IN THIS POST
When do Stretch Marks Appear During Pregnancy
The Different Types of Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
How to Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
How I Reduced Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
My Daily Routine to Minimize Pregnancy Stretch Marks
Before and After Photos of My Pregnancy Stretch Marks Routine
Tips to Minimize Pregnancy Stretch Marks
Do pregnancy stretch marks go away
When I found out I was pregnant, I was over the moon. Truly. But underneath all that joy lived a quieter, more complicated feeling, a real and honest fear about what was about to happen to my body. And before anyone floods the comments with, “But you’re growing a human!” or “Your body is doing something amazing!”. Which I know, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel nervous about your body changing. Both things can exist.
You should be able to still mourn and have every right to feel nervous. You are transitioning into a new woman, and that is a profound, physical, visible thing. Nobody gets to make you feel vain for caring about it. For me, it felt like stepping into a new version of myself while also quietly saying goodbye to my old body. And that’s a weird feeling no one really talks about.
When do Stretch Marks Appear During Pregnancy?
For most women, stretch marks tend to show up toward the end of the second trimester into the early third, so around that 6 to 7 month mark, roughly 24 to 30 weeks.
Which, unfortunately for me, was right on schedule.
For months, I thought I had somehow escaped them. I kept checking constantly, like my stomach was a stock market I needed live updates on. Every morning: nothing. Every night: still nothing. Then one day toward the end of my second trimester, I looked down and there they were.
Not dramatically. Not all at once. But enough where I had that very specific internal moment of:
Ah. So we’ve arrived.
And honestly, pregnancy has a way of humbling you like that. One minute you’re feeling cute in your maternity leggings, the next you’re Googling “is my belly supposed to itch this much?” at midnight while aggressively moisturizing like your life depends on it.
But stretch marks can show up differently for everyone. A lot depends on how quickly your body grows, hormones, genetics, and skin elasticity.
What it does not mean is trying to slow your body down to avoid them.
Your baby’s growth is the assignment, and no stretch mark is worth trying to negotiate with a growing human over.
The Different Types of Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
I didn’t even realize this until I went down a late-night Google rabbit hole, but there are actually different types of stretch marks. Which, honestly, made me feel slightly better, because it explained why they don’t all look the same, and some looked like my skin had given up trying to cooperate altogether. Here’s what I found:
- Striae rubrae – these are the red or purplish ones. They’re usually the first to appear and are still in that early stage
- Striae albae – these are the white or silvery ones that develop over time as the marks fade
- Striae nigra – darker stretch marks, more common in deeper skin tones
- Striae caerulea – bluish-toned stretch marks (I didn’t personally experience these, but they do happen)
- Striae distensae – more of a general term for stretch marks caused by the skin stretching
- Striae atrophicans – these are thinner, slightly indented marks where the skin looks more “sunken”
For me, I had the pleasure of having a mix of striae rubrae and striae atrophicans. Because apparently pregnancy likes a variety pack.
How to Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
I’m just going to say this the way I wish someone had said it to me:
No, you can’t fully prevent stretch marks. I know. Not exactly what anyone wants to hear, especially after you’ve spent way too much time Googling things like how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy or what’s the best stretch mark cream during pregnancy. Because it feels like there should be something.
Like, if you just find the right oil or the right routine, you can somehow outsmart it. But a lot of it comes down to things you don’t control: hormones, genetics, skin elasticity, and how quickly your baby grows.
All of it is working behind the scenes, whether you like it or not.
But, I wasn’t ready to completely surrender to that either. I might not be able to control the outcome, but I could at least control how I took care of myself through it.
How I Reduced Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
So if I couldn’t fully prevent them… the next question became: okay, then how do you reduce stretch marks during pregnancy? And somehow that turned into me standing in my bathroom, layering products like I was building a skincare routine… for my stomach. Which, honestly, is exactly what it became.
I was also really careful about what I was using. Not just because I was pregnant, but because suddenly I was reading every label like my life depended on it.
Parabens? No.
Phthalates? Also no.
Strong fragrance? Absolutely not, my nausea had opinions.
My Daily Routine to Minimize Pregnancy Stretch Marks
- Beekman’s 1802 Body Lotion
First, I went in with Beekman’s body lotion. This was my “base layer.” It was gentle, hydrating, and most importantly, the scents didn’t make me feel sick. Which, at that point, was already a win. And if you’re wondering which scents I actually like (because pregnancy nose is very particular), I shared my favorite Beekman’s 1802 scents in another post. - Osea Body Oil
Then I added Osea body oil. And this is kind of funny, but I actually remembered reading a review from someone who loved this oil during pregnancy… before I was even pregnant. Like, somehow my brain stored that away for later, just in case. Turns out, past me knew what she was doing. - L’Occitane Shea Butter
Then, because apparently I wasn’t done, I sealed everything in with L’Occitane shea butter. Because in my mind, if I was going to do this, I was going to commit.
