How to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy

When I was pregnant with Baby Girl, I got obsessed with stretch mark oils and started as soon as I had finished the first trimester and felt a small bump appearing. Towards the end of the pregnancy I still developed some stretch marks, but they disappeared soon after Baby Girl was born.

Here are three current stretch mark prevention products:

Secret Saviours
When I received samples of the stretch mark products from Secret Saviours, which includes a pregnancy support band with gel pads and a stretch mark day cream and night gel, I heard from another mum that she had been keen to try theses products too after she’d read about them. I like the fact that there’s a support band–an anti-stretch mark band lined with gel pads to make it difficult for stretch marks to appear–to go with the creams, as the support band doesn’t only help skin elasticity but can also be used for back support, which has been an issue for me for the past two months.

I haven’t had a chance to try the day gel and night cream, but to use it correctly women apply the day gel first and wear the band during the day. At nighttime, the band is taken off and the night cream is applied to help moisturise and soothe the skin further. The products were created by real mums and medical experts and the ingredients include Indian pennywort, vitamin B5, vitamin E and essential oils. A clinical trial coordinated by a US associate professor of surgery showed 70% of women did not get stretch marks after using the products and 20% had reduced stretch marks.

Mama Mio
During my last pregnancy, I used Mama Mio Tummy Rub Oil every day from 12 weeks and the few stretch marks I did develop disappeared, so it seemed to work for me. I’ve now received a sample of this product I was really pleased with last time, and I like the fact that the skin seemes to absorb the oil quickly and it doesn’t feel sticky for long.

Mustela
The Mustela pregnancy range includes a stretch mark oil with natural ingredients. I’ve not used this product, but I’ve started really liking the French brand after receiving some other samples early this year. I think the Mustela Stretch Mark Oil is also one to look out for for mums-to-be who want to apply an oil with natural ingredients to improve elasticity and softness.

Tags: Mama Mio, Mustela, Pregnancy, Second trimester, Secret Saviours, Stretch mark prevention, Stretchmarks, Third trimester