Approaching 12 weeks and my clothes don’t fit

[SRK16]

I’m 11+5 and my clothes have steadily been getting tighter because I’m so ridiculously bloated. I have IBS and struggle at the best of times but this is something else. Anything that I can fit into is so tight across my stomach that I look very obviously pregnant. I feel embarrassed to look so big this early on, and also don’t want anyone to guess or notice until after I’m ready to tell people, which seems impossible.

How on earth do I hide this over the next week? And do others feel bad about showing so early? Everything I read seems to suggest I shouldn’t show until 16 weeks + and it’s making me feel really shit about myself. I thought maybe I gained tons of weight but it’s only 3lbs!

I have an event this afternoon and I feel so shit and like if people don’t think I’m pregnant they’re just going to be commenting how fat I look :(

I bought some maternity jeans but they’re ironically too big right now.

Anyone?

I was showing quite early too. I wore baggier t shirts - because of your ibs could you say you're so bloated you need to if anybody was to comment? Or it's still slightly sweater weather so could you wear big jumpers?
Coats were a godsend too, I just wore my coat constantly and if I took it off sat so my stomach was less obvious such as up straight or if at a desk so it was under the desk.

Scarves are useful.

I thought it was really obvious as I’m naturally quite slim and felt massive but it’s only the last few weeks I’ve had various colleagues coming up to me and saying “are you?” or “congratulations, I had no idea, you kept that quiet”. And I’m quite big now at 26 weeks.

I think people generally pay less attention than you think they do!

I showed early too. From nine weeks I was struggling to do up jeans and trousers. Thankfully I was on holiday weeks 10.5-12 so out of sight of work colleagues until after the scan after which I announced the pregnancy! I was freaking out about it being twins as the bump was so big but it was just one!

Cunningly arranged scarves, waterfall cardis etc are good for hiding it for a bit longer, plus leggings/tunics if you can get away with that at work. Plus it's obviously no one else's business anyway until you do tell them! Also, what may seem glaringly obvious to you probably won't be to others

Good luck!

Don't feel bad about yourself! I was he same. Showed from 10 weeks. I bought maternity leggings and wore tunics and scarves and managed to conceal it. I was huge and still think I'm too big for 21/22 weeks, but I've decided to just embrace it and enjoy it! Since 12 weeks I've let it all hang out 😂

Thanks all. I feel like everyone I know hasn’t shown for months. I’m quite self conscious about my stomach/weight anyway so think this is feeding into it massively.

Feel like scarves and cardis won’t hide it as dresses are so tight. I’ve found one baggy dress which may just about work, and one top. Feel jumpers are making me look even wider 😢

I bought clothes two sizes bigger until I grew into my maternity jeans. I couldn’t wear any of my old trousers after 10 weeks. Don’t worry, I doubt anyone else would notice. It’s much more obvious to yourself.

I’ve worn same maternity jeans throughout, you don’t need to buy a bigger size they grow with you so to speak I bought cheap on eBay and got some other bits from ASOS & gap (gap have 40% off at the moment)
Looser dresses are good in the beginning I found x

I really wouldn’t worry about this. I’m on my 3rd baby and started showing early and was in maternity jeans from 8 weeks. However at work I kept well covered with scarves, gypsy and baggy tops etc and didn’t tell anyone until 20 weeks. No one suspected.

I totally relate to this. I’m only 7+4 and my clothes are already so tight and I feel so uncomfortable. My tummy properly sticks out already (partly because I’m also only a year PP). I just feel horrible, partly because there’s a really unpleasant woman at work who has made comments about my weight and I just can’t face any more comments/judgmental looks, and partly because I don’t want people knowing I’m pregnant for at least another few months . I just find it hard when other women hardly gain anything, or get near little bumps, then I turn into a blimp straight away .

I think it def makes a difference what clothes you wear.

I'm a size 6 and as soon as I started bloating early on, it was pretty obvious I was pregnant.

I'm now 21 and have a pretty big bump. I've had to wear maternity leggings etc. If I wear a zip up hoodie which I practically live in (and aren't doing even baggy ones) I don't actually look pregnant at all!! Different clothing styles can work wonders.

Layers are your friends. Loose fitting shirt with a work suitable cardi all in darker colours with trousers with an elastcated waist. If you can get away with it for office work tunic tops and leggings work a treat too. I hid until 13 weeks in a black tunic style top, leggings and smart shoes

I’m 12+1 with baby number two and have been in under the bump maternity jeans since week 8 because of the bloating. (Fortunately I can wear smart jeans to work). I’ve been trying to wear my baggiest work tops too but it’s getting harder to hide! (Attached is a photo comparing me at 16 weeks with number 1 (on the left) and 12 weeks with number two! 😳 although it’s slight, it can’t really be confused with normal weight gain 😂😂). Scan tomorrow, so can’t wait to be able to announce (3 colleagues know already but the rest of the team don’t) and not have to worry about it!

Don’t hesitate to get into the maternity trousers. They really are so comfy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it earlier!!

Yeah I've been in maternity jeans since 9 weeks thanks to bloating. If you go for under the bump jeans they tend to be thicker/have more rigid panels in front than the over the bump type, which can help hide things a bit more. That plus a couple of cheap tops from Primark in a size bigger than normal saw me through those in between weeks!

I bought under-bump trousers at something like 7 weeks because I couldn’t stand any pressure on my abdomen. They were a godsend, but not so great at staying up! I bought braces to combat the problem, which I wore underneath my tops.

I also bought some convertible (both under- and over-bump) yoga pants from Mothercare, which were, and still are, amazing. They have always stayed up, which is a blessing!

When hiding things, I’ve mostly tried to use a baggy top. I was called out at about 8 weeks, by somebody asking if I’d put on weight. Having felt somewhat rough for a bit, and massively reduced my food intake, I replied that I’d actually lost weight. The next time I saw them I was approaching 20 weeks, and quite clearly pregnant. I just kept my fleece on, and tied it around my waist when it was too hot to wear properly. Nothing was said...

Good luck! I hope that the horrendous bloating feeling eases for you soon - it’s the worst

I definitely found 11/12 weeks the worst from a bloating perspective and then it could better before more of a bump developed. I'm now 18+4 and people generally can't tell (two people have told me that this morning already). One thing I found is that maternity trousers made my bump look a lot bigger whereas normal jeans/trousers (albeit in a bigger size and preferably with a lot of stretch!) made me look smaller.

I am 12+2 and showing too. My SIL said my waist, boobs and bum are visibly bigger. I don't want anyone at work knowing but wondering how to hide it now