What does a pregnant belly feel like?
Am I even pregnant? Is there anything happening down there? Apart from a bit of nausea I don’t feel any different!
IF YOU’RE pregnant for the first time you’re probably a bit obsessed with touching your belly but disappointed that you might not be able to see much evidence of a bump until you’re well into the latter half of your first trimester (20 weeks or so). A baby is the size of a poppy seed at four weeks, and a soft lemon 🍋 at 14 so there’s not that much to see!
You might begin to notice sooner that some of your clothes are a bit tight or no longer fit, but to the outside world not that much looks to have changed. This lack of ‘bump evidence’ can lead you to question whether you’re pregnant at all and wonder if you’re somehow not doing it right. Self-doubt is a regular feature in pregnancy, but see it as a healthy and responsible curiosity - and don’t let it get the better of you!
There is a LOT going on inside your belly even if you can’t see it or don’t feel any different. Remember that some women (rare, but true) go through an entire pregnancy, and birth a perfectly healthy baby without EVER having EVEN known they were pregnant!
there are 3 common sensations you’re likely to feel in early pregnancy:
1) NAUSEA - morning sickness, thought to be triggered by hormones (usually stops by end of first trimester). You might not actually be sick but you may feel like you want to be (on repeat).
2) CRAMPING - similar to PMT sensations (often this occurs during implantation which is when the egg roots itself into the uterine wall). Also your uterus is already growing to accommodate your pregnancy so you may feel stretching or tightening sensations.
3) BLOATING and a bit of abdominal discomfort for good measure - just to give you an extra thing to think about, you might become constipated as your digestion slows down - this type of tenderness or firmness is not your developing embryo or foetus**, it’s probably lunch! One pro-tip is to have smaller meals and keep moving!
Or you might feel pretty much nothing at all! Pregnancy is one of those wonderful unique things isn’t it?! Your best friend might have her head down the toilet for most of her first trimester and you might be walking on sunshine. There’s no right or wrong, our bodies are set up the same but respond differently; pregnancy follows suit.
It’s usual to want to feel your baby moving early on because it reassures you that everything is ok and that this is a REAL pregnancy, but that usually starts around 4-5 months and even then it might be a flutter or a flicker, by six months expect your baby to move more strongly as his or her limbs grow and develop. You’re unlikely (no matter how much you want to!) to feel anything move (other than light cramps) until you’re around 20 weeks (for a first-time mum) or 16-24 weeks (after your first baby). As you can see it varies! It’s considered unusual to not feel your baby move at all by 24 weeks, and if that’s the case call your midwife now and they can check on your baby’s wellbeing and offer reassurance.
It’s natural to feel a bit impatient for your bump to show if you’re excited and want to tell the world, but rest safe in the knowledge that if you are having your regular prenatal checks then all is well and your bump will appear in good time (often overnight!). I’ve taught mums in my prenatal yoga class who looked 20 weeks pregnant when they were full term, and mums who looked full term at 20 weeks. All went on to have happy, healthy babies who were within the average weight range (7lbs 8oz for boys and 7lbs 4 for girls, though a healthy weight range is considered anything from 5.5lbs to 10lbs is considered normal though those are often referred to as small and big).
By the time your baby is ready to be born he or she will be roughly 50cm long, half a metre; thankfully also curled up and squishy.
In short, what does a pregnant belly feel like? Own your own experience, at first to touch, it may feel no different, then a bit squishy then firm, then hard like a ball as you approach your due date. Enjoy each stage and if you’re anything like me, be in awe of what the human body is capable of!! NO wonder people want to touch your bump all the time!
PS- Want to feel as prepared as possible for giving birth? I’ve created a cosy online snug for all things pregnancy and labour; it’s kind of a holistic hangout where I share prenatal yoga, hypnobirthing, deep relaxation, antenatal ed… check it out here!
** Embryo / foetus - following fertilisation your baby is a zygote (fertilised egg), then a blastocyst (hollow ball of cells developing that then implants into uterine wall) then develops into an embryo, and from 8+ weeks or so is classed as a foetus (in other words, your 👶)
