When I had my daughter, Darcie, I counted my lucky stars and rejoiced in the fact that I didn't get one single stretch mark whilst I carried her. I gave myself a little high five when my stomach was left unscathed from those dreaded and ghastly looking marks. So when I had my son and I got my first stretch mark at 30 weeks, the fear that my unmarked belly was now starting to get covered in those unsightly marks set in.
And so the regime began. Darcie, every night, would slather my pregnant belly in stretch mark lotion in the hope that this stretch mark wouldn't multiply or at least minimise the risk of my belly resembling something we're all told is an absolutely hideous sight. As my due date grew closer those marks multiplied and grew with the growth of my bump. I tried to put it to the back of my mind and hoped that once my boy was here they wouldn't look quite so awful. When my son was placed into my arms my stretch marks were the last thing on my mind. When I managed to successfully breastfeed from my stretch marked boobs, the marks were the last thing on my mind and when he smiled at me for the first time, again, those "awful" marks were the last thing on my mind. In actual fact at that point I had actually grown to love my stretch marks. Yes, I had grown fond of these little reminders that adorned my body. I remember when I first had a bath after having Henry, I noticed how most of my stretch marks were on one side of my stomach. It was the side that Henry liked to lay on the most. One of the reasons I most likely got stretch marks this time round was probably down to his size, he was two whole pounds heavier than my daughter and I had no issues this time with fluid levels - I had a very healthy pregnancy and these marks were all signs of this. Henry is my last baby and I'm proud of my body that it was able to grow such a beautiful little being. Who cares that I now have a few reminders of this? I should be oh so thankful that these marks adorn my body because I know there are so, so, so many women out there who would want these marks who unfortunately are unable to have children. I will never look in the mirror and wish that they were not there. I'm proud of my "baby marks". Mummy B xoxox