Many pregnant women wonder when the belly will grow during pregnancy and when will a "baby bump" finally be seen. Questions about the pregnancy belly can usually not be answered in general, because as individual as every pregnancy proceeds, the appearance and growth of the belly during pregnancy are just as different. When and how quickly the belly grows, how big it becomes overall and what shape it has, can therefore vary greatly from woman to woman.
In some women, the belly grows more forward, in others it is spread more over the entire pelvis. It is important to know that one cannot infer the size of the child from the size of the belly.
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There are several components that influence the development of the waist size. On the one hand, this includes things that the pregnant woman “brings” with her at the beginning of the pregnancy. These include the size and weight of the expectant mother, the nature of her connective tissue and physical activity before pregnancy (in particular the level of fitness of the abdominal muscles).
On the other hand, the size, weight and position of the child and the amount of amniotic fluid also have a major influence on the development of abdominal growth. The number of pregnancies to date and whether it is a single or multiple pregnancy also affect the speed and extent of abdominal growth.
Various palpable and visible changes in the abdomen can occur during the pregnancy. One of them is the so-called “Linea nigra” (Latin for “black line”). It shows up as brown or black discoloration of the skin that can run down the middle of the abdomen from the sternum to the pubic bone. It arises due to the hormonal changes during pregnancy and is sometimes more and sometimes less intense. In most pregnant women, the linea nigra occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy, sometimes it can be seen earlier, sometimes later or not at all.
$config[ads_text2] not foundThe first trimester describes the first to third month of pregnancy or the first to twelfth week of pregnancy (SSW). In this early phase of pregnancy there is usually no typical “baby bump” to be seen, although many women are already perceiving many changes in their bodies due to the hormonal changes. The growing uterus can now press on the urinary bladder, which leads to an increased urge to urinate.
The waist can gradually become less noticeable and although you usually don't see the belly bulging in the first trimester of pregnancy, trousers and skirts can already become uncomfortable.
From the beginning of the pregnancy, the expectant mother can apply cream, oil and massage the skin on the breast, stomach, hips, thighs and buttocks in order to limit the extent of any skin stretch marks that may appear.
The second trimester describes the fourth to sixth month of pregnancy or the 13th to 28th week of pregnancy.
Most women look "pregnant" from the 16th week of pregnancy, that is, the waist becomes wider and the belly begins to grow forward and bulge out more and more. From the sixth month of pregnancy, even outsiders can often no longer overlook the belly. But even in this phase of pregnancy, the growth of the belly differs from woman to woman and shows very individual courses.
Many women notice so-called stretch marks (Latin striae gravidarum) or stretch marks during this phase. These are tears in the connective tissue of the subcutaneous tissue and are caused by the strong stretching of the skin. They can appear on the chest, stomach, thighs, and buttocks. The appearance of stretch marks on the skin cannot be completely prevented as it is also dependent on a woman's skin and connective tissue. However, pregnant women can influence the extent to a certain extent by not gaining weight too quickly, eating healthily and drinking enough water or tea. Movement, lotion, oiling and massage of the skin can also have a positive effect.
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$config[ads_text3] not foundThe third trimester describes the seventh to ninth month of pregnancy or the 29th to 40th week of pregnancy.
The child's organ development is almost complete by this time. As the size and weight will increase in the next few weeks, there will be another significant increase in the size of the abdomen, especially in this phase of pregnancy, and the abdomen will become heavier. The stretching of the skin can lead to itching and a feeling of tension in the abdominal skin, which can be relieved by applying cream or oiling.
In addition, the pressure of the growing uterus can make the belly button protrude. However, this usually disappears again after the birth.
So-called practice contractions and lowering pains can also occur in the last trimester of pregnancy. The uterus contracts at irregular intervals and the stomach feels hard. However, these painless labor pains should not occur more than ten times a day and no more than three times in an hour. In addition, the abdomen can sag a little in the last four weeks of pregnancy.
Even with multiple pregnancies, questions about the growth, size and shape of the belly cannot be answered in general. This is because there are very individual courses. Since several children grow up in the womb of the expectant mother, the woman's body changes more often with twin or multiple pregnancies than with “single pregnancies”. In contrast to “singleton pregnancies”, the belly of twin pregnancies can usually be seen earlier, sometimes from the eighth week of pregnancy. Overall, the belly grows faster and the waist circumference is in most cases larger in multiple pregnancies than in pregnancies with one child.
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If a woman is pregnant for the second time, the course of pregnancy may differ from the course of the first pregnancy. In most cases, a bulge in the abdomen can be recognized earlier in a second pregnancy, often during the first trimester of pregnancy. One reason for this is the strong stretching of the skin and tissue during the first pregnancy.
When the belly grows the most during pregnancy, it cannot be said in general terms and it varies from woman to woman. Often the stomach does not grow continuously, but in spurts. In most cases, the greatest increase in waist circumference is seen at the end of the second trimester to the end of the third trimester. In the ninth month of pregnancy, the abdomen usually sags a little downwards.
