Dealing With Stretch Marks; Acknowledging the Body After Pregnancy

Amanda Shapin Michelson, a contributor to "The Every Mom," says that by the time her daughter arrives, she feels like her stomach has been ruined and is never the same before having a child. She began hating her body due to stretch marks and never appreciated them.

Michelson said that although she admires other women showing off their stretch marks and loose skin during a beach trip posted on their Instagram, she feels insecure about her body due to her skin being stretched up.

According to Mayo Clinic, stretch marks are lines or types of scars that appear commonly in pregnant women's abdomen, breasts, hips, and other parts of the body. This usually happens during the last trimester.

Whitney Catalano, a registered dietitian nutritionist and host of the popular podcast "Trust Your Body Project," states that many are obsessed with shaming people who lose and gain weight and are being humiliated for having stretch marks, especially on social media. Thus, those people, specifically moms with stretch marks, get shy when someone points out their scars.

Catalano says people usually decline to have a conversation about stretchmark as it is shameful for them, but she emphasizes that having a stretch mark is natural and not good or bad. She explained that stretch marks happen for different reasons, can also happen to anyone, and is not something that people need to read into.

"You don't owe anyone an explanation for what your body looks like," per Health.

Moms gaining confidence with stretch marks

According to Protege Beauty, moms with stretch marks should treat such as a trace of success as it tells their stories during their pregnancy journey. Moreover, being able to bear and give birth to a child is a story everyone would love to hear, as many have the same experience. Mothers are the ones who take all the suffering during pregnancy; thus, they must be celebrated as they take a child inside them and take care of it for almost a year.

Stretch marks are common, and approximately 90 percent of people have them. Americans, on the other hand, have an estimation of 80 percent.

According to Popsugar, you must talk louder than your stretch marks and focus on things you need to hear that are beneficial for your physical and mental health. Confidence starts from within, so mothers must start reminding themselves that they don't need any validation and that what only matters is their opinion of their body. Also, remind yourself that these scars have a meaningful story.

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Overcoming the negative body image after having a baby

According to Lancaster General Health, women must stop body checking as it has become a habit without them noticing. It is a practice of constantly checking their reflection when they pass a mirror or even a window and checking their belly every time they're in the bathroom. Body checking makes them feel negative about their body and that there's something wrong with them even if there's none.

According to All About Women, if a woman decides to remove her stretch marks, she can have nourishing creams, maintain a well-balanced diet, and have regular exercise to prevent stretch marks from appearing.

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