When did you start to show?

[JennW]

When did you start to “show?” I am just wondering how long I can go at work without letting the cat out of the bag.

[littlebear]

I was able to go until 18 weeks without telling anyone at work. They were starting to get suspicious, but I wasn't obviously showing. I just looked thicker in the middle. I think with the right clothes a lot of people can hide it until 15 weeks especially with first pregnancies.

[ce_Kathleen]

I think it depends on the clothes you wear too. With DS I was due in Aug so once spring hit it was hard to hide it at work so I just told everyone. But with #2 due in March I think I will be able to hide it a little easier wearing sweaters in the winter and all.

But I was showing (or looking really thick at least) around 18 weeks. I interviewed for my current position when I was 11 weeks and had my last interview when I was 16 weeks and no one could really tell I was PG (except for people who knew obviously could tell I was looking different, but to strangers I think they just thought I was fat. When I told my new boss I was PG he seemed very surprised).

[BTB]

Even people who knew me well were surprised to learn I was pregnant as late as 30-31 weeks - I'd gained a healthy amount of weight and looked it, for sure, but I gained all over without a big belly bump so it looked like too many cheeseburgers instead of a pregnancy.

32 weeks and after, growth was fast, even from one week to next I (and others) could see a BIG (literally) :D difference.

[BeachBum]

I think it really depends on what "show" means. I looked different at 12 weeks. I looked significantly heavier at 16 weeks. At 20 weeks I had a bump.
By 24 weeks I was obviously pregnant.

[amtaylor]

My co-workers and students noticed when I was only 13 weeks along.... I started to show really early apparently!!

[Brady]

I think I could have not told anyone at work until around 24ish weeks. I wore my regular clothes right up till about 18ish weeks (granted the buttons were not usually buttoned.. but no one knew that except me).
I don't know if my height also had to do with it, but I'm about 5'9" and really even at 25 weeks, people could only tell if I had a tight shirt on.

Like a PP poster said, I was due in March and maybe the looser sweater type clothing helped in "hiding" it.

[cgmom313]

I would say about 20-24 weeks I really started to show. After 24 weeks it was quite obvious I was PG. I was lucky and was all baby so I had a big basketball. But agree it is also the clothes you have on. Like my SIL was only about 13 weeks pg at my baby shower and she already had on a pregnancy top and she looked more like 24 weeks or so pg.

[jengen]

I agree with BeachBum. I started looking thicker as early as 11 weeks. By 14, even more so and by 16 more of a pregnant belly bump. It was hard for me to hide even early on, because I typically would wear more fitted clothes in the summer and all of the sudden I was wearing these baggy outfits. :D

[k8lyn]

i outgrew most of my clothes by week 10. now i'm in week 15 and it all depends on what i'm wearing. if i wore tight clothes, i think my little bump would be obvious (though maybe not obviously baby). in maternity tops, i just look fat. so i guess i'm not really showing yet? i do think a lot is body shape. i'm petite (5'4") and short-waisted, so there's just not a whole lot of room to shift around down there before poking out!

[wildcat]

My tiny little bump started around 10 weeks and my waist continued to get thicker from then on. However, I was "showing" for the first time around 16-18 weeks (that's when strangers starting asking when the baby was due). I think it's just VERY different for everyone. I'm short (5'2") and petite (size 4), so any bump on me was very noticeable. Also, I've been measuring big the entire pregnancy and my dr. and nurse said it's just because there's nowhere for this baby to go, like the pp!

Here's some pics:
4w:
http://s95402304.onlinehome.us/ptest/bellyshot-4w2d.jpg

18w:
http://www.billyandashlee.com/images/bellyshot-18w2d.jpg

last week at 29w:
http://www.billyandashlee.com/images/bellyshot-29w4d.jpg

[BooeyJ2]

Everyone said I didn't look pregnant until almost 30 weeks LOL. I'm a bit overweight though, so I think the belly just blended in with the rest of the fat. Here are my belly shots so that you can see.........

8 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/BooeyJ2/8weeks1.jpg


12 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/BooeyJ2/12wkOG.jpg


16 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/BooeyJ2/18729197.jpg


20 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/BooeyCruz/PG-20wks4.jpg


......................

