Shhhhh, a Secret: Magic Belly Stretch Mark Cream

Hope you had a restful, memorable and happy Memorial Day! We had such a busy weekend, but the best sort of birthday + holiday combo busy weekend. I love three day weekends. I won’t recap it all here (I’ve thrown a lot of family/personal posts at you lately) but feel free to follow along over on Instagram for more regular updates (birthday cakes and parades and cute pictures of Liv).

I do have a quick post that I wanted to tag on to last Friday’s little maternity snapshot for baby #2. I know that all of us mommas (or future mommas) will deal with this little dilemma in some way or another and I wanted to pass on a secret recipe that my mom has passed on to me for each of my pregnancies: my mom’s very own Magic Belly Stretch Mark Cream.

Not a fun topic. But who likes all of those terrible spider veins and bleached lines? Our skin stretches so darn fast when we are growing a little life that it’s inevitable (even with the magic cream), but if you care for the elasticity of that stretching skin you lesson the chance of any drastic or permanent marks.

I’m happy to say that after Liv my belly went right back to where it started at (even if it was 1 year later…) and no stretch marks remained. But I know we are not all as lucky and I know that this next time might be different (my skin might have a ‘been here done this before’ moment where it decides to ‘stay there’ after all). Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

During the actually pregnancy, I’m terribly prone to all things ugly belly. Namely stretch marks. That’s where these ingredients fit in:

Okay, ready for the secret recipe? It’s not an exact science (it’s more of ‘a little of this, a lot of that’ sort of recipe), but I hovered over my amazing mom until she gave up the goods that are in that sweet little bottle she sends me so that I could share them here with you, and here’s her blend:

Magic Belly Stretch Mark Cream

m
Start with an empty pump container and roughly 16 oz of your favorite non-scented, moisture-rich lotion.

Add the good stuff:
*6 oz aloe vera
*1 oz 100% cocoa butter
*2 oz lanolin
*8 oz 100% glycerin
*1 oz vitamin E oil

Mix well.

When my skin is feeling particularly stretchy – which leads to particularly itchy – I mix with 1% hydrocortisone cream. This concoction help aids sun relief, too (minus the cortisone)! I try to apply twice a day (like when changing into or out of PJs) and start at about 4-5 months into pregnancy. I also use my magic cream well into those post-partum months as everything begins to ‘shrink’ back to size.

Much pregnancy love from me to you.