Who Invented Stretch Marks Anyway...?

The consensus seems to be that if you're one of those who may be predisposed to getting stretch marks, for the most part they can't be prevented 100%, but there are things you can do to lessen their severity:

• eat healthy foods (ie lots of fresh fruits & veggies), and especially those that promote healthy skin, like Vit's A, C, E, as well as zinc and silicon / silica
• drink at least 2 liters of water a day - staying hydrated keeps your skin more supple & soft and less likely to develop stretch marks as easily
• exercise daily - this is good for your whole body and also helps keep muscles firm and skin healthy
• massage - regularly massaging the areas that are likely to be affected could help reduce stretch marks by increasing blood circulation
• moisturizing creams and oils - this also helps to keep your skin supple and soft, which helps to reduce stretch marks or the severity of them, since dry skin is more likely to tear and lead to stetch mark scarring...so begin doing this everyday as soon as you get your BFP!  (wheat germ oil has shown good results in some women, especially when applied from early on).  I've also read that stretch marks can develop with rapid weight loss, so continue with the oils and creams until you've reach your pre-pregnancy weight.
• try to limit your weight gain, and avoid rapid excessive weight gains as this usually results in stretch marks.  Ask your doctor what is a healthy pregnancy weight gain for YOU, since it could also depend on your BMI...so it's different for everyone
• don't scratch the areas that are prone to developing stretch mark, since this damages the already-stretching skin and could cause stretch marks or worsen the ones you already have - if the stetch marked areas are itchy, rather massage with an oil...just don't scratch
• for the boobs...because they get heavier during pregnancy, wearing a good supportive bra will help to carry the weight, thereby reducing stretching.  Also, applying moisturizer could help too 

And most of these things (except maybe the weight gain, I'm not sure about that yet - although with a healthy diet it should be easy enough to do!) can be easily accomplished...so goodie for that. :)

When we first started ttc (way back in Feb 2011) I already began applying oils and creams to my stomach & boobs...needless to say that effort has been abandoned for the time being, to be commenced again once I get my BFP! :)

Kegel Exercises

This exercise is good for everybody (men & women), not just for those of us who are getting pregnant, but it seems to be specially beneficial when planning to become pregnant, or if you're already past that stage, for strengthening your pelvic muscles after pregnancy.

Here's a quick description of what kegel exercises are:

Start with an empty bladder. Imagine that you're trying to stop yourself from passing gas and trying to stop the flow of urine midstream at the same time. The feeling is one of "squeeze and lift" – a closing and drawing up of the front and back passages.

Doing this exercise has a bunch of benefits, but the one most related to pregnancy is: it helps to prevent and treat urinary stress incontinence (aka involuntary wee when you sneeze), especially if your pelvic floor muscles have been weakened due to pregnancy or delivering your baby naturally.

It's also said that kegel exercises assist in making natual delivery easier, as well as controlling hemorrhoids! Cool.

Beginning these exercises before pregnancy could help to prevent or lessen the effects of urinary stress incontinence during the pregnancy, so start doing them as soon as you decide to try for a baby!  I do them everyday while blow-drying my hair - I like multi-tasking where I can.

You should ideally do them in all 3 positions, ie when standing, sitting and lying down.  In the interests of saving some space here (and not at  ALL because I'm lazy...ahem) I'm just posting 3 informative links below discussing kegels in more detail and how to do them:

Kegel Exercises 1
Kegel Exercises 2
Kegel Exercises 3

Preparing for Pregnancy - Folic Acid!

I must admit, there's a teeny tiny part of me that's sort of happy that we didn't get pregnant right from the start.  WHY????? you say?  Well, because since we made the decision to have a baby, I've been doing soooo much research and reading about all things pregnancy related, and it's made me so much wiser on the topic, and as the months went by, I've had the opportunity to learn what I can do *before* conception to help improve my and baby's health.

I've always known that folic acid was a crucial supplement that one should take when pregnant, but what I didn't know at the beginning was that you need to begin taking this at least 3 months before conception...So I immediately began taking that supplement - it's been about a year now since I've started adding folic acid to my arsenal of vitamins, so I'm pretty sure I've built up an extra good reserve for baby. :)  So as soon as you decide to start trying for a baby, start taking folic acid!

And here's why you need to start taking folic acid before conception: according to several studies, taking 400mcg (0.4mg) helps to reduce the chances of neural tube defects in baby by up to 70%.  These defects relate to the underdevelopment and defects of the brain and spinal column...and what's more...these defects occur during the first month of pregnancy...when many women don't even know they're pregnant yet!

So you can see why folic acid is so important and why you need to start taking it long before conception.  With a varied diet we all get in some measure of folic acid, but to be on the safe side, take that supplement so that you can be sure you're getting enough of it.