When Do You Start Showing in Pregnancy?

One of the first questions that pregnant people have is in regards to when they’ll start showing.  After getting that positive pregnancy test people quickly want to learn more about when to expect a baby bump.  It could be that someone is excited and can’t wait to share the news with the world, or that they’re feeling nervous and want to know how much time they will have until people might start to notice.  

When Do You Start Showing in Pregnancy?

Every pregnancy starts to show differently; a pregnant belly starts to show at a variety of different times for each individual person.  It’s possible that you could start showing in your first trimester, but more often pregnant people start to show in their second trimester.  If it’s your first pregnancy, you’ll likely start to have a baby bump around 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy and if you’ve been pregnant before, you’ll likely start to have a baby bump even earlier than that.  

If you are showing before 12 weeks of pregnancy or if you aren’t showing by 16 weeks of pregnancy, this can still be normal.  If you are showing early it’s possible that your uterus is tilted forward and therefore it’s visible earlier, and if you’re showing late it’s possible that your uterus is retroverted, or tilted backwards.  Other factors that determine when someone will start to develop a baby bump are their weight, their height, their body type, degree of muscle tone, and the baby’s position. It’s also possible to confuse a baby bump with gas or bloating and if this is the case it may seem as if the growth of the belly is coming and going.  

Baby Bump Factors

Weight, height, and body type: Body types are all unique and therefore so are the ways in which people start to show in their pregnancies.  For example, someone might show earlier if they have shorter torso, are more petite and have somewhat lax muscle tone. Each body is unique in its build and each person will have their own timeline in regards to when they start to have a visible baby bump.

Muscle tone:  If someone has a moderate to high amount of lean muscle tone then they will likely show on the later side.  If someone has a lower amount of muscle mass, particularly in their abdomen, then their uterus may show on the earlier side.  As the uterus grows, strong abdominal muscles keep it hidden for a longer time period than lax abdominal muscles do.

First or subsequent pregnancy: If someone is pregnant with their first baby then their uterus will be growing for the first time and this means that it will likely take longer to start to show than in someone who has been pregnant before.  Once someone has been pregnant the uterus has retained muscle memory from when it had grown before and it pops more quickly to show a baby bump.  

Gas and bloating:  Bloat in pregnancy is caused by the slowing down of the digestive system.  This causes fluid retention and increased gas leading to a larger belly.  The slowing down of digestion is a perfect and healthy design to help ensure that the baby gets all of the nutrients they need from the food that their parent eats but the unfortunate side effect is that the pregnant person may have a high amount of bloating compared to what they’re used to and this can cause discomfort along with a larger belly.

Incorrect dating: If someone notes having a baby bump before they are 12 weeks pregnant then it’s possible that their estimated due date is incorrect.  This can happen in people who were not planning to become pregnant, people with irregular cycles, or people who were not tracking their cycles at the time of conception.  In this situation, the pregnant person can request a dating ultrasound to confirm their estimated due date if they feel unsure or concerned that they’re showing before they expected to.

Pregnant with multiples:  If someone is pregnant with more than one baby they will likely start to show in their pregnancy early on in their first trimester.  This symptom is not reliable in indicating whether or not someone is pregnant with twins, but it’s a possible cause.

Maternity Pants and Pregnancy Shirts

Once someone has grown to have a baby bump wearing their regular clothing will likely start to become uncomfortable.  Thank goodness for maternity pants and pregnancy shirts! Maternity pants are great to start wearing once buttoning those old jeans is no longer possible or starts to feel restrictive.  Maternity pants are designed with an elastic band that goes around the belly and the waistline allowing for the baby bump to grow while still allowing for someone to wear regular pants. Maternity shirts are also designed to fit a growing baby bump at each stage throughout pregnancy.  Maternity pants and maternity shirts can help pregnant people to look and feel their best while also being comfortable and having the room to breathe in their own clothing.

When Do You Start Showing in Pregnancy: Answered 

It depends!  Most pregnant people will start to have a visible baby bump between 12 and 16 weeks of pregnancy.  Take our childbirth education course on what to expect in pregnancy to learn more. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us or you can schedule a consultation here!