Stretchmarks aren’t usually seen as something beautiful, there are a lot of products that aim to reduce stretchmarks and mainstream media generally edit and photoshop images to banish them. When I fell pregnant with Bear, I was given loads of advice on how to keep them at bay, so every night I rubbed ointment after ointment into my skin. The thing is I’m under five foot and both Bear and Monkey were reasonably big babies. Bear was born weighing 7lb 15oz and Monkey was born weighing 8lb 7oz, so stretchmarks were always going to be inevitable.
After Bear was born a lot of people reassured me that stretchmarks fade after a while and I would barely notice them. But my youngest is now 19 months old and although they are no longer bright purple, they are still as distinctive as ever. I convinced myself that if I lost weight they would be less noticeable, but actually the skinnier I am the more noticeable they are. In fact, now when I sit down the skin gathers around them, making them even more noticeable.
I’ve tried some really great products that either help prevent stretchmarks or reduce the appearance of them. The Secret Saviours set is really great for preventing stretchmarks and one I’d really recommend trying if you really don’t want to develop stretchmarks in pregnancy. If you already have stretchmarks and would like to reduce the appearance of them, I’d recommend looking at Love Boo’s body butter and the Simply Argan body scrub. I was recently given the scrub at an event and it really is an amazing product. I used it once and my stretchmarks started to look a lot less dominant straight away. The thing is over time my stretchmarks have become very important to me, so as I watched the argan oil scrub start to reduce them, I felt immensely sad and washed it off as best I could.
Seeing my stretchmarks fade made me realise that they aren’t something I see as ugly anymore. In fact I think they are very beautiful and a part of my body I’ve come to love deeply. Because my stretchmarks aren’t just a mark on my body, they are a memory, a story. They are a wonderful story of the babies I grew, protected and brought into the world. See, life is made up of stories. Some are good stories, some are bad, most leave a mark of some kind. My life has been quite a story so far, with so many of them etched over my body, but my favourite story is the one of my children and for each stretchmark is a memory of just how wonderful my life is, now that they are in it.
Not everyone will see stretchmarks as I do and not everyone will be comfortable with the ones that have been etched across their bodies from pregnancy. But for me, they are my special marks, left by an extraordinary event in my life and I won’t hide them. I will wear a bikini and feel happy with my body, proud of what is has accomplished and most importantly thankful for the marks left on it by the greatest story I will ever tell.
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Stretchmarks are a part of life. I don’t see the point in hiding something that so many other people have too!
I agree – I love my stretchmarks because I have them due to carrying my two beautiful daughters. I’m am constantly in awe of what my body did – it blows my mind 🙂
I don’t really mind my stretchmarks – each of my three babies left marks in different places x
This is a great post, and we should challenge the media’s idea of perfection. Bodies do change, especially when we have babies, and the marks we have are a product of a very special time
This is lovely, personally I don’t think I will ever love my stretch marks, I hated them for a long time but over the years I’ve definitely come to terms with having them and they don’t bother me at all now x
Good for you! It’s a beautiful reminder of what your body has been through to bring your children into the world.
I think its sad that society makes us self-conscious of things that are completely normal.
(Hubby helping out)
I love my stretchmarks. I am proud of them and what I have achieved in carrying 3 amazing children. That doesn’t mean I want the world to look at them, I’d hate to have them pointed at by teens with their enviable flat toned tums…
I was lucky that I only got them in my first pregnancy and they have faded a lot now so are barely noticeable. I don’t dislike them as no one see’s them and I forget I have them x
I don’t have kids yet but I do have side stretch marks which never really bothered me, my mother said they added to my beauty and that’s how I view them. Beautiful post
I think that people put too much pressure on “looking perfect” – everyone has stretch marks and we should be proud of our bodies (especially those who have baby stretch marks!)
I had stretch marks on some parts of my body even before I had kids. I have tried a few products in the pursuit of getting rid of them. They don’t bother me much anymore.
I had a few before children, but my stomach is covered in them since having children. They are such a special mark though and I’ve really come to love mine.
I love this…I’ve been finding it difficult to come to terms with my body after baby but each day I am learning to love it because it’s like the memory of growing my baby is still with me. And as she grows older the marks on my body become even more of a blessing.
This is such a beautiful post. It had taken me a year to come to terms with and accept my stretch marks. We should never be ashamed or embarrassed of the at the end of the day it’s hard work growing a tiny human!! Xx