Self conscious about baby "bump"

[tb4122]

I'm worried this is going to sound so stupid... I'm hoping I'm not alone!

I'm 17 weeks pregnant with my first baby and people have started commenting that I'm getting a little bump. But to me it doesn't feel like what they can see is really my bump. I'm reasonably slim but before I got pregnant I had a little lower tummy "pouch" and a little bit of belly fat. I can feel that my lower belly is baby and the beginnings of a bump but it feels like my organs and fat that used to sit there have been pushed up by my uterus and are sticking out higher up where it used to be flatter.

I'm not a terribly self conscious person generally but I feel self conscious at the moment being complimented on my baby bump when people are really seeing my chubbiness that I can no longer suck in!

You probably all think I'm mad. I just imagined my bump would feel like it was my uterus and baby... or is my bump really just whatever my belly does now there's a baby in there?

Wow, it's like I wrote this myself! I'm 17 weeks too and I've always had a belly fat/pouch and to me it just feels like that so I feel self conscious about it. Yet people say it's a bump and it always makes me feel self conscious because it doesn't feel like it is?! I've also had people touch my belly without asking which makes it even worse! I don't feel comfortable in any of my clothes anymore, I thought I'd feel differently about it at this stage!

Pregnant for the 2nd time and agree with you

what people think of is my bump is currently uterus, bloat, fat and organs

but alas by about 20 weeks that does change into a all round hard bump as the uterus and baby get larger

Same here - my biggest bit of the bump is just where all my organs etc have been pushed up into!

Try not to feel self conscious though - it’s all due to the baby.

It’s there because of the baby growing - so it is the start of your bump. It’s normal for this to be part of baby bumps - don’t worry about it. Though it’s weirdly intrusive to have people suddenly commenting on your waistline!

I am pregnant with number 2 and I felt like this last time and this time around too! It's awkward. I also compared myself to others when it came to bump size etc. The truth is, part of your bump IS organs and belly fat that's been moved around - a bump isn't just baby. Body changes are hard to embrace in pregnancy as they're so rapid I find, so I think it's normal to feel like this.

The part of pregnancy I hate is the public nature of it, where suddenly it becomes OK to comment on a woman’s body and ask intrusive questions: was it planned? Do you know the sex? How far along are you? Have you got a scan pic? Yes, let me tell you all about my sex life, contraception and medical history. Gah.

But try to think of all your bump as bump: the fat and organs wouldn’t be sitting up where they are unless the baby was pushing them there, so you can legitimately claim it all as baby bump. I’m claiming my 12-week bloat and crisp addiction as bump

Thanks everyone, I'm glad it's not just me. I was so convinced that I wouldn't care about body changes but it turns out I do! As pp said, I think it's that it's suddenly acceptable for people to comment on my body in a way they wouldn't have before. Luckily nobody has tried to touch the bump without permission yet (I'm not quite sure how I'll handle that if it happens, the thought fills me with horror!).

I also could have written this entire thing myself, even down to the week (I'm 17+5). Just like you I had a fairly flat torso with a little bit of a plumpy lower belly - not massive. For weeks I've felt like I'm all just gut sticking out. When I lie flat on my back everything goes flat apart from what is my little proper baby bump. When I stand up I just look like I've piled on weight.
Most of my trousers, etc are too tight so I'm mostly wearing leggings with t-shirts because of the heat, so I feel like I'm also flaunting what just look like a belly after someone ate too many cakes.
Hang in there, I'm sure it will only be a couple of weeks before that becomes an obvious baby bump - that's what I'm hoping for anyway!

Regarding someone touching your bump without your permission treat it the exact same as if you weren't pregnant. How dare they do that? My ds is thirty years old and still remember slapping away a strangers hand and telling them loudly to not touch me, I was standing on a crowded bus when without any conversation this woman put her hand on my bump and said 'not long left now'? I was shocked and reacted the same as when a sleeze copped a feel of my ass in similar circumstances.