Seeking Moms - Worcester, MA

No worries C.. I am a first time mom as well to a 7 month precious little boy. I did not feel pregnant either until when I really started showing around 7 months or so. You are not alone!

well I am 28 weeks pregnant and I too am having a boy. this is baby #2 for me. I am not showing either and I only gained 10#. the MW told me he is growing fine and I am tall and "tuck my babies in" so it could just be the way you are built. my daughter was over 8# I only gained 20# with her and had a quick and painless labor.
congrats!!

enjoy not feeling pregnant while you can. I gained relatively little weight, and later. I really wanted to have some confirmation too - the doc visits weren't often enough to reassure me! I finally started feeling pregnant when I could feel the baby move at about 5 mo (something like 3 weeks after finding out the gender, I felt a tiny bit of movement). so, enjoy your last few months of non-motherhood and hopefully continue to feel great!

Hi C.,
I think what you are feeling is VERY normal. You have received many stories of women who didn't LOOK pregnant until much later in their pregnancies. But you also said that you aren't feeling pregnant. I would recommend reading, "Birthing from Within". It's a bit "crunchy" for some but a wonderful resource and filled with great exercises and activities to help you connect with your baby. I would also recommend spending some time every day just connecting. Put your hands on your belly, maybe at night before you go to bed, and just talk to your baby. Tell him you are glad he is coming. Talk to him about how you feel about becoming a mother. Take some time to just really "tune in" to what your body and baby are telling you. In time, he will begin "responding".
Wishing you brightest blessings on your journey!
L. :>)
www.birthingmothers.com

It's not an uncommon occurance in my family to not look pregnant until further along in the pregnancy (last month or 2) when they are pregnant with boys as they tend to lay from hip to hip. Though we have had a pregnancy in the family that the doctors swore she wasn't pregnant when she went to have the baby as well as one or two that showed much earlier and they were boys.

Hi C.! I would trust your doctor! I lost 8lbs during my first trimester with both of my boys and then slowly gained some weight. I would bet you will start to show and gain weight very soon. Talk to your doctor about your concerns...that's what they are there for!

Best of Luck!

Hi C.,

My first pregnancy, I barely showed until the beginning of the fifth month. Then the budda belly beat out the bustline! If you are taking your prenatals, eating relatively well and getting good rest, dr. says all looks good, you will have a happy bouncing baby boy in no time! Enjoy, good luck and God Bless :)

Congratulations on your pregnancy! My best advice is to start connecting with your little guy as soon as you can. You two are a team, really. You'll see how that is when he's on the outside. So the earlier you two start communicating with each other, the better. I also think it would be great for you to check out "Birthing from Within", and maybe take a gander at the other books around it on the library/store shelf. As the pp said, you might think some of the exercises are a little crunchy, but if even one of them helps you "connect" with that little tiny guy, it's worth it. Also, fwiw, trust your gut and intuition as your pregnancy develops. If any providers rub you the wrong way, replace them. This process is a really special one and it's important for you and your baby that you trust your instincts. Just my two cents.

Hi C.,
Everyone is different, some women just dont show as much as others. If your doctor says that everything looks normal then that is a good sign. Since you are young I would suggest that you find lots of support. Its not always easy being pregnant and then being a mom, I think support might make you feel a lot better about whats going on.
Hope that helps
Wishing you many blessings

Congratulations! As long as your doctor is happy, you're eating enough/well, you'll be fine. Everyone has a different pregnancy, and more weight gain will probably come later. I had a great pregnancy and didn't really feel pregnant till 6 months and later.

Keep up with books (cross-reference them), magazines, and other mom's. Most of all, listen to your body and your baby, usually they guide you as to what to do and eat and when to take it easy. Good luck!!

Yes, I think it is completely normal not to "feel pregnant" at that stage. I had the same issue- at my 18 week ultrasound with my little girl I had only gained 3 pounds and I couldn't yet feel her move. It was weird to me to see her wiggling and squirming on the screen when I couldn't feel her movements. I almost thought I was a bad mom for not feeling more connected to her. Don't worry though, you'll feel pregnant soon. I think I was about 23 weeks when my belly started to poke out and I really started to feel my Madelyn moving in there. It really helped to name the baby, at least for my husband and me. I was then able to call her by her name, which, though I still didn't feel pregnant, helped to make it more "real" for me. Hang in there! (and remember, all the feelings your having are TOTALLY normal!)

Hi C.,
Your first pregnancy can be difficult just because of all the questions that constantly run through your mind. I know that it is common for younger moms not to gain a lot of weight, and with your first pregnancy it does take awhile to begin showing. If your doctor isn't worried, then you probably shouldn't be either. However, you do need to make sure you are telling him/her everything. I only gained 16 pounds my entire pregnancy with my daughter, and she was perfectly healthy and weighed over seven pounds at birth. I also didn't begin showing until I was about 20 weeks. My suggestion for you is to get a great pregnancy book like What to Expect When Your Expecting, which answers so many questions about what you are feeling at different stages in your pregnancy. Also, make sure that you are eating well and not smoking. You should be eating about 500 more calories than a normal diet. Remember that everyone's pregnancies are different and just because you don't feel the "normal" pregnancy symptoms doesn't mean something is wrong. Just be thankful you don't have the nausea!

