Stretching Reality

Friday, June 25, 2010

I didn't get stretch marks til the very, very end of my first pregnancy. I was so surprised to see them cause the nurses in the clinic kept complimenting me for not having them. Well, this time around I'm starting and finishing the journey with them. 
It may seem silly but the first thought I had when I saw that population of stretch marks on my belly was 'I will never be able to wear a two piece again!' I had accomplished that dream when I was in Florida for a summer internship. I was in shape so I gave the two piece thing a try. I'm glad I have pictures to prove I was once able to do it. Oh, I also got a mean tan. Yes, Black people like me can tan. I prefer the beach to a booth tough. 
At this point you are probably thinking: 'stretch marks don't matter, what matters is the healthy baby' and I know all that to be true. The fact is, if you have them, chances are you don't love them. I asked my doctor about stretch mark creams and he told me 'those creams do not work.' True enough. I still kept using them just because my skin was extra dry in the winter. The stretch mark deal doesn't bother me so much that I'd spend thousands of dollars in treatment. 
Putting things in perspective, the healthy baby is the most important thing about  pregnancy, not the fact that I can have a photo with my children next to me on the beach and the girls are all wearing bikinis. Some things in life are inevitable and stretch marks during pregnancy are it for me. I'm glad I have a husband who loves me for who I am. I am glad my children can care less about the marks I carry in my body. They love me for me. 
I am starting to think that instead of depressing symbols of what I can't do, they should be badges I wear with pride. I paid the price to carry new life into the world and there is nothing wrong with looking normal. There's an extra person I am growing inside of me so I dare not look the same. Good for you, you NEVER get to see them :)
I commit to look in the mirror and think: someone special has been formed in your womb and your whole body stretched to accommodate new life, new hopes, possibilities and dreams. 
• How many of us want the good stuff in life but refuse to go through the stretching process that will bring out the new?
Simone Furtado Gray said...

So, true... I just didn't know what to think about the stretching... it's so undesirable, but necessary. I enjoyed this post. It makes me remember that you can't get there without going through the process, and the marks left might just be a reminder of what it takes to receive the blessing/reward. Even in other areas in my life, I need to remember that it takes stretching to get to the good rewards.

Kelsey @ Seattle Smith's said...

It's amazing what women can do!