Stretch Marks- when do you get them?

[JoyAnne]

If I was going to get stretch marks, would I have them by now? I am 28 weeks, and have gained about 30 pounds, almost all in my belly. I was 104 before getting pregnant, so that is a very significant amount of weight for me!

Just wondering- don't have them yet and was thinking last night that it would be cool if I was one of the ones that didn't get them!

[Aaudreysmom]

Yes that would be great for you if you didn't get them. For me with my 1st pregnancy they started on my boobs at about 12 weeks and on my belly around 16 weeks. My marks continued to get worse as I got bigger until I gave birth.

I hope you can avoid them. I know that "they" say that you cannot prevent them but a friend of mine used vitamin e and strechmark cream religiously throughout her pregnancy and did not end up with one. Her sister though who did not use any cream got them bad.

[valeria_vi]

Aaudreysmom, what kind of cream was she using?

[valeria_vi]

Joy,
As far as I understand you could still get them at any week. Like, your first stretch mark could appear at 36 weeks. Some say that they are most likely to happen when your belly is growing rapidly.
I wish I knew how to prevent them! I am oly 19 weeks now, and so far so good, but I have started using a cocoa butter cream every night and am trying to make my mind up about stratch arks cream.
Water and lots of protein also seem to be very important. water will give your skin mosture while protein is a building block for all tissues, so if you eat enough of it, it should help your skin stretch easier.

Gosh, don't we wish there was a definite answer to this?

[CluckyInAZ]

I got stretch marks all over my boobs really early, probably around 9 weeks or so. I haven't gotten any on my belly yet (22 weeks) but I have some on one hip that I got around the same time as my boobs. I think some of my stretch marks could have been prevented because it seems like most of them showed up the day after I did several errands without a bra on (none of them fit anymore by then). I miss my old boobs! At least my husband still loves them.

[mamabear&babybear]

My first stretch marks appeared at 32 or 33 weeks; they were all on my belly where I gained basically all my weight. I used cocoa butter every night and drank lots of water. I gained most of my weight in those last weeks and I think that was the inducer. There are women who don't get them so good luck. :)

[cj'smommy]

I didn't get stretch marks until after Connor was born, really I'm not kidding! They were very small and very faint, and have since gone away. We'll see what happens this time.

I never had swollen feet/ankles while I was pg either, but boy did they turn into balloons after he was born.

[mamalisa]

I had a dr's appointment on Wednesday and he remarked that I had no stretch marks and how lucky I was. When my water broke the next day, I had them! I was at 39 weeks and I thought I had beat the odds. Nope! I used the Palmer's stretch mark cream religiously, my belly was so itchy! They have faded a lot in the last 4 years though :D

[JoyAnne]

So basically there is no way to know? I figured! I am drinking lotsa water, using lotion every day, etc. Not TOO worried about it either way- but it would be nice to avoid them....

[mahogny]

From what I understand, a lot of what determines if women get stretch marks is genetics. If your mom and sisters (and your mom's sisters) have stretch marks, I've heard it's a good bet you'll get them, too.

I'm sure water consumption plays a part too, and I have heard of women who got no stretch marks on places where they used belly oils or creams, and did get them on places they neglected to put them, so obviously, genetics aren't the only factor. (A friend of mine used a belly oil on her tummy for the whole 9 months, and got no stretch marks there. However, she didn't even think of putting the oil on her breasts, and therefore ended up with zebra boobs! :LOL)

I've also heard (don't remember where I read this, it was during my last pg, so don't quote me or anything! :LOL) that the women who don't get stretch marks are also the least likely to tear during birth. Something about how if the skin is stretchy enough to stretch over a growing belly without getting stretch marks, it means the perineum is stretchy, too. So, if a woman has a lot of stretch marks, she could be more likely to tear during birth. So far it holds true in my family - none of the women (including myself) have any stretch marks or tore during any delivery. My zebra-boobed friend tore significantly.

[cj'smommy]

I've also heard (don't remember where I read this, it was during my last pg, so don't quote me or anything! :LOL) that the women who don't get stretch marks are also the least likely to tear during birth. Something about how if the skin is stretchy enough to stretch over a growing belly without getting stretch marks, it means the perineum is stretchy, too. So, if a woman has a lot of stretch marks, she could be more likely to tear during birth. So far it holds true in my family - none of the women (including myself) have any stretch marks or tore during any delivery. My zebra-boobed friend tore significantly.

