Avoiding the dreaded stretch marks

We all dread them…. and yet we are told there is nothing we can do about it. It’s genetic. You either get them or you don’t. Though I don’t completely disagree with this statement, I do think there are things you can do to prevent stretch marks. Maybe some people’s skin is miraculously more stretchy than yours but if you are genetically screwed to getting stretch marks there are still options for you.

Stretch marks are something we generally accept as a given during pregnancy. You’re either Elastic Girl or not. If you are lucky enough to have elastic skin you won’t get stretch marks right? Wrong. Of course there is something you can do about stretch marks… that is if you can possibly change the elasticity of your skin. So how can we do it?

I have taken a lot of this information from the e-book “Bump to Birth“. This is a perfect resource for mothers that are looking for more natural cures for all your pregnancy dreads…including stretch marks.

1. Gelatin

1.Gelatin (like this or this) is a great way to prevent stretch marks. Collagen formation is essential in improving your skins elasticity. In order to increase your skins collagen formation you can eat gelatin to get more collagen through your diet. Another name for collagen…you guessed it Gelatin. Today our diets are severely lacking in gelatin. So how would one go about getting more gelatin in their diet.

2. HYDRATE

3.Coconut oil can easily be applied topically. It is best to apply right after a shower to keep the moisture in. I also loved a mixture of coconut oil and beeswax. The mixture helped to keep the coconut oil in place until it is absorbed into the skin.

4. Vitamin C
The body uses Vitamin C to form collagen and cartilage. Vitamin C is also highly effective in reducing free radical damage. Free radicals consume collagen and elastin. It is best to get Vitamin C from a natural food source instead of a supplement. Foods high in vitamin C include red and green bell peppers, guava, kale, parsley greens, turnips, and broccoli. You can also make your own vitamin C.

5. Oil Treatments
Beneficial oils include: Olive oil, Vitamin E oil, Essential oils, and castor oil.

6. Stretch Mark Serum
Here is a DIY Stretch mark cream from the healthy honeys.

7. Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter
Shea butter and cocoa butter are two of the best emollients out there. They are exceptional at keeping the skin moist and hydrated.

Hi Mommies & Daddies!

So this tired mama just got back from a long yet relaxing Spring Break which will be my excuse for my blogging absence.

I just want to inform EVERYONE that after a long 21 weeks, tomorrow is the day that I find out the sex of my baby! Patience is one thing that I have definitely begun to learn throughout the course of my pregnancy. These 4 weeks between appointments are dreadful because I always like to know how my little one is progressing in my growing womb.

I have learned that patience is the key to anything in life really. We are always so anxious for what happens next that we must learn to slow down and take life day by day.

I couldn’t imagine a day where I’m blissfully and peacefully relaxing on my wooden white porch in my country side mansion with my 3 children, a husband and a dog running through the tall grass. Of course that is just hypothetical but my life is always so on-the-go that I barely ever just relax and really just take in life. It could be such a wonderful thing if everyone was in relaxation mode without any bills or other problems to worry about.

When we are younger, we talk about what we want to be when we grow up like a doctor or a dinosaur in hopes that we will SOON become this older version of ourselves. When we are in elementary school, we constantly talk about high school, getting a boyfriend/girlfriend, or when our boobs are going to come in. Then, when we finally get to high school, we find jobs, talk about marriage, college and what we are going to do with our lives- and this is all before we turn 18 years old! All of those wants and excitements in life are what makes it go by so fast. We often forget what it’s like to slow down and take in who we are and how far we’ve become today. I believe that is the most important part. We don’t give ourselves enough credit or look at how much shit we’ve been through until you actually sit down for 10 minutes and just think.

MindBodyGreen has some inside tips on how to have more patience in life. Click here.