And I did this in the morning and right after I showered, every single day.
Was it a little extra? Probably. Did I care? Not even slightly. Because at that point, it wasn’t just about trying to reduce stretch marks during pregnancy… it was also about feeling like I was taking care of myself in the middle of all these changes.
Before and After Photos of My Pregnancy Stretch Marks Routine
When I compared the photos side by side, I could actually see a difference. The marks looked softer and my skin overall just looked healthier and more hydrated.
Tips to Minimize Pregnancy Stretch Marks
There were a few things I picked up along the way, some from research, some from experience, and some from friends who had already been through it. Nothing groundbreaking. Just the little things that, together, made a difference.
Avoid Scratching
I say this knowing how hard it is, try not to scratch. The itching can be unreal. At one point, it reminded me of a Friends episode where Phoebe gets chicken pox and keeps saying, “no scratching!” while clearly losing that battle. That was me. There were moments where I genuinely considered taping oven mitts to my hands just to stop myself.
But scratching only made it worse. Your skin is already stretched so thin, and it just aggravates everything. If anything, it made me more aware of the stretch marks when I did give in.
Avoid Hot Showers
They feel amazing, especially when everything aches, and you just want a moment to yourself. But, hot showers dry out your skin so much. And dry, stretched skin just isn’t a good combination. I noticed my skin felt tighter and more uncomfortable after really hot showers, so I started keeping the temperature a little more reasonable (not fun, but helpful).
Coconut Oil
I feel like this is the one everyone recommends as the best oil for pregnancy stretch marks. A close friend of mine swore by it. Like, would not stop talking about how well it worked for her. So of course I tried it.
And… it just didn’t work for me. It made my skin even itchier, it stained my clothes, and I later found out that even organic coconut oil can sometimes have trace phthalates depending on how it’s processed or packaged. That said, if it works for you, amazing! I would just look for one in glass packaging and be a little mindful of sourcing.
Start Moisturizing Early
And one thing I wish I had done sooner was start moisturizing early, even if you don’t see any marks. I didn’t really start until the beginning of my second trimester, and looking back… I wish I had started way earlier. Because once your skin actually starts stretching, it already feels like you’re trying to catch up. If I could go back, I would’ve started the routine as soon as I found out I was pregnant, not waiting until I felt like I “needed” it.
Don’t Stop Moisturizing After
And don’t stop moisturizing after you give birth, either. I know once the baby is here, your focus shifts completely, and suddenly you move way down the priority list. But continuing to moisturize and take care of your skin afterward really does help while everything settles and adjusts postpartum.
Plus, after spending months turning yourself into a human buttered croissant every morning and night, it almost feels wrong to suddenly stop.
Do Pregnancy Stretch Marks Go Away?
The honest answer is… kind of. They don’t completely disappear, at least not for most people. But they do change. The angry red and purple stage softens. The color fades. They become less noticeable over time. Less “LOOK AT ME” and more something your eyes slowly stop focusing on every time you look in the mirror.
And honestly? That helped me mentally more than anything. Because in the beginning, everything feels so permanent.
Like your body changed overnight and you’re never getting any version of yourself back. But postpartum taught me something I wasn’t really expecting: your body keeps changing after pregnancy too.
Postpartum Thoughts I Wish More Women Talked About
I think one of the strangest parts of pregnancy and postpartum is how quickly people expect you to just… accept every change without complicated feelings attached to it.
Like the second you become a mom, you’re suddenly not supposed to care about yourself anymore.
And I just don’t think that’s true.
You’re allowed to love your baby more than anything in the world and still have moments where you miss your old body. You’re allowed to look at stretch marks and feel emotional about them. You’re allowed to mourn parts of yourself while still being incredibly grateful for what your body did.
None of that makes you shallow. It makes you human.
And over time, I started looking at my stretch marks a little differently. Not necessarily as something I loved overnight, because I think there’s a lot of pressure online to immediately turn every insecurity into empowerment.
But more as proof that my body stretched and changed to make room for someone I already couldn’t imagine life without. And that made it easier to be gentler with myself.
Even on the hard days.
Sources
de Bellefonds, C. (2025, October 8). *Are pregnancy stretch marks making an appearance? Here’s why and what you can do.* What to Expect. https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/stretch-marks.aspx
Mead, A. (n.d.). *Types of stretch marks during pregnancy: Causes & treatments.* Mustela. https://www.mustelausa.com/blogs/mustela-mag/types-of-stretch-marks
Qazi, N. (2024, May 23). *Different types of stretch marks and how to treat them.* Qazi Cosmetic Center. https://qaziclinic.com/resources/types-of-stretch-marks/
