16+3 weeks pregnant and not showing yet - very anxious!

[L0ngg0ne]

Ok, I know I've been a bit of a worrywart during this pregnancy, but I can't seem to shake this niggling concern. I'm 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant and still not "showing". This is my first pregnancy, and I am a slim size 8/10 (UK size), 24-year-old woman. I can feel the pressure of the baby very low, and perhaps even see a little raised area down there but it's very low! I've been seeing a tonne of pictures on Instagram of women who aren't even as far into their pregnancies as I am (13 weeks, 14 weeks etc), and their bumps are huge compared to mine - up to their belly buttons! Some of these women are slim and first-time-pregnant, like myself!

I know I'm probably overthinking this, but I'm even concerned that the baby had stopped growing, too. I felt a change from 15 weeks to 16 weeks - noticed a little more pressure in the pelvic area from the baby, and began to see this 'raised' area - but this week, nothing seems to have changed. In the midst of all this worrying, I completely forgot about my 16 week antenatal appointment today and have been rescheduled for Jan 9th, which is AFTER my 20 week anomaly scan!

I guess I'm just looking for a little reassurance...

Title wrong - I'm 16+5 weeks, not 16+3 weeks!

I was just gone 6 months with my first before I started showing, and like you an 8/10

And started just before 6 months with my second!

The belly pops out of nowhere, don't worry!

Congratulations & goodluck with pregnancy

I'm the same size as you and at the same stage, I could just about see a tiny bump on myself after a massive meal (only noticeable to me!). I didn't properly start showing until after 22 weeks and kept my pregnancy hidden from colleagues until 21 weeks.

You have nothing to worry about

Hello sunafro and congratulations on your pregnancy. I'm 26 weeks and had very similar feeling to you at 16 weeks. I expected a bump a lot earlier but mine didn't show up until at least 20 weeks and couldn't really be seen by others until a few weeks after that. Those middle weeks between the 12 and 20 week scan are really difficult because you start to feel better after the first trimester and have a bump or movements to reassure you there is actually a baby in there. It's tough but just hang in a couple more weeks and it will all start to change.

*no bump or movements

I was in normal jeans until 18 weeks and probably didn’t properly show until 20+ weeks. I was 8/10 pre pregnancy and I never had a massive bump but baby was normal weight

Didn’t announce my pregnancy until 20 weeks and had colleagues who were surprised when I told them at 25 +weeks because I wasn’t really “showing”. Similar to you size 8/10, I could see bump lower down but with clothes was well hidden!
Totally normal to worry. I did. A lot!
Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy.

Thank you for all your reassurance and wishes - I definitely feel more at ease hearing your stories! It's not really spoken about that some women don't "show" until quite late, or that some women generally carry small. The only images and representations of pregnancy that we see are women with huge bumps! It can definitely lead to worry and anxiety. It's nice to know that there are women out there sharing my experience. Best of luck with the remainder of your pregnancies, those of you who are pregnant x