[BooeyJ2]

continued............


24 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/BooeyCruz/PG-24wks3.jpg


28 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/BooeyCruz/PG28wks1.jpg


32 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/BooeyCruz/PG-32weeks8.jpg


36 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/PG-36wks5.jpg

[BooeyJ2]

last ones......

38 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/PG-38wks11.jpg


39 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/PG-39weeks5.jpg

[BTB]

Booey - you don't look fat to me in your 8 weeks picture!

I think a lot of "show" depends on what clothes you wear. A lab coat hides a lot! But if you're not wearing a blazer or similar item of clothing, if you're into maternity clothes for comfort, and especially if you like belly hugging styles to show off the lil' one, obviously people will know sooner. :)

[sarahanna115]

I didn't obviously show, say, until about week 24. I had a slight bump that poked out a little around week 17 but no one could see it and it was easily disguised!

[tray622]

Wow... I wish I was you guys ;) All the females in our family have never been able to hide it after about 12-14 weeks :rolleyes: I figure by the time the school year starts, I will be about 16 weeks, and I shouldnt bother trying to hide it!

[Dotsie]

I started to obviously show when I was about 12 weeks but my clothes were starting to get uncomfortable around week 9 or so.

[MaMa2D]

I didn't start to obviously show until I was about 24 weeks and was still wearing my tighter prepregnancy clothes. I too, was very lucky in that I looked like I just had a basketball under my shirt - so when I wore a tight top it was very noticeable. I could have easily hidden it until almost 35 weeks with a large sweater or top (but it was the middle of summer and I wanted to show it off :D ). Even up to his birth day, people would see me from behind and be shocked when I turned around and they saw I was pregnant (I definitely fit the standards for carrying a boy old wives' tale). It really depends on your body type prepregnancy and how you carry the baby.

[Kanga]

To Dh and I, it was obviously different at around 8-10 weeks. By about 15 weeks, people who knew me well before could tell, but the first stranger to say something wasn't until about 24 weeks. Before then, I must have just looked fat. Even then, It depended on what clothes I wore. Maternity clothes definately made me look more pregnant. Now at 31 weeks, even if it was cold enough to wear sweatshirts, there is now way I could hide it. I defeinately have the typical girl belly, and my according to my doc, I'm measuring a tiny bit behind.

[RobynScott]

*bump* for more replies. I'm feeling very chunky at jsut over 8 weeks ...

[Tonysweetie]

DH and I could tell by 9/10 weeks. I was obvious to strangers by 18 weeks. I was at the mall the other day sitting on a bench and a elderly lady came up to me and asked "When is the baby due?" and I told her in April. That was my first stranger asking me that. It was pretty cool!

[Wrighty26]

I think that I was obviously pregnant was around 26 weeks. Some people at work didn't even know until 29 weeks! Maybe I just sat down a lot when I was by them though :D

Here's a collage I made at 30 weeks:
http://static.flickr.com/46/138744291_7b7e2f9ef0.jpg?v=0

And then a comparison of 5 weeks to 39 weeks. I gave birth 5 days after this shot was taken:
http://static.flickr.com/55/181045015_5349296fc5.jpg?v=0

It's pretty amazing when you consider yourself "huge" in the beginning. You seriously have no idea!

My VP is pregnant and she didn't tell anyone until she was 18 weeks along ( i have NO idea how she kept it a secret for that long). Some of us suspected , but it really looked like she was gaining weight until recently. She's around 25-26 weeks now and it's pretty obvious!

[SlvSpring]

I think I noticed my body really changing around 15/16 weeks and I think other people started to make comments around 20 weeks or so.

[usafwife]

With my first I didn't obviously show to strangers until I was past 20 wks. Of course it was winter and I could hide it under baggy sweatshirts/sweaters. DH and I could tell by 16 wks. I had an u/s done at 17 wks and the tech couldn't even tell by looking at me that I was pregnant.

Second pregnancy was a different story though. Showed earlier than 20 wks. But it was also summer and extremely hot here that hiding was more difficult.

[Cali_Katy]

I told my co-workers at 20 weeks, and they were shocked. None of them had any idea, and I wasn't showing at all.

