I need to stop.

megngregk · December 2013

Ever since my stretch marks showed up last Sunday (and have been spreading and getting darker every day since), I've been obsessively Googling images of post partum stretch marks and belly piercings in hopes of making myself feel better or giving me some shred of hope that they really won't be that bad. Yeah, bad freaking idea. I'm so depressed about how I'm going to look after this is all over. I know everybody says "It's worth it", but in all honesty women have enough insecurities. I can want and love my child deeply without having to like what pregnancy did to my body. I just needed to vent :-/

ChuggingWater · December 2013

Mine were super dark and deep below my belly button after I had DS1. By 4 years they were hardly noticeable, and by 6.5 even less.

Tylynngrace · December 2013

I know exactly where your coming from! I'm 6 weeks post partum and my stretch marks are so depressing for me to look at. I mean it's the price you have to pay to have a perfect little baby but at the same time I just want them to disappear! My H tries making me feel better about them but I just want to punch him cause he doesn't understand.

mommygrams0730 · December 2013

My SIL got some from her 2nd (he's 5 and a half now) then had a 3rd 18 months ago and I couldn't even see them this summer when she wore a bikini.

Another friend swears by a mix of coconut oil, ginger, and pinch of sugar for a homemade exfoliant. Her youngest is a little over 2 and hers have majorly faded too.

joshsmandy · December 2013

Ladies you earned those tiger stripes, wear them with pride and if people stare it's because their jealous

csandroo · December 2013

This post is at the perfect time as I had a meltdown tonight over how I look ... I just got stretch marks this week. I just don't feel like myself anymore. Some days I feel like hell yeah I just gotta be confident and proud to be me and other days I cry and cry over the uncertainty if my body will ever feel like it did before.

missmandyjoy · December 2013

Okay I never ever post, but before DD (21 months) I spent nights googling this and getting so stressed about the damn things!
Honestly, they got darker right after birth I won't lie. BUT by about 8 months PP they we're barely noticeable.
Just wanted to throw some hope out there!

MrsGraham06 · December 2013

They definitely fade! And if you manage to lose weight, they are barely noticeable

And the one who notices them the most is yourself.

It's taken me a long time to not hate my stretch marks (almost 8 years), but DH was a big part of that. He always makes me feel sexy (even now when I feel like a whale), and says he sees my stripes as badges of honor.

megngregk · December 2013

carisue143 said:

This post is at the perfect time as I had a meltdown tonight over how I look ... I just got stretch marks this week. I just don't feel like myself anymore. Some days I feel like hell yeah I just gotta be confident and proud to be me and other days I cry and cry over the uncertainty if my body will ever feel like it did before.

This is me to a T right now. It makes me feel so guilty because I don't WANT to feel this way because of pregnancy, but I was finally at a place where I was confident and happy with my body before I got pg. I have serious fears that I'll never feel that way again.

I'm happy to hear from some of you BTDT moms that your stretch marks have faded, though. That gives me hope.

ChuggingWater · December 2013

I understand, I do. I worry in wont feel comfortable in my own skin again for a long time.

megngregk · December 2013

ChuggingWater said:

I understand, I do. I worry in wont feel comfortable in my own skin again for a long time.

I think I'm going to need a good long cry when this pregnancy is over!

My naval piercing (taken out at 6w) is a god awful mess. The hole is so stretched, and the entire area is red/discolored. And I've got two little antennae stretch marks coming out the top, so it looks like the Playboy Bunny. Hells yes for klassy! From everything I read, the discoloration will probably never go away.

jessicat2283 · December 2013

I got tons the last 2 weeks with my oldest. I was obsessed with creams, oils, & trying to prevent them & get rid of them. With #2 tried to keep moisturized & keep them to a minimum. My stomach looks terrible. Honestly this go around I've just accepted it. After he gets here I'll put some stuff on to help lighten but they really do fade over time. Mine were red, then purple & eventually little white lines. I think we notice them more than anyone else

Deblondie1 · December 2013

I got my first ever stretch mark this week, coming out of the top of my ugly stretched out naval piercing. I feel every bit of your feelings. I'm horrified of how I will look after this. I'm hoping working out and fake baking will cover it eventually.

becky3211 · December 2013

megngregk said:

ChuggingWater said:

I understand, I do. I worry in wont feel comfortable in my own skin again for a long time.
I think I'm going to need a good long cry when this pregnancy is over!

