Different Belly Changes And Shapes In Pregnancy

Like we shared in our previous post (Loving Your Body In Pregnancy) a lot of changes occur during pregnancy. While some are scary, some are simply disturbing. This post is focusing on the outer body… the Stomach and its changes as the weeks pass.

According to Birth.com:

“Belly size is not an indicator. The truth is not even the most skilled and experienced doctor or midwife can truly guess how far pregnant a woman is by just looking at her belly. It is not until she lies down and her belly is formally examined (or ‘palpated’) that they can make a fair judgement (so how your butcher knows is anybody’s guess!) Every belly is different As humans we are all individuals and the size and shape of a pregnant woman’s belly will depend on many factors”

pregnancy.lovetoknow.com:

An explanation of different belly shapes is discussed by doctors from the Columbia University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in an article featured on Revolution Health. Their observations include:

Good muscle tone may make the bump appear smaller
Weaker muscle tone may make the bump appear larger
Bigger babies make bigger bellies
Multiples naturally lead to large bellies
High level of amniotic fluid can cause the belly to bulge
Natural shape of the woman’s uterus can dictate the shape of the bump
The baby’s position changes the shape of the belly
Shorter torso may translate into carrying wide
Longer torso may translate into carrying narrow

Many different combinations can exist. A young woman with tight abdominal muscles who has a long torso may appear to be carrying a boy when she is carrying a girl. An older woman with a short torso and other pregnancies may appear to be carrying a girl when the baby is really a boy