Why do I have a big belly at 5 weeks pregnant? (2023)

Is it normal to have a big belly in early pregnancy?

Your baby won't be big enough to show until the second trimester, but many women get a belly in the first trimester from increased water and bloating.

Can I start showing at 5 weeks pregnant? If you're a first-time mama, you probably won't be showing at five weeks. Signs of a belly bump usually “pop” around week 12. If you've been pregnant before or are carrying multiples, you may look noticeably pregnant earlier.

At 5 weeks pregnant, your belly may look unchanged—or you may be a bit bloated or feel like you've already gained a pound. Heck, you might feel so sick that you can't eat and worry you could have lost a pound. All those scenarios are considered perfectly normal and totally okay!

And before you start panicking about birth weight, bump size is no indication of your baby's weight either. 'Mums-to-be are forever comparing bumps,' says Bird. 'But everyone's individual and just because someone has a big bump, it doesn't mean they'll necessarily have a big baby.

Don t be surprised if you develop a bit of a 6 weeks pregnant belly. Although your 6 week embryo is still well down in your pelvis, some women, especially those who've been pregnant before, seem to show much earlier. General abdominal distention is usually the cause.

Other women might show early because of their age. Older women and women who have been pregnant before can show as early as the first trimester. Also, women who don't have strong core muscles may show earlier because their muscles are relaxed. Their stomach adapts more easily to looking pregnant.

How soon can you tell you're pregnant with twins? Your doctor won't be able to tell for sure until your first trimester ultrasound, which is usually done between 6 and 9 weeks of pregnancy but can be done any time between week 14.

Typically, you'll find out if you're having twins during a first trimester ultrasound. An ultrasound will usually be able to detect a twin pregnancy early on, but sometimes a twin pregnancy can be detected even earlier through a pregnancy blood test.

Avoid fish that could contain high levels of mercury—like shark, swordfish, and mackerel—and skip any food that's undercooked or unpasteurized. Foods to avoid when pregnant also include things like sushi made with raw fish and oysters, as well as soft cheeses like Brie and feta.

At this stage, the embryo is around 2mm long. The heart is forming as a simple tube-like structure. Your baby already has some of its own blood vessels and blood begins to circulate. A string of these blood vessels connects you to your baby and will become the umbilical cord.

Is bloating at 5 weeks pregnant normal?

Like lower back pain and morning sickness, gas and bloating during pregnancy are very common symptoms. That gassy feeling is the result of elevated levels of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes all your muscles – including the ones in your GI tract – and slows down digestion.

People who have been pregnant before tend to show earlier, as their abdominal wall has already stretched. If you're pregnant with multiples, your bu​mp will probably be visible earlier. In people with lower body weight, a belly bump may be noticeable earlier than in overweight people.

Baby bumps come in all different shapes and sizes. But if your bump seems big during the first 12 weeks, you may be carrying more than 1 baby.

Bloated stomach.

At 4 weeks pregnant, you might experience a bit of bloating and cramping particularly in your abdomen, as your uterine lining is getting a bit thicker, and the swelling means your womb is taking up more space than usual.

Maybe you're putting on weight around 6 to 8 weeks — which in your mind is quite early. One plausible explanation for an early bump, though, could be abdominal bloating. An increase in hormones can cause your body to retain fluid. So what you believe to be all baby bump may actually be a bloated stomach.

Progesterone helps to relax the smooth muscle in the body, including the muscles involved in the gut to aid the digestive system. This hormone slows down the passage of food through the intestines and can leave you feeling bloated or constipated.

It's totally possible that your baby bump is already showing at 2 months, but it's more possible that the reason you can't button up your skinnies is because of bloating. Your hormone levels are surging right now and that causes a lot of water retention — just like when you get all puffy before your period.

In a twin pregnancy, there are elevated levels of hCG, making it possible to have a very early positive result. However, home pregnancy tests won't confirm if twins are present, only the presence of hCG. It takes around 2 weeks after conception for hCG to be detected in a hCG pregnancy test.

When do you get your first ultrasound?

Your First Ultrasound

It's typically done between 7 and 8 weeks to verify your due date, to look for a fetal heartbeat, and to measure the length of the baby from “crown to rump.” At this ultrasound, you'll also learn whether you're having one baby, pregnant with twins, or more!

1 As the fertilized egg (called a zygote) travels to the uterus, the cells divide and grow into a blastocyst. In the case of monozygotic twins, the blastocyst then splits and develops into two embryos. Simply put, monozygotic twins happen when a single fertilized egg divides into two.

