Nothing is more important during a pregnancy than making sure your growing baby is healthy. But you can’t help but think about how your own body is going to change and evolve within the next nine months, too — especially as you witness the changes day by day. More specifically, stretch marks come to mind, and while those types of battle scars are totally worth it for your little bundle of joy, there are a few shameless ways to totally prevent them as you and your baby continue to grooooow.
What are stretch marks, anyway? Stretch marks are tiny tears in the upper layers of the skin that result when the body grows and the skin stretches too quickly in order to keep up. Your body is exponentially more susceptible to getting stretch marks during pregnancy as your belly grows very, very quickly within that nine month window. And here’s another bummer — if your mom or grandmother had stretch marks during their pregnancy, chances are, you’ll get them, too. But hey, your mom and grandmother probably didn’t have the secret you now have.
And while it’s true for some that nothing can be done to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy, we kind of like to challenge that and declare that there are actions you can take that can totally prevent stretch marks or at least reduce their appearance. Follow these tips to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy:
Drink water. Drink water. And then, drink more water.
We’ve been hearing it our whole lives — drink water! It makes for healthy organs, detoxes the body, provides higher energy levels, manages weight and is GREAT for skin. It increases the elasticity of skin; the more elastic (stretchy) skin is,the less likely it is to stretch beyond its means and tear, resulting in stretch marks. Aim for half a gallon or more. Shoot for entire gallon. If this seems like a lofty goal, incorporate fruits and vegetables with high water content — that counts, too!
Choose a product that is meant to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy
Nourish your skin from the inside out
