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I didn't notice my stretch marks until after my LO was born! They're barely noticeable now though.

Uh I'm only 23 weeks, have a tiny bump, and have only gained 3lbs, and yet somehow I already have stretch marks!! They are on my hips. Luckily they are flesh colored... but they make me scared for what is going to be happening when I'm full term!!

I'm right there with ya, down to where they are. I'm glad I can't easily see them and DH insists that they aren't that bad. I've felt a little better thinking of them as tiger stripes earned during this pregnancy, as silly as it sounds. I found a picture on Pinterest that gave me that mindset and it makes me feel a *little* less crappy about them.

I like the photographic proof for guilt-tripping teenage baby McK idea!

they will fade... and you know I look at this picture and I feel all better

@Coco Bee: my belly is ridged too but definitely getting smoother than before I am 3months pp. have you tried mederma stretch mark therapy? My belly has defintely improved and I dont even use everyday like I'm supposed to

@Mrsbells: No, I haven't. But I just bought the Arbonne Firming Cream and there were amazing reviews/testimonials that it works amazing for stretch marks and restoring the stomach to original elasticity. I don't have it yet - but I'm excited to try it. There is a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so the consultant told me if I don't love it, even if it's empty, I can return it.
http://www.amazon.com/RE9-Advanced-Firming-Body-Cream/dp/B003DWKZ4S

@Mrsbells: I have to start compiling a list of people I have to tell if it works lol!! I have so many friends who just got pregnant

@Mrs. Sunglasses: that made me cry.

@OP you are going to think I am crazy, but I got stretch marks during my pregnancy, and was devastated at the moment, but now PP they don't bug me at all! I look at my beautiful daughter and I just think "you are so amazing you could have done whatever you wanted to my body and I will still be happy." For me, once I became I mom I became a lot more confident. I feel so fulfilled that my appearance doesn't matter to me as much anymore!

@mrsjazz: I thought of that... but mine actually go up above my belly button

Guys, no one had it worse than me!! I had HUNDREDS all over my belly. Under my belly button you can't find a square millimeter of skin that is smooth. The entire surface of my lower belly is ruined by stretch mark damage. Then the ones above my belly button... they go all the way up to under my boobs, and at their worst they were about 3-4 mm wide, at least a millimeter deep, and DARK DARK REDDISH PURPLE. I went into a pretty bad depression about them after the baby was born because my stomach shrank back down so quickly, I had all this extra skin and the stretch mark damage looked even WORSE when the skin wasn't stretched out across my big belly. I even did hours and hours of research one day and went out and bought bio-oil and a loofah and went into the HOT shower and exfoliated until my entire belly was bright bright RED. That was probably not a great idea.

I have to say, 2.5 years after having my first baby (and just having had my second) all of the stretch marks have faded to white and the ones above my belly are not very noticeable anymore. It just looks like my skin has slight light waves all over it. Below my belly button is still rough but at least the color is pretty uniform. But I still have lots of loose skin. I now understand why moms get tummy tucks! No matter how flat you get your stomach, you will still be flabby if you have extra skin like I do.

I don't even wear bikinis, but I'm so vain and I really went through a lot with these stretch marks. I even got Wagon Sr. to agree to let me have laser treatments to them when i'm in my late 30s if I still feel badly about them, and he is hugely anti-surgery. So if I can get over them, anyone can. It just takes time! And once they fade to white you really can live with them. I promise!!!!!!

@jholler25: creams have shown little to no affect in the vast majority of tests. they can't hurt but it's just a crap shoot i think. i know people whos moms had em and they didnt get em and whos moms didnt and they did. the creams don't hurt so rub em on but in the end i think we are all just gonna have to surrender to our bodies. Now that i am 35 weeks I am well aware that his growth spurt it upon us. If i get them i will post my bare belly too though because i really dont think they are as bad as all that usually.

I don't know if you ladies know about this website already, but it has lots of great, poignant, honest entries and photos submitted by women who feel many different ways about their post-baby bodies.

http://theshapeofamother.com/

@Mrs. Tricycle: Nice!

@MsLipGloss: Thank you! Your post also reminded me of the crap I got from a relative for wanting to use pain meds during birth and her spiel about the "pains of a mother." It would be nice if society taught us to embrace stretch marks, extra flab, and our choices. It would be so much nicer than trying to sucker us into lotions and oils that magically erase imperfections.

@Mrs. Sunglasses: OMG, that made me cry! Argh hormones! Thanks for sharing!

wahh. i just got my first ones too at 33 weeks...i hate to complain about them because i know people have them way worse...but i just keep seeing them stretch and spread...ughhhhhh.....

I was hoping to avoid them entirely since my mother didn't have any, but I started getting stretch-marks around the 37th week mark. I also wish I had pictures of them! I still have them but they're not as noticeable and not so bad to begin with. I had already accepted quite early on that I was going to be sacrificing my body and having to wear one-piece swimsuits for the rest of my life. I love those cute retro one-pieces though, so no biggee!

@cokiezombie: Hehe, she and hubby Lachey look so awkward in that photo that I barely noticed her baby bump

@FutureMrsMcK: I am still so traumatized today. Just wanted to tell you, haha. I placed a massive Amazon order yesterday for Mama mio stretch mark cream and the oil, and I may order some mustela in there too for extra good measure. Traumatized...lol.