I’m
Pregnant - When Will I Start to Show?
If you are newly pregnant,
you may be wondering when you will start to show. You may
start to notice changes in your waistline early in your pregnancy,
before anyone would even be able to tell that you were pregnant.
You may feel like you are showing much sooner than you actually
are. Your stomach may look a little bigger early in your pregnancy
but to others you may just look like you have gained a few
pounds. Every woman is different about this but most women
start to show in their second trimester.
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How early can
you start showing?
Some women
start to show very early in their pregnancies. If you have
been pregnant before, your uterus and abdominal muscles may
be more relaxed. Your pregnant belly may seem to “pop
out” right away. At eight weeks your uterus is about
the size of a tennis ball. It is normally the size of a lemon.
This is not a remarkable change in size but it may cause your
clothes to feel a little snugger. During early pregnancy,
you may feel bloated, similar to how you feel right before
your period starts. This bloated feeling, constipation, or
weight gain may result in you feeling like you are showing
sooner than you actually are. You probably won’t be
needing maternity clothes until you are closer to the start
of your second trimester. However, some women start wearing
maternity as early as ten weeks into their pregnancies.
If I
start showing early does this mean anything?
If you
start showing early in your pregnancy, this doesn’t
necessarily mean anything. If this is not your first baby
you may start to show sooner than you did with your previous
pregnancy. It is possible that you
could be pregnant with twins, but it is more
likely related to weak abdominal muscles or bloating in early
pregnancy. If you are measuring bigger than where you should
be measuring, your doctor may order an ultrasound to find
out why.
I am
not showing, is something wrong?
If you
don’t start showing for a while, this is nothing to
worry about. If you are very thin, you may still be wearing
your blue jeans for a while. Some women do not start to show
until they are well into their second trimester or even the
start of their third trimester. If you are overweight at the
start of your pregnancy, you may not gain as much weight during
your pregnancy and may not begin to show until later into
your pregnancy.
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