The few family members we'd broken the news to insisted that I looked the same. Even my husband said he barely noticed anything, but part of me thinks he was just being nice.
Even in the second half of the first trimester, most moms-to-be can easily keep their belly and pregnancy under wraps with the right clothes.
By 10 weeks pregnant, my stomach was really starting to stick out, and only a handful of my loosest pants, skirts and shorts still fit. Pregnancy had also made me totally ravenous. At this point, being able to hide my pregnancy came with some perks.
Another thing: We could still sit at a bar with a non-alcoholic drink for me, of course and not get any weird looks. That was nice. There were some downsides too, though, like when I had to fly cross-country and got stuck in the middle seat. I knew I was going to have to pee a lot, but I felt slightly weird asking the person sitting in the aisle to switch seats with me.
I explained to her that I was pregnant, but what if she thought I was making it up just to get a little more legroom? That might have been a bizarre thing to worry about, but it crossed my mind. I look sort of pregnant … depending on what I wear. By week 13, my belly had grown enough to where I looked visibly pregnant … sometimes. After weeks and weeks of trying not to draw attention to my stomach, letting it all hang out felt strange.
It can stimulate your baby, which is especially helpful when you start counting kicks. At each prenatal visit, your practitioner uses a tape measure to check your fundal height — the distance from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus. That number in centimeters roughly equals the number of weeks along you are. Often, measuring big or small during pregnancy could just mean that your due date is off by a few days or a week, or that your baby is sitting high in your uterus.
Your baby gets a whole lot bigger — growing from about 2 pounds at the end of the second trimester to somewhere between 6 and 9 pounds at the end of the during the third trimester. As your little one takes up more and more space in your belly, you might start noticing some not-so-fun changes.
You might feel sharp pains as your round ligaments stretch to accommodate your growing bump. Heartburn could also become an issue, since your expanding uterus is now pushing on your stomach. Always check in with your practitioner about any changes in fetal movement, though.
The good news is that the two of you are almost at the finish line. After all, it took nine months for your uterus, abdominal muscles and skin to stretch to their current size. If it seems like your belly still has a bump-like appearance many months after giving birth and feel soreness around your belly button or lower abdomen, you could have diastasis recti — which can happen when a growing belly causes abdominal muscles to separate and protrude slightly.
Most of the time the problem can be fixed with targeted core exercises. In the meantime, think about all the incredible things your body has done over the last 40 weeks.
And soak up this special time with your adorable newborn! From before you begin to show to the time your baby finally arrives, your belly is growing and changing. And now that you know more about your baby bump, you probably appreciate it more too. So embrace that bump! Also, your ab muscles have already been stretched and overextended, which makes a growing uterus sit more forward in the abdomen and become noticeable sooner.
However, your height, BMI, number of pregnancies and abdominal strength will still come into play. Read more: 6 weird pregnancy symptoms that are actually totally normal What to eat while pregnant: Food guide and cheat sheet.
Being pregnant When will I start showing? Photo: Stocksy United. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. Every woman is different. If you're a first-time mum, you'll probably notice your waist starts to be a bit thicker around 11 weeks, but other people won't see any difference just yet. At about 13 weeks, you may see a small bump.
If you're already a mum, you may start showing sooner. This is because the muscles in your womb uterus and belly may be stretched from your previous pregnancy. In the early days of pregnancy , your womb is the shape of a pear. Over the first 12 weeks, it gradually becomes more rounded, until it is about the size of a grapefruit. This is when your bump may begin to form. This early growth of your bump is only partly caused by your growing baby. Before 11 weeks, your baby is still an embryo.
He doesn't need much room yet!
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