I'm 17 weeks pregnant with my second and you can tell I'm pregnant if I'm naked, but I don't look pregnant in clothes at all.

[Tracie]

I told my work at 14w and no one had any clue. Once I smoothed my sweater over my belly though, they could see! I think I could have gone probably another month after that, but by then I needed maternity clothes and that would have been a dead giveaway!

[PinkMartini]

WAY early... I had a 'pooch' at 10/12 weeks already :(

[maplekitty]

Well I started off with a little pooch anyways, but I'd say I started to actually look pregnant around 16 wks.

[ejs]

I started to look pregnant at about 28 weeks.

[dpangel33]

I don't think I really started showing until after 20 wks but I only kept it from work until I was a little over 16 wks. It definitely has to do with what you wear and I layered a lot of the time so it wasn't so noticeable. I didn't have a stranger comment until well over 24 wks.

My last progression shot (I'm currently 28 wks):

http://static.flickr.com/109/292083750_2cc2249417_o.jpg

[ali_ohli]

My bump wasn't noticeable to strangers until around 19-20 weeks.

[bellabonga]

Depends on the clothing, the body type and how muscular your belly is pre-pregnancy. A friend of mine has very firm belly muscles and she did not show until maybe 20 weeks. I don´t have any and although we are both a size 8, I showed before 10 weeks with all three pregnancies. In fact people I barely know have asked me if I was pregnant when I was only around 8 weeks along. :eek: Now wearing a closed winter coat and a long scarf helps to hide it even at 18 weeks.

[wendstress]

I'm on PG#2, and at almost 25 weeks now and I can easily pass by the undiscerning eye as not pregnant. I can see it easily, but strangers don't give me a second look.

For PG#1 I started looking obviously PG at around 22 weeks.

And they say you tend to show faster with #2!

[juliemag]

I think it really became obvious to others at about 22 weeks.

[zhannushka]

I didn't start to show until about 28 weeks, even though - I could've still hid it even then, if I wore very loose clothes.
At 30 weeks - I couldn't hide it anymore.

[karlatta]

I'm only 9 weeks, and for the last two weeks or so, friends who didn't know I was pregnant have been commenting on the fact that I already look bigger. (I've gotten a lot of the, "Well, I thought maybe you looked pregnant, but I didn't want to say anything." comments. Nice.)

[firedancr41]

i am 16 weeks and I am starting to show while undressed.

when fully dressed, some people have started to notice

[stevesbabygirl]

At nearly 16 weeks, I'm still feeling and looking just a little chunky. Here's my 15 week belly shot:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/331988964_fd34340534.jpg?v=0

karlatta,
Congratulations :D!

[dollface]

I think it depends on your body type, height ,etc. I was a size 2 to start with so I would say it became obvious to strangers around 18-20 weeks. Everyone I knew was told so early (blabber-mouth DH), that who knows when they would have detected it on their own.

[whitlockan]

I agree with dollface, I was a 2-4 and started to show at about 20 weeks but still got some comments that I didnt look pregnant and asking me if I was sure I was........hahaha yeah thanks!!

I started @12 weeks
(back in the days when I could actually tuck my dress shirts in, sorry for the clothes lines but I drive 1 1/2 hours to work and this is right after getting out of traffic

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/95/266906797_2696d11cb7.jpg?v=1161905863
20 weeks & 29 weeks
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/293029707_d75eb69845.jpg?v=0 vs. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/345371260_3b9bf05841.jpg?v=0

I'm finally being told by my guys that I'm finally "fully" pregnant.

[jimmysgirl424]

Whitlockan In looking at your 12 week pic, I realized that my belly looks almost identical to yours...I'm 12 weeks, 2 days!. I'll have to post my belly shot so we can compare! This week has been the week that all of my coworkers said they can actually see it.

[whitlockan]

yes please do Jimmy

Okay I couldnt resist posting this I'm erked now, look at my hair she did a straight cut on it last time instead of the forward slant.....argh I swear everytime I'm between dyes or highlights I always get a rush cut, its kind of making me mad........ok enough of an unrelated vent...sorry ladies!!

