Honestly, how many weeks does this belly look?

[Odonata]

If you saw this belly on a pregnant woman, how many weeks would you assume she was?  Honestly.

[MrsDarcy]

16?

[Odonata]

OK, so it's alright to be this size before 20 weeks? Even if it's not baby? Is this normal?

[andthentherewere10]

I looked the way when I was about 20 wks.

[andthentherewere10]

Everyone's body adapts differently. I was bigger at 8 weeks from bloat than I was at 12 weeks - really!

[Odonata]

So none of that belly is baby. Heshe is way below my navel still. This is all gas that will not leave and I can't fit into anything. Should I bring this up to my Dr when I go on Friday?

Or is this amount of bloat - so much that people think you're 6 months - normal for some people?

I just hit 13 weeks today and it's upsetting me. I never thought I would be so upset over my belly while pregnant. And it hurts!

[MrsDarcy]

Apr 11, 2014 16:05:15 GMT -5 Odonata said:

OK, so it's alright to be this size before 20 weeks? Even if it's not baby? Is this normal?

Of course! Your uterus is expanding and pushing "stuff" out of place, you're possibly bloated, etc.

[MrsDarcy]

Apr 11, 2014 16:07:57 GMT -5 Odonata said:

So none of that belly is baby. Heshe is way below my navel still. This is all gas that will not leave and I can't fit into anything. Should I bring this up to my Dr when I go on Friday?

Or is this amount of bloat - so much that people think you're 6 months - normal for some people?

I just hit 13 weeks today and it's upsetting me. I never thought I would be so upset over my belly while pregnant. And it hurts!

Call your md on Monday. Maybe they can suggest something for the gas.

[Odonata]

Apr 11, 2014 16:08:22 GMT -5 MrsDarcy said:

Apr 11, 2014 16:05:15 GMT -5 Odonata said:

OK, so it's alright to be this size before 20 weeks? Even if it's not baby? Is this normal?

Of course! Your uterus is expanding and pushing "stuff" out of place, you're possibly bloated, etc.

At my NT scan Monday the tech said she was having a hard time seeing anything b/c I had so much gas.  It is truly all bloat. 

Would you consider this "showing"?  I'm tired of hearing "Oh!  I can't believe you're showing so early!"  Am I?  
I honestly don't want to leave my house and want to cry about it.  
And I don't understand why I'm so upset about it (hormones?) but if it were baby under that belly I wouldn't care.  

Now I'm afraid to eat anything that will cause gas because the pressure is so intense.  I'm not sure if I should ask my Dr. about it.  I'm starting to obsess about my diet.  

[Odonata]

Apr 11, 2014 16:09:09 GMT -5 MrsDarcy said:

Apr 11, 2014 16:07:57 GMT -5 Odonata said:

So none of that belly is baby. Heshe is way below my navel still. This is all gas that will not leave and I can't fit into anything. Should I bring this up to my Dr when I go on Friday?

Or is this amount of bloat - so much that people think you're 6 months - normal for some people?

I just hit 13 weeks today and it's upsetting me. I never thought I would be so upset over my belly while pregnant. And it hurts!

Call your md on Monday. Maybe they can suggest something for the gas.

I was told gas X or beno and have been using a variation of both.  Nothing has changed.  I'm worried something is wrong.

[mrssandro]

Currently I am suffering from double belly. Like my guts are getting pushed up leaving a gap between where the baby is and a indention of my belly button. It's just your body rearranging. Don't worry about it. At least yours looks cute compared to my double belly.

[Odonata]

Apr 11, 2014 16:14:38 GMT -5 mrssandro said:

Currently I am suffering from double belly. Like my guts are getting pushed up leaving a gap between there the baby is and a indention of my belly button. It's just your body rearranging. Don't worry about it. At least yours looks cute compared to my double belly.

lol, so I should pass it off as a 20-week baby bump, hu? lol

Oh man, I'm seriously hyperventilating over here b/c I saw myself in the mirror as I was changing my shirt from work.  

I'm afraid where all of this is going to go when the baby does eventually move up into that area!  I might POP!

This is how I feel:
Normal?

[mrssandro]

You look cute..I wouldn't over think it.