Take care of yourself,
A. G.

congrads on having a boy it's so exciting to find out the sex of the baby and start planning for everything
i had barely gained weight by 20 weeks and didn't show - although those who knew me noticed a slight bump
i felt great during my pregnancy and was never sick with either child
it's hard to feel pregnant if you aren't showing or if you haven'tfelt the baby move that much but you will
with my son i'ld say it was at about month 6 that his movement increased and i started to really feel pregnant

I didn't gain ANY weight with my son. I actually lost 10 lbs, then gained it back by the end. (my son was 5 lb 14 oz...plus amniotic fluid and placenta...i didn't gain any). I didn't show until well into my 6th month, then all of a sudden ballooned! I never felt pregnant either. No sickness or anything. Not until i saw my lil guy for the first time did it hit me. Look at it as a good thing. Most woman are miserable and sick as a dog and feel huge. We're just the lucky ones! Good luck and congrats!

C.,
You share similar concerns as many first time expecting mothers. I had the same experience when I was first pregnant. Often times, women don't show right away with their first pregnancy. People could not tell I was pregnant until February and I delivered a healthy 6.9 pound baby girl in May. Overnight you will begin to see your body change and it will begin to feel more real. I know it is easier said then done, but enjoy this time and trust that your body and growing baby now exactly what to do.
In Health,
J.
www.nourishingthepeasandthepod.com

C.,
I had my first when I was 19 so I know how you are feeling and what you are feeling. I never started to show with her till I was about 6-7 months pregnant, which I too thought was insane considering I am on baby #3 and 18 wks prego and you can def. tell. :) don't worry, all is well, the ultrasound would tell best. Some people their first time around just don't show early. Look at it as a good thing though, you probably don't have to buy maternity clothes yet which is a money saver! :) Best of luck.

I didn't even know I was pregnant at all until I was 2.5 months along and lost all interest in Chinese food (not sick, just no longer interested)! I had no morning sickness or other symptons and wore most of my regular close throughout my whole pregnancy. I only wore 2 pairs of maternity pants in the very last trimester and only to work (my stretchies worked fine at home). And I too, actually lost weight over the course of my pregnancy (my son sat high up on my belly making me not hungry and only able to eat little bits at a time). I have been told many times that this is all common for first time pregnancies, so I think you are totally normal.

Congrats! And don't worry about your belly or lack of. With my first I was 9 months pregnant and people were just starting to ask me if I was pregnant and when I was due. I shocked them when I'd say in 2 weeks or something because they thought I was only 5 months pregnant.

If you had a little extra weight before you got pregnant that will hide the bump too and you won't gain as much weight. Were you very sick during the 1st trimester? That too can cause the weight gain to be low. I'm sure you'll feel better once you start feeling the baby move. But remember every woman is different and no two pregnancies are alike. So what one might feel or what you've heard to be typical pregnancy things just might not be true for you. I didn't get morning sickness, but some women have it morning day and night.

So keep eating right and taking your vitamins and going to your prenatal visits. Before you know it this baby will be kicking you so hard you'll wonder why you ever doubted there was anything wrong ;).

I don't think you need to worry, I was barely showing at that time as well. You will definitely "pop" in the next few months! Enjoy fitting into your jeans while you still can! ;-)

C.,

Enjoy the tiny tummy while you have it....it will not last. It is common to be even 5 months along and just have a little bump. If your doctor said that all is well....jump for joy and believe. They can tell very early if things are not progressing normally and would have you do extra tests if there was anything going on to be concerned over. Your baby will excelerate its growth soon now...it is amaising how much they can grow in the last two months before they come out.

Enjoy, take care of yourself and believe in that little boy.

you will wake up one morning and you will have "popped" ! You should start to feel the baby kicking too. Some ladies look more prego then others. I looked 9 months pregnant from about 5 months on ;-) My husband worked with a woman who went on maternity leave and he never even knew she was pregnant! CONGRATULATIONS!

haha!! Consider yourself lucky and don't expect that to happen if you get pregnant a 2nd time!! Good luck! :-)

Congrats C.! I only gained 10 lbs with my youngest I never wore maternity clothes w/ him I stayed in a size 6 the entire time so don't worry if they tell you everything is a okay believe them they know what they are doing.

Hi C.!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

If you were just at the doctor and they said everything looked great then I would trust them! You just might be one of those lucky mamas (like me) that do not really get that many pregnancy symptoms! I am currently pregnant with my 2nd child and it's very much like the first. If I didn't know I was pregnant...well...I wouldn't know I was pregnant!

As far as your size goes I hoestly wouldn't worry abou that either. It's really not a good indication of pregnancy or even the size of the baby. I show very easily but my SIL is the complete opposite! She has a tilted uterus (no biggie) which makes it very hard to tell she's dpregnant until like 7-8 months! She might look like she put on a little weight but she certainly does not look pregnant.

If you still have concerns give your doctor a call! If it's like mine they will have a nurse call you back and you can talk about your concerns with them. The least it will do is ease your mind and help you to relax. Be assured they get these types of calls all the time so don't feel silly!

Good luck! Try not to stress and ENJOY your symptom free pregnancy!
W.