My naval piercing (taken out at 6w) is a god awful mess. The hole is so stretched, and the entire area is red/discolored. And I've got two little antennae stretch marks coming out the top, so it looks like the Playboy Bunny. Hells yes for klassy! From everything I read, the discoloration will probably never go away.

I have two marks off the top of my piercing hole too. They actually cross between the piercing and my belly button so it forms a "X"...it looks like a treasure map!

ksonne · December 2013

I hated the stretch marks I got with DS1. They looked so bad at first but definitely faded within a year. They were still there, just not very visible. I think I have some new ones with DS2, but I'm ok with it this time.

worleygirl · December 2013

After DS was born it looked like a cat clawed my stomach. They faded and were pretty much gone within 6 months. I have them earlier this time but anticipate that same look after the baby is born. It's hard to be ok with it, but hope for the best.

mj0413 · December 2013

megngregk said:

carisue143 said:

This post is at the perfect time as I had a meltdown tonight over how I look ... I just got stretch marks this week. I just don't feel like myself anymore. Some days I feel like hell yeah I just gotta be confident and proud to be me and other days I cry and cry over the uncertainty if my body will ever feel like it did before.

This is me to a T right now. It makes me feel so guilty because I don't WANT to feel this way because of pregnancy, but I was finally at a place where I was confident and happy with my body before I got pg. I have serious fears that I'll never feel that way again.

I'm happy to hear from some of you BTDT moms that your stretch marks have faded, though. That gives me hope.

YUP. I was full on sobbing the other night to MH about a few different things, one of the main things--stretch marks/my body. I was finally at a place before pregnancy where I was happy with my appearance and getting pregnant has totally thrown a wrench in it all. UGH. I feel like a shallow person for being so upset, but it is what it is…

Thanks for posing this, it's good to know I'm not alone and that there is hope.

COgirl29 · December 2013

I grew 6 inches in 3 months the summer after 8th grade, which gave me crazy stretch marks on my hips/thighs. They faded pretty fast - I can't even really see them now, can only feel them sometimes if I'm really trying to tell. I am sure they will fade, and if they don't - there are all sorts of treatments out there to help! I totally understand the whole wanting and loving a healthy baby while wishing your body can remain the same afterwards. I totally get it!

bellamatson · December 2013

Last pregnancy I got them and hit the tanning beds. They disappeared super quick with tanning. Lol

ScarlettDahlia · December 2013

The nurse at my last OB appt pointed mine out to me and I was like

(

Ever since then, I've been noticing them more and more. I really wish she wouldn't have mentioned them to me so I could have feigned ignorance to them this entire time. But I didn't have that great of a body before pregnancy anyways, lol.

mrskratt · December 2013

I totally feel you! And every time I want to vent or cry about how scared I am about what my postpartum body is going to look like, I just feel so guilty. I worked so hard for the body I had before I was pregnant. I constantly google postpartum body images. I don't know why I do that to myself. I did get a crap ton of stretch marks in 8th grade, all over my thighs and boobs. They did end up fading pretty fast and now you can't tell at all. I am mostly worried about my blown out belly button. It seriously got the size of a crater and the hole where it use to be pierced looks horrendous. Hearing from all the STM+ makes me feel way better!

brideandbreve · December 2013

bellamatson said:

Last pregnancy I got them and hit the tanning beds. They disappeared super quick with tanning. Lol

As the resident melanoma survivor, I am obligated to give this advice a big ol' frown.

I used Mederma's stretch mark cream after I had DS - starting the day after he was born - and it really did make a difference. I'll never have the skin I had before I got pregnant, but I took pictures to chronicle the difference, and you can totally tell. It made me feel a little bit better about myself.