Your pg and all. Your belly is going to grow and grow and grow. I have heard that skinny people just show earlier.

[thatgirl2478]

Ok - so it's technically guts, but the baby is pushing them up so I vote call it baby and be done with it .

Plus, that's what I looked like around 16/18 weeks and I wasn't even remotely skinny...

AND now that this is my 2nd, I'm starting to look like that and I'm only 13 ish weeks...

[MrsDarcy]

Apr 11, 2014 16:12:09 GMT -5 Odonata said:

Apr 11, 2014 16:08:22 GMT -5 MrsDarcy said:

Of course! Your uterus is expanding and pushing "stuff" out of place, you're possibly bloated, etc.

At my NT scan Monday the tech said she was having a hard time seeing anything b/c I had so much gas.  It is truly all bloat. 

Would you consider this "showing"?  I'm tired of hearing "Oh!  I can't believe you're showing so early!"  Am I?  
I honestly don't want to leave my house and want to cry about it.  
And I don't understand why I'm so upset about it (hormones?) but if it were baby under that belly I wouldn't care.  

Now I'm afraid to eat anything that will cause gas because the pressure is so intense.  I'm not sure if I should ask my Dr. about it.  I'm starting to obsess about my diet.  

. If someone says something about your belly, like "I can't believe you're showing!" just say, "yes, we're excited!" Or something, that way you don't feel like you're acknowledging that you feel like you're showing, and you don't have to explain the gas. You're pregnant. You're belly is expanding. Hugs.

[speckledfrog]

I was also going to say about 16. Listen, people show differently. Your body is going to do what it's going to do. I know it's a bit of a mind fuck. I had a harder time coming to grips with this my second time around for some reason, but there is nothing you can do to except for accepting that this is the way you are going to look at this point in time.

Does it help to know that lots of women would love to look like you, all belly and definitely pregnant looking instead of just bigger/fatter? Prepare yourself for a boatload of, "You are so cute" comments because I can tell you that they are coming!

ETA:  As for why it's upsetting to you, I'm guessing it's because you are equating this with non-pregnancy related issues.  This is what you body looks like when it's pregnant and it's a-okay.  There is nothing to feel badly or ashamed or whatever about.  Meet the comments about showing with, "I know, right?!"

[MrsDarcy]

Apr 11, 2014 16:13:20 GMT -5 Odonata said:

Apr 11, 2014 16:09:09 GMT -5 MrsDarcy said:

Call your md on Monday. Maybe they can suggest something for the gas.

I was told gas X or beno and have been using a variation of both.  Nothing has changed.  I'm worried something is wrong.

I'd call if those are not working. Perhaps they can prescribe something that can help you. Call today or this weekend, I'm sure they can call something in. You shouldn't be in this much pain.

[Blue Moon]

I would guess around 14 or so. I looked like that around that time. I like looking pregnant though. At least it's obvious that I'm growing a baby and not a beer belly!

[loira]

Yeah, I would have guessed around 14 because that's how I looked then.

[ringstrue]

Um I know one girl who didn't show at all at 5 months!! Meanwhile I look full term and I'm 19 weeks tomorrow. :/

[IndiaInk]

I was going to say 13-16 weeks. I know that I was really self-conscious about people saying I was "showing" at first, because I'm naturally thin. I wanted to keep protesting that it was bloat and the baby was still teeny. It took a while for me to finally admit that I actually had a real belly once I did. My mom and DH said to each other, "she really does have a belly now, but don't tell her anyone said so!". I was so defensive! Don't worry too much - everyone does start to have a belly around 13 weeks and before you know it it will be undeniably a baby belly. Plus, you really look great! Seriously!

[FastHands]

If you are in discomfort/pain, definitely discuss it with your Dr.

But 99% of what you are discussing here, and with a picture, is about how you look or what others might say about how you look. It sounds like this may be a manifestation of some body issues. I'm sure when you are used to being that small, the changes of pregnancy might be hard to take in stride, but I think you are over-reacting. And if it is literally bringing you to tears and making you not want to leave the house, you may want to consider talking to a professional about how to handle the changes your body is just starting to undergo.

