Bump... or should I say lack of it?

[SheWillBeLoved]

Where is it? I'm 21 weeks now, and whilst I'm in no rush to turn into a waddling duck, I'm starting to feel like some kind of fraud

My belly has hardened, and yes.. grown a little bit. A bump is there to feel, but nothing is really visible. I'm still in my pre-pregnancy jeans, some days I have to stick a bobble on them to make them more comfy, other days I can zip them right up.

It's my first, I know this can have some bearing on how soon I show. I just can't imagine that from now until July, my belly will swell to the size that other women's seem to go to!

Baby is fine and growing well, feeling movements when I'm not busy etc. I just want some visible evidence that I am pregnant, I'm sick of looking like a mad woman loitering around Mothercare testing prams/looking at clothes for my imaginary child!

How soon/late did everyone else show with their first?

I didn't show until about 2 weeks before I had DD and she was 11 days late. I wouldn't worry about it as long as baby still feels active.

I know what you mean though about looking pg. When I was pg with DS, I was huge by 21 weeks and hated it so I have experience in both.

Just enjoy it ! I still wore my usual clothes up to about week 22-24 with first pregnancy , this time round at 17/40 still in most of my usual stuff looking a bit fatter and definitely more saggy without clothes!!

I'm just so impatient This pregnancy has been far too easy, I swear if it wasn't for scans showing differently I'd deny being pregnant at all right now!

At six months I was still wearing my pre-preg jeans. never got really big or obvious and left hospital in my pre preg trousers - don't knock it!

Oh I'm not knocking it all Blackduck quite enjoying seeing peoples faces when they ask how far gone I am, and expect me to say a couple of months. It's also making work a lot easier, very hands on job and if things continue like this - I won't have to leave so soon. There are more pro's than con's, but I'd still like a place to rest my cup

Enjoy your lack of bump for the timebeing Shewillbeloved! I was exactly the same. I would tell people that I would be going on maternity leave in 2 months and they'd look at me astounded! Then about 6 weeks ago (about 25 weeks) I started to obviously grow! Now am very proud of my bump and happy to be looking pregnant, but some days I feel so full of baby that I wonder how big I'm going to get!! Enjoy being able to put your shoes and socks on easily for as long as it lasts!

I'm 22 weeks and have been in full on maternity trousers since January, after a particularly disgusting episode of vomiting which ripped all my tummy muscles and out it all popped.

I swear I look about 7 months pregnant, and am very cross reading in my pregnancy book "you may not yet look visibly pregnant to people who don't know".

We are clearly at opposite ends of what's possible at 5 months, but I bet we look the same by 9!

verityclinch at ripping tummy muscles - can than happen!?

Well, I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to - it wasn't from morning sickness, though, I had some kind of vomiting bug, was throwing up every 45 minutes, couldn't even keep water down, ended up in hospital on a drip.

SO I don't think it's normal at all, but the bump appeared from nowhere the next day! Guess there was just nothing holding it in any more.

blimy! The wondrous human body eh

Hiya, I know what you mean - I think I've only really started showing in the last 3 or 4 weeks and I'm now 28 weeks. I could tell, but I think it's only become obvious to everyone else recently. That's partly cos I'm tall and quite big anyway, I think! Now I'm wondering how much bigger I'll get though! I'm getting a bit concerned about how I'll manage moving about etc! x

Hi,

I am glad to know that I am not the only one feeling like a fraud! I am 21 weeks and going for my scan on Wednesday I am expecting them to say that I should be there for a dating scan as I have no real visible bump at the moment. I am still in own clothes although they are beginning to get tight occasionally around the middle. I think it is maybe because normally my waist is a size smaller than the rest of me whereas now it is the same as my hips (clothes size that is not just enormous!) So now most of my proper clothes fit properly. I work in a school and as yet the children and the parents have no idea I will be leaving in June, and to be honest the longer I keep it quiet from them the better, after all the children would expect me to take the baby in next week as they can't understand long lengths of time yet! (Infants you understand!)

I even bought a heart monitor from Argos I was so paranoid that I had no baby - mad I know even though I have had a 12 week scan. It is keeping me sane I listen every couple of days and hubby has also heard the heartbeat and is thrilled. So roll on the bump I am only doing this once and I want to at least have someone other than the MIL to coo over me!

I have been in this position until about 25 weeks and got thoroughly fed up of people saying to me the baby can't be due in May - even now one or two eyebrows go up as bump is not big enough for their liking!

As everyone says if baby is growing ok that is the most important thing.

I'm 23 weeks and my bump has suddenly popped out and now gets commented on all the time for being big. Last week everyone kept saying you're not very big are you! It's all a matter of opinion and perception. A friend of mine is 20 weeks and there is no way you would know she was pregnant - we had quite a laugh about it at toddlers.

Before I'm jumped on I meant she and I laughed together about the difference not that I was laughing at her

Just though I would through in that I was exactly the same- 25 weeks today, went to 20 weeks scan from work still wearing all my 'normal' clothes, and was kind of getting a bit fed up of people telling me 'you don't even look pregnant', and then one week people started tell me what a belly I've got and 'haven't you popped out'. Why do people think they can make personal comments about your body just because you are pregnant!! It is a bit annoying! I dont want to walk in to a room at work and have someone say to me what a huge belly I have got! I don't know if is it because I wasn't showing much and now I am but still- dont think people would say that to someone who wasn't pregnant!! Anyway, rant over... you will soon show. Its all down to how strong your stomach muscles are and hence the reason why you show more in 2nd/ 3rd etc pregnancies. But at some stage your stomach muscles just won't be able to hold that baby in anymore!!