People always tell me that I need to slow down my life and enjoy the time I have being a 22-year-old but I often catch myself excited for what comes next. I will be a 22-year-old mom but I will also be a 22-year-old college graduate, 2 time captain for the varsity soccer team, employed, and soon to have my Master’s degree so I think I’m doing pretty good. People doubted me and still do but I have faith in myself and the abilities I have in life to be successful at whatever I set my mind to, and you should too!

Check back Wednesday for my Gender Reveal!!!!

Human Nature

It’s been a habit of mine to react to every single thing that has come my way, whether it was something that was said or done. Sort of like a defence mechanism- protecting myself from everything and anything.

I didn’t want to seem like too much or too little of something so I felt like I always had to prove something to people and even myself to ensure that I was still at the top. But I have quickly learned that’s not always the case.

“Every situation doesn’t always need a reaction” so I’ve been told.

That has been something that’s been constantly on my mind during the time I’ve been pregnant because I’ve been trying to transform my younger high school/college brain into things that I want my child to grow up learning. Your child is a mirror image of who you are and what you believe in and that is something that I firmly believe in. They look up to you, grow from you, and feed off your thoughts and energy.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ve had to respond to everything that has come my way because that’s what comes with going to a small school and being pregnant. Everyone always has something to say.

The father of my child is still trying to find his way through this too, so we often argue about the little things that make up the whole process and of course, me having mommy-brain already, I feel ahead of that game.

It’s been a constant struggle between what I want to come out of this and what is the right thing to do during this time. Back to my quote about every situation doesn’t always need a reaction- every time there’s an argument, I have taken my thoughts and places them in a peaceful and calmer place, realizing that eventually, everything will work itself out to what it’s supposed to be.

Taking the time to clear your thoughts and frustrations is something that as a mom, you are going to have to learn to do. Like I said, I’ve come to realize that no matter how good of a person you are or what you’ve been through, people will always judge you and have something to say to or about you so take your life into your own hands and save the energy from a reaction. Your kids are going to love you because you are their protector and you are going to love them because they are a blessing and that’s all that’s going to matter.

Take a walk.
Write.
Breath.
Do stretches.
Take a nap.

Tell me things that you do to redirect your thoughts!

Happy Spring break, mommies & daddies.

Shoot For Goal

“You’re still playing soccer at 19 weeks? You’re crazy.”

You have no idea how many times a day I hear that sentence. But yes, I am still playing soccer at 19 weeks pregnant and I feel great, minus my current back injury which COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYONE. Obviously I’ve been taking precaution and not doing contact anymore, but being pregnant hasn’t stopped me from doing what I love. I’m happy with my body and my life, why would I want to give that up? Hell, my child is already learning the basics by fast-feet and kicking drills (inside the womb of course).

Let me tell you something. If you were active before you got pregnant, you sure as hell can be active while you are pregnant. KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

I had an opportunity to go to a combine in Dallas, Texas on January 4th but that goal has been currently put on the back burner. I truly believe in the statement “everything happens for a reason”, so I know that God had another plan in mind (even though the guy knows how much soccer means to me). That was the first thing I thought about when I found out I was pregnant was damn, I can’t go to that combine. So, incase you’re wondering, I’m still trying to get to that level and I know it’s achievable. Anything is. If Britney Spears can get through 2007, you my friend, can get through anything.

Goals are something that everyone should have whether you are pregnant or not. My main belief is the goal-setting process so that you have to have motivation to get your ass out of bed everyday and go for what you really want. Goal setting is difficult when you aren’t sure where to start so click here for Personal Goal setting by Mind Tools to find out more.

For myself, I have a journal that I write in once in awhile whenever I get an epiphany that way I can always go back whenever I’m feeling a little off course and look at the bigger picture. For example, my little nugget that is due in July. Yeah, that wasn’t in the playbook, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still become a professional soccer player, or get my masters, or be a Sports Psychologist for the Chicago Bears. Anything is achievable if you work hard enough and there are many people to prove that theory.

So get out of bed, have a cup of joe, and get to work!