pregnancy - how long before it shows?

Depends on the woman and the pregnancy. Could be 3 months for a very thin woman (teeny bump) or 6 months for a larger woman. A very heavy woman might never show at all.

It depends on the woman's physical condition and what pregnancy it is.

If she's in good physical condition or if she's fat, it often shows later, especially if it's the first pregnancy. If it's a second or later pregnancy, the body has already stretched previously so it's faster to stretch (so my OB told me).

I've known several women who were physically very fit and worked out regularly who didn't get much of a belly at all (most people thought they were very early in their terms) who gave birth to over 8 lb babies each and never really showed.

OTOH, my sister, who was slightly overweight when she got pregnant, ballooned to HUGE within five months with her only pregnancy.

I was somewhat overweight with my first, lost 30 lbs (so I was finally at my ideal weight) with the pregnancy and only really started showing when I was 8 months along. I started showing about 5-6 months with my second.

*shrug*

With my first, I didn't show until almost 8 months - then I really popped. With my second, I had to go into maternity clothes at about 4 1/2 months. In between them, I was in the best shape of my life.... **sigh** I miss that shape

SouthernFriedJulie said:

Depends on the woman and the pregnancy. Could be 3 months for a very thin woman (teeny bump) or 6 months for a larger woman. A very heavy woman might never show at all.

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Yep.

I'm thin, but my first didn't show until the fifth month. I noticed that taller friends showed even later. The second and later pregnancies show much earlier because by then the muscles are "stretched" already (in other words, bye bye wasp waist!!!!). It really depends on the woman's body. I had a friend who's really short and her belly was just popping out already at six month. She made me wanna stretch out my arms and help her carry that thing, for fear it'd fall off any minute....

I'd say on average, 5 mo. for the bump. Just enough to make people question, but not enough for them to be comfortable asking.

I didn't show with my first until about 6 1/2 mos or so and she sat very high and long. My belly popped right out with my second at 5 mos and she sat low and wide. Weird. They were nearly the same size at birth and I gained about the same amount of weight.

I was in pretty good shape with my first one, and I didn't start showing until almost 6 months. And then the two after that...3 months. Worn out muscles, I suppose.

I never showed until I was at least seven months along. With my first son,I was enormous at nine months. I had a smooth and relatively small seven months. Then boom! I was a waddling elephant.

My cousin popped at four months.

I guess it depends on the woman's build.

Remember the rumors that Sarah Palin's child really was the daughter's? Some people never really show that much.

My wife who is short by North American standards (she's Chinese) and was a little overweight started to show at about 3 months. It seemed almost like all the extra weight on her body migrated to her stomach. Now at 5 months she looks like she's about 7 months pregnant.

I didn't find out I was pregnant until I was well over 5 months, and even then I didn't show for another lot of weeks until over the course of a single weekend I sort of exploded.

There's showing and then there's showing. You might be able to see the bump yourself, and be aware that your clothes fit differently, but others might not notice it for ages after you do. And to complicate things, some quite slim people have a little bump below the belly button. I've only ever been caught once asking someone when she was due and she wasn't pregnant. I think she had something the matter- she had such skinny limbs but was so round in the baby-growing region. I would have sworn she was 8 months. She was very good-natured about it, but now I always wait to be told, no matter how sure I am about it. Tricky business.

I didn't show until 7 months. Was interviewing for jobs at 5 months and my employer was surprised when he found out I was pregnant.

I'm tall and thin with a long torso. Not in very good shape though.