Patient's question:
I am nearly six months pregnant. I would like to know if I can use a portable music player for fetal education. I want to put the portable music player in my ears and listen to music often. I am wondering if wearing a portable music player will affect the baby. How many hours at a minimum should I listen?I am also worried about getting ugly stretch marks on my stomach, so I apply a vitamin E-containing essence to my stomach every two days. It is oil-based, colorless, and has a very faint scent. I don’t know if it will have any adverse effects on fetal development. Additionally, I still apply a moisturizing cream and eye cream every morning. I’m not sure if this will affect the baby. I really want to know. Thank you!
Doctor's answer:
Hello, based on the current description of the situation, it is recommended to use a personal audio player for fetal education.Eighty percent of pregnant women, starting from the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, may develop some faint red, line-like, streaky spots on their lower abdomen, buttocks, chest, and the inner and outer sides of their thighs. We call these stretch marks. These skin streaks are not only unattractive, but the biggest problem is that if stretch marks appear and then attempts are made to treat them, it is too late, and they become lifelong marks.
Causes of Stretch Marks
The correct name for these streaks is "line-like cutaneous atrophy." It occurs when the collagen fibers in the dermis of the skin atrophy or break due to certain reasons, resulting in red, line-like patterns under the blood vessels. As the fetus develops inside the pregnant woman, the skin tissue loses elasticity due to the rupture of elastic fibers, leaving behind stretch marks. If a pregnant woman's weight and body shape continue to increase, the spread of stretch marks will also become more extensive.
Prevention
Understanding the reasons for the appearance of stretch marks, pregnant women should know that the most important method to prevent these streaks is to control their weight, as excessive body fat inevitably tears the skin tissue, leading to stretch marks. However, pregnant women may feel anxious—since a bulging abdomen is inevitable, how can stretch marks be prevented on the lower abdomen?
Solutions
1. After bathing every day, apply high-quality, moisturizing skin oil (preferably olive oil) to keep the skin elastic, reduce the risk of tissue tearing, and perform gentle massage to promote metabolism.
2. Use commercially available stretch mark prevention creams or gels. However, these products are best used during pregnancy.