Blend
During both of my pregnancies, I used a product called "Mothers Special Blend" (I bought from WholeFoods). It is a mix of natural plant oils including coco butter and olive oils - Coconut mainly, which I heard (and researched) from many is a HUGE factor in saving skin from permanent damaged elasticity and stretch marks. My sister-in-law (thank god for her🙏🏼) was the one who told me about it as she used it with her pregnancy and had no stretch marks afterwards. The trick is, smother it over ENTIRE BREAST AREA, BELLY, BOOTY, HIPS AND BACK (from bra area down) EVERY SINGLE NIGHT ... And during the last trimester, I did it EVERY MORNING AND NIGHT UNTIL 6 MONTHS AFTER BIRTH! A lot of work, I know! But I gained 50 lbs with my daughter and 60lbs with my son and my stomach is completely free of lines - and the skin holds elasticity, so there is some truth to this. Why continue applying so long after birth? Because while your body shrinks, your skin needs support in shrinking back too...the massaging of oil into the skin is also a huge key in helping the skin both stretch out and compress to retighten. Especially as you are breastfeeding your newborn, you are loosing so much hydration and nutrition to your child that the skin looses out on replenishing cell help too - therefore, I actually used oils every day until about 8 months when my body was only a size away from my pre baby shape. I then used regular body lotions like Those from Burts Bees, Jergens, and The Honest Company since it was easier to work with and I had so little time for myself with the two toddlers I had!
There were a few weeks with my second pregnancy of which I was so exhausted, and out of stock of that brand that I switched to another brand that I happen to have on hand - the Honest Company's (Target, Nordstrom or direct) Body Oil (was shipped in my monthly bundle so was convenient). This seemed to be made of good stuff (all natural just like first one) but I did not feel the moisture stayed in my skin as long as the other brand. I also did not use this exclusive for the majority of a pregnancy so I can't tell if this was of equal effectiveness. However, I did use this on the way back down with my second, because, my son ate (breastfed) so frequently that I needed my boobs and body to not be so oily when it was time to feed (or he, my bed to lay on while nursing, and clothes for the times all the visitors walked in). The Mothers Blend took awhile to soak into skin and never completely dried, while the Honest Body Oil would soak in faster and had less sticky of a feel, making it easier during frequent nursing demands.
2) Product: Butter
I did use the Honest Company's body butter for areas like my butt to add extra thick moisture because, the booty was the hardest area to keep oiled as when you are pregnant, you always have to use the bathroom from the pressure, therefore always leaving the oil on the toilet seat and therefore not getting to moisturizer your booty and thighs to the same degree as the rest of your body. So I was therefore, always spreading the butter on those areas through the the day. Why not a butter on the rest of my body instead of oil? In Hawaii it is soooooo hot especially while burning up pregnant! So a thick butter paste feels soooo uncomfortable (I felt) as opposed to an oil which wasn't as heavy in feel - at least the skin could breathe a little more.
When some Hawaii days were too hot for this thick version, I would opt for Kiehls "Creme de Corps in Soy Milk and Honey" (Nordstroms). It's a rich texture with a light finish, absorbs much faster than the honest butter.
C) Consumption
What people forget is that Drinking and Eating can help your skin in stretch and recovery as well! If you already eat a variety of nutrients it's not hard to enforce, it's only if you are not diverse on food source that skin can become more brittle ...
First, drink WATER!!! I had at least ten large water bottles a day! And NEVER SODA! Caffeine I did drink (or God knows I'd never make it trying to work while pregnant or trying to diaper a toddler while pregnant with my second) which does help to add circulation throughout your skin tissues, as well as decongest due to antioxidant also. But definitely, your skin needs water for elasticity - and of course your whole body needs water always!
Second, eat fats! I eat meat but that's not what I'm talking about - I mean the FATS FROM NUTS, SEEDS, and AVOCADO. These all have Vitamin E (and more) which greatly helps in moisture levels and keeping skin from damage! I ate a ton of peanut butter during pregnancy (all natural kind is best) as well is Avocados (at least a whole one 3 times a week in a salad or meal). I always used Olive Oil to cook with instead of Canola or butter. I was not a big seed person, but I did add flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds to my diet here and there just for the benefit of the nutrition and antioxidants. Beyond just skin, I found the fatty textures of these foods also really helped to calm the bad naseau I had during my pregnancies.
Third, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies in my daily intact. In particular, I ate/eat Papaya and Greek Yogurt as well as eggs for breakfast. Weird combo? If you are from Outer Island Hawaiu, papaya is everywhere and well, Greek yogurt got me when I tried it mixed with honey ... Well, apparently those are some of the top carriers of Vitamin A, which is the biggest vitamin associated with skin repair, anti aging and enforcing cells to more youthful operation! Other foods I ate during pregnancy that have tons of this vitamin - Shrimp! Spinach, Romaine lettuce (also has skin's much needed Vitamin K) Bok Choy (we have Korean BBQ everywhere in Hawaii), Cheese, and sweet potato. I ate a ton of fresh berries which are great antioxidants - clearing out the bad and letting immunity strengthen for the body, and skin to repair itself. Love vitamin C foods like tomatoes (has both Vitamin A and C) and put Lemon and Lime juice into all of salads, curries, stews. Vitamin C helps skin cells to stay strong, but also get out impurities keeping skin clear.
Fourth, bone soup. I made (still do) a lot of crock pot (🙏🏼my other sister-in-law introduced me to this and I was hooked) and slow-cooked chicken soups with the whole chicken in it which means the bone nutrients get to fuse into the broth. Bones contain Gelatin (also found in jello) which is better then collagen in maintaining skin elasticity.
And Lastly, ate fish and seafood. I know books say don't eat it - I am not saying you should if you are pregnant! But I did have a fisherman as my other half, bringing home fresh caught white fish which has the least amount of risk and being he knows the Hawaii ocean (cleaner than many other water bodies) and where to get the cleaner species from, I trusted. Why fish? Besides that it tastes amazing, it's high in omega 3 and has the fish oil that helps with skin elasticity and moisture levels as well!
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH STRETCHMARKS ALREADY...
I know how sad you can feel thinking your body might not look as good as before kids...it's really really scary thinking that there is nothing you can do for existing marks... But truth is YOU CAN! I did have some small ones on the sides of my booty cheeks that lessened because I used MEDERMA SCAR GEL everyday for at least 4 months over those areas. It did really help. NO COMPANY PAYS ME TO ADVERTISE THAT! I just used it on my own - and especially because I had some strange circles on my belly after birthing my second. Because I birthed all-natural, I did not want to be pinned down to a bed during extreme labor pains and therefore, asked to use an alternative to the belly-monitors that keep you linked to the hospital bed (where you can't move into a more comfortable position - more in that in Another post)...so the new mobile version of monitors were made with a different material that left a discoloration in a NWSE direction pattern of circles (suction cups) on my belly. Months after the nurses said it should be gone, it was still there, faint but there. The Oils I described did help to soften the coloring but what really did the job was the ADVANCED CARE MEDERMA GEL. And yes, a bit expensive - I saw a price on Amazon for maybe $8 a pop and bought a bunch. It's normally round $25 a tube here in Hawaii retail.
Hope that helps!