Stretch Marks…Let’s talk about it.
I’ve been sent countless messages asking how I did not get terrible stretch marks. Not going to lie, this is something I have been avoiding writing about because it is such a sensitive subject (which I completely understand why). I’m about to share my raw opinion on this topic and my mentality during my twin pregnancy. I went into my pregnancy from the very beginning knowing the chance of my stomach getting wrecked (skin wise) was very likely. When I found out there were twins in there - at 17 weeks- I legit thought my skin was screwed, to put it nicely. In all seriousness, I did not have a ton of hope for a positive outcome BUT here’s how I looked at it. I knew I would regret not doing everything in my power to prevent stretch marks. I also knew that if I did everything to prevent them, yet still got them, I would at least have the peace of mind knowing I tried. Would I be self-conscious? Of course. However, I wouldn’t have to deal with the thought of “what if I had tried?” I could at least look at myself in the mirror and say “You tried your damn hardest”. Here is what I did every single day: I drank water like a mad woman. I made sure I did not gain weight all at once. Of course, you need to gain weight for your pregnancy and for baby but it’s important to gain weight -gradually- Gradual weight gain reduces the chance of stretch marks over rapid weight gain. I never had the mentality “I’m pregnant with twins, therefore, homegirl is eating for THREE!!!” I truly did not. My caloric intake obviously increased drastically but I did not overdo it. I had cheat meals maybe ten times in that 38-week pregnancy. Some people probably thought I should have had "more fun eating” while pregnant. Let me tell ya, I’m so glad I did not get caught up in that because it made my recovery ten times easier! I chose healthy food over "having fun" so I could have a more enjoyable postpartum fitness journey. I’m LOVING my mom body! I rubbed lotion on my belly at least twice a day! Sometimes MORE! I worked out until the day before I delivered my babies. I swam laps every single day of summer and this drastically helped [...]