Q&A: When do you start showing and looking pregnant?

by Beth M. Iovinelli, RN, BSN, IBCLC

I'm curious to know when I'll begin to look pregnant and be able to start wearing maternity clothes. Do women "pop" around the same time?

Early in your pregnancy, you may feel pregnant but look far from it. Many women feel as though they are in a perpetually bloated state, but there is no rounding of the belly to show for it!

How soon you begin to "show" is as varied and individual as women are. Just when you do pop depends on several factors:

  • Your abdominal muscles (how toned are you?)
  • Whether or not this is your first pregnancy (once you've had a baby, you will show much earlier with subsequent pregnancies)
  • Your pre-pregnant size (if you are thin, chances are you will show earlier than if you are overweight)
During the third or fourth month of pregnancy seems to be the time most women begin to show their pregnancies. Although you may not quite be ready for maternity clothes, you will be ready to move into drawstring or elastic-band pants. Some women don't really begin to show until well into their fifth month. Try to be patient; you'll be showing soon enough!

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