Boys' and girls' genitals develop along the same path with no outward sign of gender until about nine weeks. It's at that point that the genital tubercle begins to develop into a penis or clitoris. However, it's not until 14 or 15 weeks that you can clearly begin to see the differentiated genitalia.

At this stage, the only things you'll likely see are the yolk sac and the gestational sac. It's possible that the sonographer might be able to point out the embryo, which at this stage is likely a tiny white curled object. Surrounding the embryo is the yolk sac, which will look like a small white circle.

Early in your pregnancy, try to get into the habit of sleeping on your side. Lying on your side with your knees bent is likely to be the most comfortable position as your pregnancy progresses.

In the first trimester you can sleep in any position you like, but it's wise to start practicing side sleeping. A wealth of research shows that left side sleeping²¹ is the best sleeping position for you and the fetus in later pregnancy.

By week 5, your baby has burrowed into the wall of your uterus. It is now called an embryo and measures about 2mm from end to end. The foundations for all of the major organs are in place. The baby is inside an amniotic sac, a bag of fluid that protects it.

Does early pregnancy bloat go away?

Bloating ranks right up there withmorning sickness as a symptom you're very likely to experience when you're expecting. But take heart knowing that this, too, will end — right about when you finally get to hold your baby in your arms.

In the first trimester, most people don't need to gain much weight. This is good news if you're struggling with morning sickness. If you start out at a healthy weight, you need to gain only about 1 to 4 pounds (0.5 to 1.8 kilograms) in the first few months of pregnancy.

Your stomach muscles are continuing to relax and your uterus is expanding. By week seven it's said to be about the size of a lemon and will continue to grow to cater to your growing baby. There's also a lot more blood pumping around your body.

For some women, their belly doesn't change much during the first trimester. Your belly may look a little rounder, but that's most likely due to bloating more than it is a growing baby. However, by the end of the first trimester, you and your significant other may be the first ones to notice a little bump!

Yes, you probably do have some abdominal swelling, but it's most likely caused by first trimester bloating, not the size of your uterus. Just like when you get all puffy right before your period, the increase in progesterone (and a bunch of other reproductive hormones) that happens with conception can cause bloating.

By week 5, your baby has burrowed into the wall of your uterus. It is now called an embryo and measures about 2mm from end to end. The foundations for all of the major organs are in place. The baby is inside an amniotic sac, a bag of fluid that protects it.

If your uterus tilts toward your back, it could take longer to show during those early months of pregnancy. And if your uterus tilts towards the front, you may show much earlier. Diastasis recti is another possible explanation for showing early. This is when the mid-abdominal muscles separate and create a bulge.

There are a variety of reasons why your belly could be measuring large, like swelling or fluid retention (a common problem during pregnancy) or simply being a bigger woman before you became pregnant. The most serious cause of having a too-large tummy, however, is gestational diabetes.

Your 6-weeks-pregnant bump isn't much of a bump yet, so you're the only one who will notice any differences. That said, since you're probably starting to feel some cramping and bloating, your belly might feel a little bigger than normal.

Your Pregnant Belly at 7 Weeks

Every mom-to-be is different, but many report starting to “show” in the middle of the second trimester when the uterus outgrows the pelvis. Moms-to-be who are 7 weeks pregnant with twins should expect to show earlier than that, but at this point, it's nothing but bloating for everyone.

How early do you show with twins?

With twice the baby and twice all the accompanying fluids and placenta growth, there's simply more there to carry. While many moms-to-be first start to show at about 22 to 28 weeks, those with multiples will probably announce their pregnancy to the world by as early as 20 weeks.

How does a pregnant belly feel in early pregnancy? For most of your first trimester, you may not feel much, if any, difference in your belly. It will probably be soft and look a little bigger – similar to when you get bloated during your period or after you've eaten a large meal.

Your Pregnant Belly: Third Trimester (Weeks 28 to 40)

By 28 weeks, your uterus—and your bump—has extended well above your belly button, Duke says. And as baby starts to put on more inches and ounces, they'll continue pushing your belly outwards, creating a sensation of fullness or tightness in your tummy.

One possible cause of bloating during pregnancy is hormonal fluctuation. Pregnancy hormones relax the womb, and the digestive muscles also relax, slowing digestion. This can lead to constipation, a common challenge for pregnant women, and constipation can cause a person to feel bloated.

Short women or women with shorter torsos may show earlier or have a larger-looking bump, because they have less space for the baby to fill, lengthwise. Your baby is positioned in your uterus in a way that maximizes your bump. You're having twins or multiples. You've gained extra weight during pregnancy.