After the initial excitement of being pregnant calms down, you may start to wonder when you will start showing your pregnancy. Every woman’s body handles pregnancy differently, and each pregnancy can be different, which can make it difficult to predict. While you may notice a difference in your body before anyone else does, it can still take weeks before you look pregnant to others.
Time Frame
If you are pregnant with your first baby, you may notice small physical changes first. The American Pregnancy Association (APA) reports you may notice things like your hair or nails growing faster at week 10 of your pregnancy. At week 12, your doctor should be able to feel your uterus in your lower abdomen, and you may need to begin wearing maternity clothes to be comfortable with the growing bulge. If this is your second pregnancy, you may show pregnancy signs sooner, due to your uterus starting at a larger size than it did with your first pregnancy.
Size
According to the Pregnancy website, your baby should be an average of 2.13 in. long and weigh .49 oz. While your baby is still small in size, other changes, like the growing level of amniotic fluid, can help create the pregnancy bump. If you don’t show yet, don’t worry. The Women’s Healthcare Topics website reports you may not show your pregnancy until a few weeks into your second trimester.
Features
If this is your first pregnancy, you may feel stressed when you body doesn’t show the pregnancy bump you expect. The Pregnancy Questions and Answers website addresses the physical features that help hide your pregnancy. Until the 12th week of your gestation period, your developing baby “hides” below your abdomen, lower than your hips. In most cases, the womb won’t expand into your abdomen until the end of the first trimester or into the second one.
Considerations
The clothes you wear can also determine whether you look pregnant. The Expectant Mother’s Guide website provides tips on wearing outfits designed to hide your pregnancy. It recommends wearing shirts with gathers strategically placed so the shirts don’t look like traditional maternity styles. Wearing a form-fitting jacket allows you to have extra room around your stomach, which can hide the bump. Depending on your choice of clothes and the way your body carries the baby, you may not show your pregnancy until later in the second trimester.
Expert Insight
One reason you may show pregnancy sooner is being pregnant with multiple babies. According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the first signs of having more than one baby can be a uterus that is larger than it should be for your gestation period.
Photo Credit
- pregnant woman image by Valentin Mosichev from Fotolia.com
