Pregnancy is an anxious time for many women. The body changes quickly, new sensations and new questions arise. For example, when does the belly start to grow during pregnancy and why does it round out almost immediately for some, while for others it remains small until childbirth.
When does the belly start to grow during pregnancy?
As a rule, the belly begins to increase at the end of the first – beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy, that is, from the 12th to the 16th week. Since the size of the fetus is not yet larger than a peach or an avocado , the appearance of the belly is primarily affected by the amount of amniotic fluid and the characteristics of the woman’s body. All pregnant women have a noticeable belly at different times, and this is normal. For example, the belly remains flat longer in tall, full women and women with strong abdominal muscles.
How the belly grows and changes during the weeks of pregnancy
First trimester
Most women will find their belly unnoticeable, although some will notice that it has increased slightly. This is usually due to swelling and gas, so the bulging belly may disappear and reappear during the first trimester.
Second trimester
Most women’s bellies gradually begin to round out. Usually, at the beginning of the second trimester, regular clothes still fit the woman, and the pregnancy remains unnoticeable to others. After the 20th week, most women want to switch to comfortable pants with an elastic waistband and other maternity clothes.
In the second trimester, stretch marks may appear on your stomach — dark or light stripes on the skin. The tendency to stretch marks is genetic, so you can’t prevent them from appearing. But you can try moisturizing the skin on your chest, stomach, and thighs to make it more elastic. If stretch marks have already appeared, they will remain on your body for life, but over time they may become paler and less noticeable.
A dark vertical line from the pubis to the navel or higher may also appear on the abdomen . This pigmentation feature occurs in 85% of women and usually disappears within a few months after childbirth.
Third trimester
By the beginning of the third trimester, the belly is noticeably rounded and continues to increase until the birth. It can be of any shape: high, low, wide. Contrary to popular myth , it is impossible to determine the sex of the baby by the figure of the pregnant woman. It depends on the height and build of the woman, the condition of the abdominal muscles, the size of the baby and its position in the womb.
How to make sure everything is OK
The belly of a short and fragile girl may visually seem huge, while a tall and athletic girl, on the contrary, may seem too small. But this is a subjective perception. To get an objective picture, doctors measure the belly of pregnant women at each appointment. This is important to notice possible problems in time , such as insufficient or too much amniotic fluid.
Starting from the 20th week of pregnancy, during each visit to the doctor, two measurements are taken : abdominal circumference and the height of the fundus of the uterus. Doctors make sure that the indicators correspond to the current week of pregnancy and gradually increase as the fetus grows.
To get adequate results, the woman lies down on a hard couch, and the obstetrician or midwife measures the abdomen with a flexible measuring tape. You should not do this on your own: an error in measurements can cause unfounded anxiety. It is better to visit the doctor regularly and discuss all your worries with him. An experienced obstetrician-gynecologist is guided not only by tables with average indicators, but also by the peculiarities of the pregnancy of each specific woman. Thanks to this, he will not miss possible problems and dispel all worries.