Upon learning about pregnancy, all women are interested in any changes that occur in the body. The most common question of expectant mothers is the following: “In which month of pregnancy does the tummy appear and when will its“ interesting position ”be noticeable? Even a doctor cannot definitely answer this question, because each pregnancy proceeds differently, and the growth of the abdomen depends on many factors. This article will help to understand this issue in more detail.
Medical indicators of the growth of the abdomen in a pregnant woman
Many believe that the stomach begins to grow from the very first months of pregnancy, as the embryo grows, and the uterus, accordingly, increases in size. But this is far from the case. The woman's uterus begins to grow after 16 weeks of pregnancy, at which time the fetal egg also begins to grow rapidly. Accordingly, at a period of 16-20 weeks, that is, at 4-5 months of pregnancy, a woman can already notice an increase in her tummy, and the obstetrician-gynecologist will regularly measure the increase in the circumference of the abdomen and the height of the uterus.
Thus, according to medical indicators, it is precisely 16 obstetric weeks that is considered the period of the beginning of the growth of the abdomen in a pregnant woman.
What determines the growth of the abdomen in a pregnant woman
When a tummy begins to appear during pregnancy depends on many factors. Here is some of them:
- What kind of pregnancy. In primiparous women, the stomach appears a little later. This is due to the fact that the abdominal muscles slowly adapt to the growth of the uterus, and in multiparous women, the abdominal muscles are already stretched, and he quickly gets used to a new position.
- Anatomical features of the expectant mother. On what month the stomach begins to grow, depends on the growth of the woman and her complexion. If the girl has narrow hips, then the belly will be noticeable faster than women with wide hips.
- Heredity. Often the hereditary factor affects the growth of the abdomen, as well as its size and shape.
- The size of the fetus itself, its development. The larger the child is in the stomach and the faster he grows, the earlier the growth of the abdomen will be noticeable.
- Presentation of the fetus. The location of the baby in the uterus affects the growth of the abdomen - if the embryo attaches to the back of the uterus, the abdomen will appear a little later.
- Overweight during pregnancy. A sedentary lifestyle, overeating directly affect the growth of the abdomen. In athletic women with strong abdominal presses, the stomach will begin to appear later.
These are the main factors in the growth of the abdomen, but in fact there are more. At what week of pregnancy the tummy begins to appear, it will depend on the amount of amniotic fluid. Their volume can fluctuate, depending on the duration of pregnancy, on the physiological characteristics of the female body, on how well the pregnancy proceeds.
Small belly during pregnancy
At what month of pregnancy the tummy appears, will depend on many factors, and for each woman this period is individual. But there are times when the stomach does not meet the established standards. In this case, the gestational age may not be precisely determined, or the fetus may develop pathology. Why the stomach can be small:
- Delay in fetal development is a pathology characterized by placental insufficiency. The fetus lacks nutrients, gains weight poorly, and develops inappropriately. Usually with this pathology, children are born with a small weight, weakened.
- Low water. This pathology can be a consequence of inflammatory diseases in women, hypertension, gestosis, the lateral position of the baby in the uterus.
- A wide basin of a pregnant woman. This is not considered a pathology, just in this case, the uterus grows first to the sides, and only then forward.
- Undernutrition of the expectant mother.
Big belly during pregnancy
There are cases that the pregnant woman’s tummy grows very quickly, the reasons may be as follows:
- Polyhydramnios. This pathology develops in the presence of infectious diseases in a pregnant woman, diabetes mellitus, abnormal development of the fetus, Rh conflict in the mother and child.
- Large fruit. In this case, the tummy can grow faster than standard indicators.
- Multiple pregnancy. What month of pregnancy does the tummy appear during multiple pregnancy? If during a normal pregnancy the tummy grows at 4-5 months, then when waiting for twins or triplets, it will begin to protrude already at 3 months, that is, from 12 weeks, since the uterus is already poorly placed in the pelvic cavity.
- Swelling of the pregnant woman and excessive weight gain.
Of course, a pregnant woman should not make diagnoses for herself, and do not need to worry too much about this, because the doctor observes the state of her health, takes all the necessary measurements and prescribes tests.
The long-awaited belly of a pregnant woman is a symbol of a new life, and all future mothers are looking forward to it. What month of pregnancy does the tummy appear? No concrete answer can be given here. All medical indicators are approximate, and in every pregnant woman he grows differently.