At last, a scientific study that takes a stance on whether the much lauded cocoa butter does work. The bottom line is that it doesn’t. I’m glad I didn’t bother with the stuff. I kept scouring different websites looking for evidence that it did work, right before I started showing. I didn’t find any. I found many anecdotal stories of cocoa butter working, but nothing remotely appearing scientific. When the stretch marks did appear at 8th month, I briefly regretted it. But I consoled myself with my conviction that stretch marks is mostly diet and genes. My skinny mother got stretch marks when she got pregnant so I resigned to getting them.

In the linked study, Dr. A. H Nassar and his team prescribed cocoa butter to half of 210 pregnant subjects, and a placebo to the other half. They then studied any resulting stretch marks on the stomach, and other areas. Of the 210 women, 83% completed the study successfully.

The result? 45% of he women who had the cocoa butter treatment developed stretch marks. For the placebo team, 49 percent of women developed stretch marks. The scientists attribute the slight difference to chance, and not to anything inherently preventive in the cocoa butter.

I, for one, am not joyful to report this. Stretch marks are mothers’ proud battle scars, but if it can be prevented, a lot of mothers-to-be, and once-again moms would rejoice!

Do you remember when the world thought the story of a pregnant man was as hoax? It’s official now – there’s a baby, and there’s photographs of her.

Thomas Beatie, the transgender man who became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl on June 29 introduced his daughter to the media on Wednesday. She’s cute, and look at all that hair!

The little girl is named Susan Juliette after Thomas’ mother, and weighed 9lbs 5oz.

She was born after a marathon 40 hour labor. Respect to you, Thomas.

Both baby and dad are doing well. “I weigh two pounds less than I did before I got pregnant,” says Thomas. “And I don’t have a single stretch mark.” This couple are getting no end of abuse from certain groups, and now you can add the stretch mark afflicted and everyone still carrying baby weight to the haters.

Thomas’ wife, Nancy, is breastfeeding their baby, she induced lactation with hormones and physical stimulation with a breast pump, and Thomas is up at every nightly feeding to keep them company.

For some reason, perhaps because my son’s father is so apathetic about caring for his son, I like this story, I’m wishing this loving family well. Even though it took me a whole lot longer than four weeks to loose my baby weight…

I call them ?mommy marks?-they?re the scars which are left behind from the wear and tear our bodies endure from pregnancy. One of the most common of these is stretch marks. Besides pregnancy, these marks can result from other extreme weight fluctuations, from yo-yo dieting, to bodybuilding and even adolescent growth spurts.

Cosmetic and dermatologic surgeon, Dr. Ariel Ostad recommends several options for treating stretch marks:

1. Prescription creams: Retin A Cream (vitamin A), used daily, beginning at the very start of a pregnancy, will keep skin hydrated and moisturized. It will help reduce inflammation and fight the negative effects of hormones in the skin. This doctor-prescribed cream also helps to remodel collagen and elastin in the skin, improving its appearance.
2. Exercise: a healthy exercise routine, combined with breathing exercises and meditation, help balance stress hormones, especially cortisol, which affects the skin?s hormonal balance.
3. Diet: Drink at least 6-8 glasses of non-carbonated water a day to keep skin hydrated and flush out toxins, as well as fresh vegetable juices (no sugar added), leafy greens, lean proteins and omega 3 and 6 oils.
4. Moisturizer: Apply moisturizer to your whole body, twice daily. Be sure it does not contain chemicals and paraffin but does contain alpha-hydroxy and vitamin A.
5. Fraxel Laser Treatments: This laser-treatment is non-invasive and FDA-approved. It is a bit pricey but has yielded excellent results in the removal of stretch marks, melasma (the brown ?mask of pregnancy?), C-section and acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles. The treatment passes below the top layer of skin, reaching the dermis and stimulates the body?s wound-healing response. Two to three treatments, at $500-$1,500 per session, will reverse and remove stretch marks.

Try Dr. Ostad?s skin-boosting juice, in order to maintain laser-treatment results or to simply keep your skin looking radiant. Combine these ingredients in a juicer and blend: 2-3 stalks of celery, 1 head of green-leaf or romaine lettuce, 1 bushel of spinach, 2 large or 3 small cucumbers, ? lemon, and 1 small piece of ginger. Pour into a glass and drink your veggies!