I think you are well within the normal range for 13 weeks. Everyone shows differently (and yes, I'd say you were showing, but f'real, where else is it going to go when you're that small??). You seem so caught up on "it's not baby," but what does it matter? Even if it were 99% bloat, it's still *because* of baby. Your body is changing because you are pregnant. It's what's supposed to happen. And you know you are having some issues with gas/bloat, so maybe it's happening a little sooner for you. So what?

As for what to say if people mention that you are showing, you can be brutally honest and say "man, I know, it's still early, but I'm so bloated 100% of the time!" or just say like PPs said "it's starting to feel real now that things are changing! I'm really excited."

[rbp]

People as tiny as you will show earlier. My belly fat kind of absorbed my bump until ~18 weeks. You look great!

[rbp]

Apr 11, 2014 16:07:57 GMT -5 Odonata said:

So none of that belly is baby. Heshe is way below my navel still. This is all gas that will not leave and I can't fit into anything. Should I bring this up to my Dr when I go on Friday?

Or is this amount of bloat - so much that people think you're 6 months - normal for some people?

I just hit 13 weeks today and it's upsetting me. I never thought I would be so upset over my belly while pregnant. And it hurts!

Anyone who thinks you are six months pregnant has never seen an actual pregnant woman.

I know the comments are hurtful, and I would be hurt too. But you have to believe me that these people are clueless and/or assholes. This is not reality.

[FastHands]

Apr 11, 2014 17:09:36 GMT -5 RexManningDay said:

I think that's pretty much how I look at 14. You keep saying it's not baby and I mean, no, it's not technically baby body, but the uterus is bigger than a cantaloupe now! Everything else that used to be there has to go somewhere. I think you look great.

Here, this is how I looked a few days ago:

No pic! I wanna seeee!

[Odonata]

Thanks for talking me down. I guess I'm getting upset b/c I've heard a ton of these "OMG I can't believe you are this way right now" from other women who were just pregnant. It makes me feel like something is wrong with me and I shouldn't be this big so soon.

I guess I needed a larger pool of people to talk to about this and hearing that this is a normal way to look right now makes me feel much better. I couldn't wait to "show" and I guess that is what I'm doing now so I'll wear my bump with pride! I do think a lot of this has to do with my issues becoming pregnant in the first place. I did get bloated once before due to digestive issues and was mistaken for pregnant once and after my m/c.

I'm having a rough day and I tend to obsess about some things (currently in therapy for OCD). Thanks for easing my mind. I still feel like I'm on the verge of tears but I think I'm just exhausted from this long week that kicked my ass and I'm hormonal. Really wishing I could have a glass of wine to take the edge off! lol. I miss that.

I'll call my Dr. and ask if there is anything I can do about the pain of this bloat. It's hard to eat!

ETA:  I think what set me over the edge was I was walking around the lab today and my coworker said "you're starting to waddle already!"  I was like WTF.  I need to live in a hole for the next 6 months.

[MrsDarcy]

Apr 11, 2014 17:52:10 GMT -5 Odonata said:

ETA:  I think what set me over the edge was I was walking around the lab today and my coworker said "you're starting to waddle already!"  I was like WTF.  I need to live in a hole for the next 6 months.

People are assholes. They have no filter around pregnant women and think any talk (weight gain, waddling, etc) are fair topics. Learn to ignore, or come up with a snarky response.

[papie]

10 weeks? Or was that just me? Lol

[statlerwaldorf]

I'd guess 13 or 14 weeks. I didn't have any bloat with my first pregnancy, but this one has been out of control. At some point, the bloat turned into actual baby bump.

People are also kind of dumb when it comes to bump sizes. Maybe a few people show really late, but most people that are 6 months are bigger than that. After the baby comes, people will be dumb about that too. You will get people commenting that they are so big and so small all in the same day.

[Deleted]

I was going to guess about 14 weeks. Something I realized during/after my first pregnancy is to just forget what others think and don't compare yourself to other pregnants. Every body responds SO differently and you're body is going to do what it wants. I'm "huge" for 23w but this is how big I was first pregnancy too so I'm embracing it! I have a friend who is the same weeks as me and barely showing and another friend is 4 weeks behind me and about the same. It's just ridiculous to compare. You look cute!