[jimmysgirl424]

I don't know whitlockan, what do you think?? This is at 11 weeks.


http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r58/fancy2572/646016159107_0_ALB.jpg?t=1168350138

[KeliAnn]

I am 5'4" and a pre-pregnancy size 0-2 petite. I'm almost 22w, and I got my first reluctant "are you pregnant?" from a stranger the other night. I *felt* like I was showing around 18w, but I may have just looked chubby. :p

I can still hide it with layers and loose-fitting clothes if I need to.

[suzfuzsunflower]

I have thought that I have looked pregnant for a while, but it's only been in the past week that strangers have noticed and asked. I am a little over 20 weeks.

[pugzy]

bump

[amew]

I'm 17.5 weeks now, and while no stranger has dared to ask if I was pregnant, friends in the know say I've been showing for the past few weeks. From about 15 weeks on I've had a definite belly, and I stopped wearing my regular pants about a week ago.

[Bibay626]

I was a chubby girl with a pouch to begin with :p But my tummy rounded out and I looked more pregnant at about 20w.

[pride&prejudice]

I'm 17.5 weeks now, and while no stranger has dared to ask if I was pregnant, friends in the know say I've been showing for the past few weeks. From about 15 weeks on I've had a definite belly, and I stopped wearing my regular pants about a week ago.

That's pretty much me.

I'm 18w now and most people don't know. If I'm wearing a tight shirt you can see a tiny bump that I'm figuring most people attribute to me eating too much, which I know is true after the looks I got at the food I was scuffing down at the airport yesterday. (Sorry, but when you rush a preggo lady around and don't give her enough time to eat and all she's had is a piece of crumbcake and a bag of chips all day long and its 5pm and she has an hour, she's goign to eat 5 whole Pizza Hut breadsticks by herself! :p )

I can still fit in my normal pants, but they get really uncomfortable by the end of an 11 hour day, and my shirts don't cover me enough to be confortable, so I've started wearing mat clothes, but most of them are swimming on me.

My DH, family, and co workers, noticed about a week ago that I'm starting to grow a little.

[Pink_Converse]

I started showing really early, like 14 weeks I think. It was my first baby and I was already chubby in the belly area ;)

[CTs_Punkin]

Bumping up for more replies!!

I'm PG with #1 - am 5'10" - and am curious when to expect to show. I've always had a pooch, so am expecting it to be a while before I look PG rather than just chubby! :o

[mcgwigan]

I started to show I would say around 13-14 weeks. This is my first and I had a very flat stomach. I am now 20 weeks and definately show, but if someone doesn't know me, they think I just have a gut!

[JJP]

I feel like I'm starting to show at 17 weeks, but I teach in front of 30 students or so a couple times a week and so far my TA's haven't heard any whispering. I guess that means that I just look like I'm getting chubby. :rolleyes:

[PookiePrincess]

I started to show I would say around 13-14 weeks. This is my first and I had a very flat stomach. I am now 20 weeks and definately show, but if someone doesn't know me, they think I just have a gut!

Ditto to this.

I think I've been in maternity pants since 15 weeks. I could tell a difference from about 12-13 weeks (not being able to button my pants), but now I'm almost 22 weeks and still get the "you're tiny" comments. I wear a size 2 and am 5'9" tall.

[mgrace]

...............

[wendalah]

I started wearing maternity clothes around my fourth month, but I don't think I started to really show until about my sixth month.

[SweetRed]

For me, it really depends on what I'm wearing. At 23w, I went to my DH's company Halloween party wearing an empire waisted top, and everyone immediately knew I was pg (even those that DH doesn't know and wouldn't have told). I even got a few belly rubs. :rolleyes:

Later that night, I went out with DH to see a band play at a rock club. I changed into a long black t-shirt. As I waited at the bar (for my ginger ale), some guy asked if he could buy me a beer. The look on his face when I told him I was nearly six months pregnant was priceless ;) And no, I don't think he was that clueless. It just supports my theory that it really depends on the clothes.

Then again, I was a size 12 when I got pg, so I think that makes a difference. Extra padding to integrate with the bump.

[jenjunum]

It depends on the clothes for me too. Also, people who know me, know I'm showing, people who don't probably don't notice. That's at 14w. I can't wait until I get the preggo belly that everyone will recognize.

