Dressing to disguise a pregnancy?!

[ViolaCrayola]

I am only about 6 weeks but already look about 5 months.
I blame mega bloating, a pre-existing tummy (and inability to hold it in anymore), second child weak muscles etc etc...

I would really prefer not to tell people at work until 12 weeks - how do I hide this bump? Any tips greatly appreciated :)

Spanx? Or would that be bad for the baby?

Good idea although I hate the feeling of having anything tight around my tummy at the moment... I suppose people will probably just think I ate way too much over Christmas. It's just that it's a kind of pregnant belly shape IYSWIM.

Well fitted clothes are far more forgoing than floaty so shirt/ jeans (size bigger?) over anything jersey empire!
Also talk about new year must hit gym

What kind of dress code do you have? The biggest giveaway for me that someone is pregnant is when they dramatically change their wardrobe, so whatever you do, don't alter your style. I got to 24 weeks with my third with noone even noticing The bloating is the worst bit ime, but was easily disguised with scarves, and in this cold weather noone will bat an eyelid if you wear one all day tbh.

I shuffled around like a granny with a blanket round me for 5 months. I guess you could only get away with that technique in certain working environments though!

at nancerama. That sounds hilarious, if you don't mind me saying.
Our dress code is very relaxed, but I think that might raise a few eyebrows!

The problem is, fuckityfuckfuckfuck (great name!) and sleepdodger, that my style is mostly empire line/floaty/hourglass type dresses, which, when combined with a preggie looking belly, scream PREGNANT. I have been offered a seat on the tube whilst wearing one after a large meal
However, I do also have a mean line of scarves, which I guess I'll be sweltering in for a couple of a months...

In my defence, it was last winter, it was bloody cold, there was snow, and my desk is right by the air conditioning which was unaware of the arctic conditions and was pumping out icy air all over me. I did look bizarre though!

At the risk of sounding horrible...

If you think you already look pregnant when you're not, people who know you may think you're still not pregnant, and that you just "look" pregnant all the time!

So far my tactic is scarves from the likes of Primark, nice and big that when tied round my neck hang down past my bellybutton :) Am 15w and hopefully still hiding it (my bump is also much more obvious 2nd time round!)

Waterfall cardis are doing it for me right now.

Avoid wearing an ID badge around your neck. I found it started bouncing off my stomach and swinging around :) No idea if anyone else noticed, but I felt very self conscious.

Agree that a change in style would be the give away. Unless you can tie it in with a new hair-do & make-up and claim you've had a make-over?!

Oversized fleece kept mine secret till 18/19 weeks. I had already been wearing it though. Sit in a cold reception area and it was work branded one.

I found the aprons I have to wear at work hid bump very well, but that is perhaps because they already hung of a considerably ample bust...either way, quite a few of my regular customers didn't even notice I was pg until I told them the week before I was going on mat. leave...
...and it might look even odder if you start turning up everywhere in an apron...

People mostly won't say anything. It will look much more obvious to you than anyone else.

My manager asked why I was leaving when I was 36 weeks!?

Congratulations

A chunky cardigan worked v well first time round with someone I worked with. She got to 20 weeks i think, with no-one appearing to notice. However, when she suddenly started wearing it again about 2 years later a few eyebrows were quietly raised(correctly, as it turned out!).

Tell them you ate too much turkey!

I have a M&S black high waist line work dress so it's quite loose around the waist. Think I'll be wearing that dress quite alot in the coming weeks! I got that dress a year or so ago so not sure if it's still available, but that's really good - comfy and machine washable!

Scarves and boxy jackets. Bear in mind some of us get rumbled on increased norkage rather than stomach, so if your boobs are growing do cover them. Certainly the last girl at work to be rumbled was rumbled on the basis of her tits doubling in size overnight!

Thanks all. Am wearing a droopy scarf and vaguely fitted dress with cardigan today and think I have managed to look fat, not pregnant. Great!

Out of interest, what do you all think is the longest that a pregnancy could be successfully disguised with clever dressing?