Having a baby is a wonderful experience. Your skin glows. You plan showers and decorate nurseries. You take pregnancy classes and listen to all your friends’s mommy-to-be tips. However, having a baby is also a new experience. Your body undergoes so many transformations. Your skin may become oilier or drier. You may get acne. You may have skin discoloration. You may itch all over…and, you may get stretch marks. While I do not have solutions for all your potential skin care woes, I do have tried and true steps to prevent stretch marks from popping up during your pregnancy. If you follow these steps, once your bundle of joy is born, you won’t have to worry about stretch marks.

Step # 1 to Beat Pregnancy Stretch Marks
1. Eat Foods that Will Maintain Your Skin Moisture and Elasticity. Foods high in vitamins A, E and C are great fighters of stretch marks. Vitamin A, E, and C act as a scar reducers and skin firmers. In fact, Vitamin A reduces skin inflammation so much, that it is the active ingredient in a chemical product used to treat stretch marks, Retin-A. Skip out on the negative side effects and potential birth defects of Retin-A and other synthetic stretch mark products, yet get all the benefits of Vitamin A in your foods.. Vitamin A, E, and C can be found in many foods, including grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, avocados, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, and beans. Don’t worry about adding them as daily supplements, especially Vitamin A. More than 20,000 IU of Vitamin A can be toxic.
2. Add a zinc, rosehip seed oil, and essential fatty acid supplement to your day. Zinc is a wonderful mineral for the skin. Although it can be found in many foods, like whole grains, peppers, and leafy greens, a zinc supplement will do your skin and baby well. Rosehip Seed Oil is also a wonderful supplement, clinically proven to reduce stretch marks. Applied topically and taken internally, it will keep your skin in tip top shape and ward off stretch marks. It also supports the formation of collagen, as do essential fatty acids like Fish Oil.

Step # 2 to Prevent Pregnancy Stretch Marks
1. Pamper Your Skin to Fight Stretch Marks and Keep Your Skin’s Elasticity. You need to moisturize your skin with the best nutrients to fight stretch marks. The best product, which is all natural and won’t harm your skin, your health, or your baby, is Beauty 4 Ashes ® Triple Action Body Oil and Triple Action Belly Oil. Beauty 4 Ashes ® products are especially unique because they don’t go skimpy on the ingredients. For example, Beauty 4 Ashes Triple Action Belly Oil contains rosehip seed oil, grape seed oil, emu oil, and wheat germ oil---just to name a few powerful stretch mark eliminators. I usually recommend these oils alone to fight stretch marks, but because Beauty 4 Ashes ® combines them all in one great product, they pack a powerful blow to stretch marks. You can find Beauty 4 Ashes ® stretch mark products online and even on Ebay. Now, you may be wondering why I didn’t recommend a cream? Creams are okay; but in reality, creams are unable to penetrate below the epidermis and moisturize the dermis, the critical layer that needs moisture to fight stretch marks. Thus, I recommend oils. But, this doesn’t mean that a cream will not work for you.

Step #3 to Reduce Pregnancy Stretch Marks
1) Stay as Active as Possible During Your Pregnancy to Combat Stretch Marks. Yes, your body is going to change; but, that doesn’t mean that you need to bask in a pool of sorrow or despair.
2) Get that body moving with light aerobics and resistance training.
3) Take a 15-30 minute stroll daily. This will not only help you have a smoother delivery and keep water circulating throughout your body at the correct levels, but will also allow your skin tissues to receive more nutrients, stay hydrated, and maintain their firmness and tautness. As a result, you will reduce your chances to have stretch marks.

Tip: Always consult your doctor or a medical professional before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.