I wish that had been true for me. :( I tore really bad, about as bad as you can get and I only had a couple of very faint stretch marks that didn't show up until after birth.

[KayleeZoo]

This is my 3rd baby and I don't have any, yet. My mom only got one when she was pg with me, so there might be something with the genetics theory. I do use Burts Bees Almond Milk moisturizing cream on my belly and it's nice and thick. Don't know if it prevents sm, though.

[BlueStateMama]

Second baby here, and my belly is bigger now than it was last time at 31 weeks and I don't have a single one (even with a 40 pound weight gain, mostly belly, last time.) I think genetics is a HUGE factor, my mom didn't get any either. I am religious about the cream usage - I do the Cocoa Butter stuff (that kind you see in every drugstore) for the first two trimesters, and then switch to the Magia Bella Intensive stuff in the third trimester. It's spendy, but I only need about 2 tubes of it to take me through the last 12 weeks and hey, if *that's* what prevented them, I'll stick with it!! :LOL That being said - I know women who've used nothing and gotten none, and some who used all of the expensive creams, and got them. Not much help, eh? :D

[~Jenna~]

I used cocoa butter on my belly, my boobs and my thighs....didn't get them on my stomach, but got them really badly on my boobs and my thighs. I would think that if the cocoa butter was going to work, then it would work everywhere. I got most of the ones on my breasts after ds was born when I got engorged.

[Moon Faerie]

I never got any with my son. This time I got some around 38 weeks, not many though. I think it's from the baby dropping because they're all really low.

[heldt123]

Can't remember when I first got my pregnancy stretch marks, but I have pleanty to share if you need some! :laugh: It seems just like when you think your belly could never get any bigger, it does, but there are some lucky people in this world that get by without stretch marks. I was already prone to stretch marks as I had a few on my legs for who knows what reason. Now I have them on my belly, and my boobs. When my milk came in I swear I looked like Dolly Pardon! Now back down to B's there are plenty of stretch reminders.

I've heard that protien and water help prevent stretch marks--neither of which I had a lot of with my first. Puking and nausea are not condusive to either. Also, I used cocoa butter and it did didly squat! Genetics sounds good to me.

P.S. I hope you are lucky and get by without them!! :)

[Shellie]

Well, I didn't get any new ones this pg until I was about 34 weeks but it is my third baby! I think I had them earlier with the other two.

[its_our_family]

I can remember the morning....

I was 16 weeks. I wasdrying off after taking a shower. I ran into the bedroom and said, "BENJAMIN!! I have my first stretchmark!!". I was so excited because it meant my belly was growing and I wasn't imagining it. Then at 24 weeks dh said, "MEGAN!! Look, you have about 40 more!" I was NOT amused! :LOL

By the time I delivered Tracy I had stretchmarks that went from on top of eachother in places to the farthest apart 1/2 inch. The marks are about 1/2 wide and deep. If you run your finger on them you can literally feel where the skin support is gone. They start about 3/4 inch from my belly button, and wrap around my back. They go from hips to boobs. I told dh I had my own custom scarification! He says they look like flames going from hip to boob :LOL When I got pg with Bryce some of them got a tad wider and I had marks fill in where there weren't any.

Stretchmarsk...gotta love em :splat

Good luck! I hope you are one of the lucky ones! I'd say if you were going to get them they probably will be pretty mild. They should turn white after a bit too so you probably won't even see them (mine are still bright red :()

[cholderby]

They started for me at 30 weeks. A week and a half later, I look like a red and white stripped zebra!

I was expecting them on my stomach, but they started on my butt and thighs. I expected them because I got them during puberty, so I figured I'd get them for sure now.

So if I look this way at 31 weeks....what will I look like in another two months?

[bwylde]

I didn't notice mine until after the baby was born this time and holy mama, there were tons more second time around!!

[Red Sonja]

mine came at 38 weeks.

i delivered at 39 weeks. :eyesroll

nak
lb

[KellyJo]

When I was pregnant with my first son I was bragging that I had not gotten any stretch marks yet. My MIL giggled and said they come after you deliver sweetie. Well she was right! That's when I got mine but they still aren't too bad. I'm 18 weeks now and haven't noticed any new ones yet.