~ Strecth Marks During Pregnancy ~

One of the common results of rapid pregnancy weight gain is stretch marks. Officially known as striae gravidarum, stretch marks occur in about 50-90% of women in the second half of pregnancy. Stretch marks do fade over time but they do not completely go away. For that reason, it is no surprise that expectant mothers are motivated to try to prevent stretch marks during their pregnancies when possible.

Stretch Marks During Pregnancy is More Likely to Occur with A Family History

If female relatives on the mother's side had stretch marks during pregnancy, it is more likely that the expectant mother will also get them. In addition to a having a family history, striae gravidarum is more likely to occur with any of the following risk factors:

• younger mothers
• having multiples
• having a larger baby
• corticosteroid use

Treatment for Stretch Marks Includes Daily Massage with Topical Ointment

When experts have researched treatment options for stretch marks, they have found mixed results. It is possible that having a daily massage may be helpful in the prevention of stretch marks, but it is not clear which ingredient in various brands of stretch mark creams or lotions seems to do the trick.

As compared to the group of women who did not massage with stretch mark cream, fewer women in both research studies who used a topical ointment or cream developed stretch marks. One stretch mark cream used in a study contained the following ingredients: centella asiatica extract, alpha tocopherol and collagen-elastin hydrolysates. In the other study, participants used an ointment that contained tocopherol, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, elastin and menthol.

Researchers were not able to conclude which ingredient in the two types of creams helped to prevent stretch marks. Perhaps it is not the specific ointment or ingredient used, but the act of having a daily massage that helps to moisturize the skin and prevent stretch marks.

Yup...last weekend me and hubby took our time to drop by the Malaysia Chocolate Fair 2010 @ Midvalley. Guess what..time was not wasted at all. For the first time we eventually bought something upon my pregnancy term...Palmer Cocoa Butter Cream..


It was so cheap which initially the price was RM41.00 but then we bought it at only RM23.00!! Thank to my darling hubby for his gift and advise as for the best of me and his newborn girl!!

By the way...those who knew me know that I am some sort of a chubby girl...thus maybe my strech mark is not so obvious till know. I am so glad and so far there is no allergies in any way either myself or my baby.

Semoga semuanya berjalan dengan lancar till the big day!!!

Amin...