[Deleted User] · December 2013

I have very visible stretch marks on my lower back from an insane growth spurt over one hot summer when I was a teenager. I added marks on my thighs and my boobs a few years later. It's funny that its the belly stretch marks that make me the most self conscious, who cares that the rest of my body is a tiger print, I want my belly to look perfect!

megngregk · December 2013

Elsutto2 said:

I totally feel you! And every time I want to vent or cry about how scared I am about what my postpartum body is going to look like, I just feel so guilty. I worked so hard for the body I had before I was pregnant. I constantly google postpartum body images. I don't know why I do that to myself. I did get a crap ton of stretch marks in 8th grade, all over my thighs and boobs. They did end up fading pretty fast and now you can't tell at all. I am mostly worried about my blown out belly button. It seriously got the size of a crater and the hole where it use to be pierced looks horrendous. Hearing from all the STM+ makes me feel way better!

This exactly. As for the belly button, is your piercing hole stretched out and red like mine? My actual naval popped super early, and people are constantly commenting on it because you can see it through my tops. I'm so terrified that it's going to be a golf ball-sized hole when this is all over.

I have bad stretch marks on my inner thighs from 6th grade, but they are still pretty visible. They're white, but thick. They don't really bother me because people aren't often looking between my legs, and you can only see them if you're actually looking there when I'm in a bikini.

AnnikaD20 · December 2013

I have stretch marks on my hips from puberty, and I still rocked bikinis all the time. They weren't that noticeable. I'm sure the ones covering my belly will fade too.

I'm looking forward to getting back into shape, being able to run again, and I hope most of my pre-preg clothes will still fit someday (mostly cause I hate clothes shopping, it's expensive and frustrating). I really hope things become more normal and all the discomfort goes away. But I'm ok with having a few battle scars.

I know my body isn't going to look exactly the same after having a baby. Nothing is going to be the same. My whole life is about to irreversibly change, and why should my body be different.

LuGal623 · December 2013

My belly button piercing (which I've had out for years now) is very angry looking. In fact just this weekend I caught my nail on it when trying to pull up my panel on my pants and it got all swollen and bled! I want to start using Mederma on it but I'm not sure if we can use that right now.

mrskratt · December 2013

megngregk said:

Elsutto2 said:

I totally feel you! And every time I want to vent or cry about how scared I am about what my postpartum body is going to look like, I just feel so guilty. I worked so hard for the body I had before I was pregnant. I constantly google postpartum body images. I don't know why I do that to myself. I did get a crap ton of stretch marks in 8th grade, all over my thighs and boobs. They did end up fading pretty fast and now you can't tell at all. I am mostly worried about my blown out belly button. It seriously got the size of a crater and the hole where it use to be pierced looks horrendous. Hearing from all the STM+ makes me feel way better!

This exactly. As for the belly button, is your piercing hole stretched out and red like mine? My actual naval popped super early, and people are constantly commenting on it because you can see it through my tops. I'm so terrified that it's going to be a golf ball-sized hole when this is all over.

I have bad stretch marks on my inner thighs from 6th grade, but they are still pretty visible. They're white, but thick. They don't really bother me because people aren't often looking between my legs, and you can only see them if you're actually looking there when I'm in a bikini.

The piercing hole is super stretched out and is red all around it. DH keeps thinking it's infected or something because of the redness. What sucks is that I haven't had a ring in there in over 3 years and the hole still stretched out. My belly button popped way earlier than I thought it would too. I keep picturing myself with a sagging belly button after the belly goes away.

megngregk · December 2013

@elsutto2, I thought mine was infected so I asked my OB. She said no and that a lot of them unfortunately get mangled

Kbrittonhart · December 2013

Try organic, cold pressed coconut oil on your entire body when you get out of the shower. I did it both pregnancies and have no stretch marks so maybe it will prevent further stretching for you.

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I need to stop.

Re: I need to stop.

Fell in love: Dec 2005 // Married: Feb 9, 2013

Little Miss Rosalie Harper--Born Jan 9th, 2014

Fell in love: Dec 2005 // Married: Feb 9, 2013

Little Miss Rosalie Harper--Born Jan 9th, 2014

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