When Do You Start Showing Pregnancy?

There are many signs of pregnancy, like great skin, lustrous locks of hair and putting on weight. However, the most visible is the protruding belly or the baby bump. It is only after your baby bump starts showing that people around you start knowing you are pregnant. So, when do you start showing pregnancy? Since every woman’s pregnancy development is different and unique, some may start showing their baby bump within the 12th and 16th week of pregnancy, while others may take more time depending on their health and the pregnancy progress. Pregnancy is a euphoric feeling, and it is natural to wonder when your baby bump will start to show or when you can announce your pregnancy with a surprise. 

When Does the Baby Bump Start Showing?

Once you know that you are pregnant, the first thing that you want to know is, “When will I look pregnant?” If you ask your doctor about your baby bump, all he will say is that there is no certainty. The baby bump may be visible early in some people and a little later in others. In some women, it is not clearly visible even when they are well into their second trimester. Ideally, it should start showing after you have crossed your 12th week. According to the NHS, the baby bump does not show until the second trimester (1). The expanding uterus and its growth beyond the pelvic girdle during this time make your belly grow during pregnancy. The amniotic fluid also increases around this time, making your belly look larger. By 20 weeks, the uterus grows to the height of the belly button, making the pregnancy more visible (2).

So, let us understand when you will get a visible baby bump during pregnancy, when you start showing in your first pregnancy, and the factors that influence an early or a late baby bump.

When Do You Start Showing in Your Second Pregnancy?

When do pregnant women start showing in their second pregnancy? If you are pregnant for the second time, you might start to show early (3). It’s quite common to have the baby bump in your first trimester when it’s your second time being pregnant. One of the reasons could be that the previous pregnancy stretches the tummy muscles, which sometimes don’t tone down to their original size, causing the baby bump to show earlier in the subsequent pregnancy.

When Do You Start Showing With Twins or Multiples?

If you are expecting twins or more than two babies, you may start to visibly show before your first trimester is finished (4). To accommodate the room for multiple babies, your uterus needs to expand. Thus, while someone who is expecting a single baby might not begin to show until 3 or 4 months, you could start to show as soon as 6 weeks.

What to Consider If You’re Not Showing Yet?

Understandably, you would want to flaunt your baby bump at a particular period in your pregnancy, and if you’re not showing yet, then you might have some concerns.

Please remember that showing up a little late is totally normal and does not always call for a problem. There are a lot of factors that go into when your baby bump will show, including your uterus position and shape, frame size, and fitness level prior to pregnancy. In such cases, consulting your doctor about the pregnancy’s progress is a wise decision.

Factors That Determine When the Baby Bump Starts Showing

There are many factors that determine when a baby bump starts showing and the pregnancy becomes visible to everyone around. Let’s learn what factors go into determining when expectant mothers start showing (5).

1. Mother’s Age

A mother’s age is one of the biggest factors in determining when she starts to show. The belly starts showing earlier in older women, as the muscular tissues around the abdomen are stronger in younger women.

2. Previous Pregnancies

When you are pregnant for the first time, your belly bump may show up a tad bit later. For your subsequent pregnancies, it may be seen early. The reason is that the fascia (a band made of fibrous tissue) is already stretched during the time of your previous pregnancy. Thus, it will be more elastic during the later pregnancies. Moreover, the uterus also becomes larger, since it has already been stretched during your first pregnancy.

3. Genetic Factors

In case the mother-to-be has a family history of female relatives whose bump showed early or later during pregnancy, she may also follow the same pattern.

4. Mother’s Weight

If the pregnant woman is overweight and has extra flab around her abdomen, her baby bump may be visible weeks later than a mother-to-be who has a normal weight. The belly fat around the abdomen hides the bump. However, it becomes visible around 18 weeks of gestation when the baby starts growing bigger.

5. Multiple Pregnancies

It is obvious for a pregnant woman with twins or more to have everything related to pregnancy earlier than normal. It requires more space in the womb to accommodate multiple babies than a singleton. Therefore, a would-be mother having multiple babies in her womb starts showing a baby bump in the first trimester itself.

6. Mother’s Physique

The physique of a woman is also an influencing factor in determining the time when a baby bump will start getting visible. A woman who is tall and well built will start showing 3-4 weeks after a woman who is short and thin.

7. Uterus Positioning

In women with a retroverted uterus (uterus inclined towards the rear of the hip), a baby bump appears later than in women with a normal uterus. In the same manner, in women with an anteverted uterus (uterus inclined forward), it may appear as early as in the first trimester than in women having a normal uterus.

8. Bloating Due to Gas or Constipation

A gassy stomach (common during pregnancy) may cause the belly to expand, which may sometimes be wrongly interpreted as a baby bump.

9. Wrong Due Date

Are you pregnant for the second time, have crossed the 14^th – 15^th week, and your baby bump is yet to be seen? Check with a healthcare professional if you have been given the correct due date. A wrong due date could result in confusion, as you may think that the baby bump has appeared too early or too late.

10. Unborn Baby size

In most cases, the size of the unborn baby influences whether a baby bump is early or late. In case the unborn baby is small in size, the baby bump may be seen later than usual, and in case of a big-sized baby, it may show up earlier.

11. Water Retention

Some women may experience water retention in the lower belly, along with the hands, legs and face. This may make the belly look big.

12. Clothes

Wearing tight-fitting clothes, especially around the belly area, during pregnancy makes the bump more prominent. On the other hand, the baby bump may not be easily noticed in pregnant women who wear loose-fitting clothes.

FAQs

1. Is there a baby bump of the best size during pregnancy?

No. Every pregnancy is unique, and no two pregnancies are the same. Thus, there is no particular “best” or “normal” size or shape of a baby bump in pregnancy. To determine whether your pregnancy is progressing well, consult your doctor.

2. How does a pregnant belly feel?

When you’re not expecting, your belly often feels soft to the touch, and this is similar in the early weeks of pregnancy as well. However, as your baby continues to grow and you move into the later phases of pregnancy, your bump may feel firmer or more taut.

3. Does an eight-week belly show?

The pregnant belly does not appear by the eighth week as the uterus at this stage is just the size of a lemon (6).

4. What is a ‘B’ belly?

Whether your pregnancy is showing or not doesn’t really matter. Sooner or later, it will. What is more important is to eat healthy, sleep well, relax and avoid stress as much as possible. Giving birth to a healthy baby should be your goal during pregnancy, and everything other than that should be trivial.

References/Resources:

1. NHS – Week 14

2. Johns Hopkins Medicine – The Second Trimester

3. Tommy’s – 17 weeks pregnant: baby’s development, your baby bump and vitamin D

4. Cleveland Clinic – Twin Pregnancy

5. Lamaze International – When Will I Start Showing in Pregnancy?

6. NHS – Week 8

Also Read:

Pregnant Belly Pictures
B Shaped Pregnant Belly
Pregnancy Belly Growth Chart
Pregnant Women Rubbing Belly