Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.
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Although I was quite relaxed with my pregnancy from the start, there are of course a couple of things I obsessed about. Things which are really not that important. Things which might be absolutely insignificant to others. Things other pregnant women might not think about at all. In my opinion, however, every pregnant lady should be allowed to obsess about 2 or 3 things (or maybe even 5). All these crazy hormones need an outlet and by limiting those to a couple of things, this should be really manageable for our lovely partners.
Pregnancy Obsession No 1: Stretch Marks
I know, they are a very common side effect of your belly stretching to about 5 times of its usual size or more. I also know that there is little prove that you can actually do something to prevent them at all. I know that it mostly depends on connective tissues and thus your genes.
BUT
I still didn’t want to have stretch marks. Or at least not more than I already have on my thighs from growing an in incredible rate in my teens. So I tried my very best to prevent them. I drank a lot of water and I used massage oil right from the beginning. Not twice or three times a day as they recommend on the pack, but at least every second day. Which is manageable even if you still have a life full of work, friends and other hobbies apart from your pregnancy. Which is also very pleasant, because it is real pampering and gives you a special me-and-my-belly-time. Or we-and-my-belly-time if you are lucky enough to get a massage by your partner. And I am sure the little one will enjoy the massage and contact with you as well, even before it can respond by kicking you into the ribs.
Growing up in Germany, oil for me seemed to be the only adequate treatment consistency to prevent stretch marks. Therefore I was really surprised to just find one oil product on the Australian market (Bio Oil). So while giving this a try, my mum was launched to send me a selection of oils from Germany. A few weeks later the parcel arrived, surprisingly safe and sound and with an amazing variety.
In the past 7 months I have slowly worked my way through all of them and I am over the moon, because in the 36th week of my pregnancy there is no new stretch mark in sight – neither on my belly nor on my breasts. Or at least none that is prominent enough to catch my eye. And I can tell you I look closely (as you do when you are obsesses about something). Unfortunately I cannot really tell you which product did the trick or whether it was just the massage action itself or whether I would have gotten away without a stretch mark anyway.
I can tell you, however, which anti-stretch mark oil I liked best and why:
picture found here
picture found here
Weleda – Schwangerschafts-Pflegeöl
quite intense but nice herbal scent, a bit more oily so you can massage a bit longer, no synthetic colours, scents or preservatives
picture found here
Alverde – Cellulite Körperöl Zitrone Rosmarin
wonderful fresh citrus smell, light consistency, I didn’t use it too often because I was concerned about the rosemary extract (it is said to be potentially harmful for the unborn) but I will definitely use it up once the little one is born
picture found here
Bio Oil
slightly powdery nana smell, gets absorbed quite easily, is said also to improved the look and feel of existing scars and stretch marks, formula based on the oil that ducks have to waterproof their feathers
picture found here
Vichy – Complete Action Anti-Stretch Mark Cream
fresh, almost masculine scent, very lightweight consistency – but not an oil (and therefore I somehow doubt its efficacy
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