[Sashi]

I'm a bit overweight to begin with and honestly no one noticed I was pregnant until i was about 21 weeks. Now, at 25 weeks I definitely can't say I look fat, i think i now look pregnant instead.

[Mrs.Chappy]

for my first, i think around 15 or 16 weeks
this is my second child and i'm in maternity clothes at 12 weeks..and had a bump at 9 weeks

[firefly]

I'm 5'2 and this is my third pregnancy

With pregancy #1 I was in maternity at 12 weeks. people could tell in the maternity stuff but not until about 16 weeks when I couldn't fit in anything non maternity

with pregnancy #2 I was in maternity at 8 weeks and well strangers were asking me by about 10 weeks

this time I peed on the stick and I was breaking out the maternity. by 8 weeks I was obviously showing. but I"m having twins this time so it's not exactly a fair comparison.

[Ilovemygeek]

It was around 14 weeks that I was in maternity pants and by 16 weeks strangers were asking when I was due. I thought people were pretty bold to ask at that point, but obviously I was showing enough that people were assuming I was pregnant.

[pride&prejudice]

From when I posted last....

I'm 5'9" and family (and myself) started noticing around 18w. No one else started to notice until around 25-28w. It was closer to 30w when people at work who didn't know, realized I was pregnant.

I found people were really reluctant to ask if I was, even when I was showing. Most of them it was pervious experiences where they stuck their foot in their mouth.

[coquelicot]

I'm at 14 weeks now, and most people aren't noticing a bump unless I tell them that I'm pregnant. Even then, it depends on the clothes I'm wearing. I'm still able to wear my regular clothes. Trust me, though, when I'm in the buff I'm showing pretty well. :)

[ginadc]

I started having to wear maternity stuff around 15-16 weeks (I'm 19 weeks now). I tried some of it out earlier, but that was when everything but my loosest pair of jeans started being just too uncomfortable. I think I really started showing around the same time. It still depends a lot on what I wear. I have a fitted top from Isabella Oliver that really shows the bump, so when I wear that, everybody knows!

[mcgwigan]

I think I started to show around 13 weeks...and started wearing maternity clothes then also. However, at 21 weeks, one of my friends told someone that I was pregnant (i was standing right there) and she said "really?? I wouldn't have known!". People that know me could definately tell!

[MelissaLovesPugs]

I started to obviously show when I was about 12 weeks but my clothes were starting to get uncomfortable around week 9 or so.

It was about the same for me. My clothes got too tight FAST. Had a visible bump around 12-13 weeks. Probably not super obvious until 15-18 weeks though. Before my first u/s, MIL was swearing I had twins. Nope, just one!

[bensgirl1222]

I started showing around 18-20 weeks. Random people were actually noticing then but it wasnt too obvious. I doubt i could have hid it though.

eta- I am 5'1" tall and very short-waisted

[jennylou]

With number one, strangers didn't ask until I was around 20 weeks.

With number two, I got questions from strangers as early as 13 weeks.

I'm now 9w4d with number three and look as big as I did with number 2 at 13 weeks - so I'm sure the questions will be rolling in soon.

[Sol]

I'm a bit over 20 weeks and strangers definitely can't tell yet, I just look chubby:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v354/Sol_solved/19w5da.jpg

I'm enjoying the manageable belly, though!

FTR I'm 5'9" and have a really long waist.

[red_canuck]

I'm plus size, and have never been asked by a stranger when I'm due :P If anything, people cannot believe when i tell them I'm 8 months pregnant :/ It kinda sucks. *I* think it's obvious it's a baby belly, but I am kind of grateful in a way ppl don't say anything because it would suck if they did to someone who wasn't pregnant!

[Lizard]

I'm 5'9" and long-waisted too... with the first baby I started wearing maternity pants in the 16-20 week range, but tops took waaaay longer than that. Many of my non-work casual shirts were just regular ones (albeit a little bigger), right up until I delivered. Old Navy stretchy tank tops were the best.

With this pregnancy I think I'm showing slightly earlier, but not much more. I'll be 16 weeks tomorrow and just broke out a pair of maternity pants today (mostly because I'm doing laundry and all my fat pants are in it). :)