Anxiety about not looking pregnant - worried something is wrong

[pinklemonade18]

Hi All. I’m currently 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant with our first child. I’m finding myself feeling increasingly anxious about not really looking pregnant. It’s made worse by people regularly telling me words to this effect “oh you don’t look pregnant”, “I look more pregnant than you and I’m not!” Etc.

For context, I’m 27 and I was quite slim at the point at which we conceived, as we have not long got married so I had been trying to look my best for the wedding! I’ve also had friends who are more petite than I am tell me how they showed early.

I know when you google it, it says it’s normal. But I’m really working myself up thinking there must be something wrong. Every day and week I hope I’m going to look more pregnant but it’s just not happening 😞 I just want to feel more reassured that everything is progressing as normal, but I’m lacking any physical signs that my pregnancy is progressing. Has anyone else experienced this? Advice/ reassurance would be very much appreciated.

Thank you xxx

This is me after 20 weeks scan with my second.
Everyone is different, but many will only start showing after 20-25 weeks.
You'll probably start feeling kicks soon for a physical sign :)

I'm 37 weeks into my second pregnancy... and I didn't really start showing until 21/22 weeks! Don't stress!!! Xxxx

I was 6 months pregnant with my first and you couldn't tell. I remember being really upset at work when someone asked if everything was OK as I had such a small bump! I had an 8 pound baby and all was just fine!

Please try not to worry. I am 28 weeks and only feel over the last 1-2 weeks it's become clear. Before I looked more just like I'd put on.a bit of weight whereas now it's more obvious I'm pregnant. Are you tall? I think if you are baby has more space than if you're quite short.

I didn't find out I was pregnant until I was 5 months with Dd2.
After 5 months I still hardly looked pregnant.

I'm tall and slim. Absolutely no bump until 20 weeks (although some terrible bloating).

Now 35 weeks and very bumpy haha

Yep, this was similar to me at 20.weeks. At 16 weeks I didn't look pregnant, and even at 20 weeks it was more like a food baby! But after that halfway point I definitely saw a week to week difference!

Someone I went to school with didn’t even realise she was pregnant until 33 weeks! She’s slim, did a lot of dance/gymnastics at school and is still physically fit…. I assumed in terms of her lack of bump it could be because she has strong abs.

This is really normal, especially with your first. I was a healthy weight when I conceived dc1 but certainly not particularly slender or fit/toned and I didn't 'pop' until about 25 weeks. At my 20 week scan I didn't even have a bump and yet there was a perfect little baby wriggling around in there! By dc3 I was flipping enormous at the 20 week scan so make the most of it

I didn't 'pop' until 22 weeks! It literally happened overnight 🤣

I only started showing a tiny but at about 15 weeks and it just looked like bloat. I am 18+5 weeks now and do have a small bump but still think if you didn't 'know' then I just look bloated! I only know it's a bump because it's firm in the evening and I'm not gaining weight, just gaining belly 😂

We haven’t realised that our neighbour was pregnant until she went on maternity leave at 34 weeks. I was chubby but lost some weight at the very beginning due to morning sickness so showed nothing at all at 17 weeks and wore my usual clothes until about 30 weeks.
Have you had a scan already OP ? It’s the main indication of how things are, not your waist size.

I didn't really look pregnant unt about 25 weeks.

I remember when I was 16 weeks pregnant a group of us went into our office to sort out some things (this was during first lockdown just starting to be eased, etc) so my colleagues hadn't seen me since before I got pregnant properly in person, and I did not look pregnant at all at that point. I was still wearing my normal jeans and tops, etc.

It is different for everyone, and personally I've always thought 16 weeks is still quite early on when you consider that babies grow to an 'average' of 7/8lbs by the time they're born. Try not to compare to others and ignore the comments - I know, very hard as they tend to come thick and fast when people find out you're expecting. Enjoy the journey 😊

I was 27 weeks in my last pregnancy before I showed
18 weeks in the second
20 weeks in my first

Normal but I hear you and it's awkward with people commenting "you're so slim" "I look more pregnant then you!" Etc etc

My first pregnancy i didn’t have a tiny bump until 18 weeks, and didn’t look pregnant to anyone else until about 22-23 weeks I think it was and that was only people I knew.

Same here, I went to my 20 week scan in my regular skinny jeans!

That’s pretty standard with a first pregnancy. I still had a flat stomach at around 18 weeks with my first - but I did have very good abs back then (not anymore unfortunately 😂) I think most ‘bumps’ pre 15 weeks with a first baby are mostly bloat and water retention…
People say it’s awkward to not have a bump - I found it much more awkward with my second when I did have a ‘bump’ at around 13 weeks because I guess your muscles relax earlier. My uterus was definitely still tucked under my pubic bone but people (MIL) would say ‘oh look at your bump!’ She’d say it over and over and it got to the point where I got fed up (angry hormones I guess) and I said she needed to stop basically calling me fat, it’s not my uterus I am literally bloated and constipated to the nines and don’t need you pointing it out all the time 😅

My bump didn't even start to show til I was at least 22 weeks I think it was, possibly even later! By 22 weeks I'd only gained 2lbs.

Was also slim before my first dc and didn't look at al pregnant untill 22 weeks or so. I recall going to my 20 week scan and lying prone on the table and at that point I noticed a slight bulge sticking up as I was lied so flat, untill then I'd not noticed anything! I didn't get a big bump all the way through but you could see I was pregnant, just looked less pregnant than I was.

When I was 32 weeks I didn’t look pg with #1. I’m tall and in loose clothing I just looked like I’d gained some chub but not pregnant. He was fine.

I wouldn't worry, Midwife will do all the necessary checks etc. I didn't look very pregnant until I was 30 weeks! Some days I would, others not then around 30 weeks I was huge all of a sudden. People feel the need to comment know your size :-/

Didn't pop until 22-23 weeks. Wore my regular jeans with the button undone the whole way through (low rise back then). 8lb baby.

With my first, I fitted into all my clothing until 37 weeks where I went up one size in my trousers. I was slim and it just didn’t show but with my second I was the size of a whale and at 15 weeks people were asking if I was having twins, I’d obviously put on a lot of weight after my first. I wouldn’t worry about it but can understand how you feel, with the first you’re desperate to see that baby bump and feel pregnant.

I’m 15 weeks tomorrow and just look like l have been eating a little too much! It’s twins as well but my first pregnancy. I do feel like a bit of a fraud at times but my morning sickness is still very real!

This is me at 17 weeks. I was so fed up for people saying similar comments to me. I had a small neat bump all the way to the end in two pregnancies and had healthy weight babies (6.11 and 8.14!)