The significant belly size chart helps to understand the growth of a baby bump. Withal, the size and shape of the pregnant abdomen may vary in each woman. Some may take a comparatively smaller abdomen for women in the same weeks of gestation. While a few may take larger sizes. Keeping a size chart may assistance you sympathise the growth charge per unit of your belly and see if there is a gradual increase or decrease in size.

Read on to know the pregnant belly size chart and place and manage related concerns.

Does The Abdomen Size In Pregnancy Really Matter?

The size of your pregnancy abdomen may not be something of concern. Your belly could be big, small, pointy, round, or loftier, but that still might not necessarily affect the pregnancy. Some people may try to guess the baby's gender, wellness, and progress past looking at your belly, but you should not worry well-nigh what anyone other than your dr. or midwife says.

Does Your Belly Size Determine The Gender And Size Of The Baby?

The belly size and shape determine neither the size nor the gender of the baby. A large belly could exist due to backlog body weight or amniotic fluid, while a small belly could be due to less amniotic fluid or if it is the first pregnancy. The size of the belly has nothing to practise with the gender of the baby.

Tin Belly Size Accurately Indicate Your Phase of Pregnancy?

The size of the belly may non exist an indication of the phase of pregnancy. The abdomen size during unlike phases of pregnancy differs from 1 woman to another, based on her body blazon and size. Regardless of the belly size, ensure that you're maintaining a healthy weight equally being overweight or underweight during pregnancy might affect the growth of the baby (1).

It is best not to compare the size of your crash-land with that of other pregnant women, every bit the belly size may depend on several factors.

What Factors Determine Your Belly Size?

The post-obit factors might make up one's mind the size and shape of the pregnant belly:

  1. First pregnancy: If it is your kickoff pregnancy, you may tend to have a more compact bump as the intestinal muscles take not been stretched earlier. The muscles that hold your infant loftier feel tighter and more than toned. Also, the crash-land is likely to exist smaller than it would be in your second or subsequent pregnancies.
  1. Second or subsequent pregnancy: The first pregnancy could stretch your abdominal muscles and make information technology quite flexible. Unless you are into fettle or y'all are an athlete, your muscles might not regain their original shape or tone back. So, you may notice a bigger crash-land than before. Again, that does not mean your infant would be bigger.
  1. Amniotic fluid volume: Throughout the pregnancy, the amniotic fluid index keeps changing. The boilerplate index of the amniotic fluid in a normal pregnancy is more during the second trimester, while it is insufficiently less during the third trimester. Based on the product of this fluid, just not your baby'due south size, your belly may announced pocket-size or big (2).
  1. Change in the baby's positions: From the 2nd trimester, the babe might go agile and begin to move inside the stomach. This may alter the shape and size of your abdomen. For instance, your baby might sometimes motility from one side to the other, changing the shape of the stomach slightly (3).

And during the last phase of pregnancy, the head more often than not moves down into the pelvis, making the tummy wait bigger at the bottom. This means that the infant's position may affect the belly size and shape.

  1. Mother's height: Taller women have a longer torso, which gives more than space for the baby to abound. So, while the baby grows, the belly grows upwards and not outwards. On the other hand, shorter women will have less space, and their baby will push outwards and not upwardly.

Next, we give you a chart of the average abdomen size during pregnancy.

[ Read: Itching Abdomen During Pregnancy ]

Pregnancy Abdomen Size Chart

This chart shows the changes yous may notice in your belly as the infant grows. It is an approximate nautical chart, and the measurements and changes could vary from one woman to another (4).

Month/week Belly size/fetal evolution
Offset month (calendar week 1-4)
  • No change in belly size
  • The fetus is just well-nigh the size of ¼ inch
Second month (week five-8)
  • A business firm belly, not a lot of difference in the belly size
  • The fetus' size is about ane inch
Third month (week 9-13)
  • A tiny bump starts to announced at the lesser
  • The fetus is about four inches
Quaternary calendar month (calendar week 14-17)
  • The belly grows and is noticeable
  • The fetus is near six inches
5th month (week 18-21)
  • The belly is pronounced; it is visible, and the shape may vary. Some are loftier, some low, and some burl at the middle
  • The infant may abound to most 10 inches
Sixth month (week 22-26)
  • The belly grows double the size and looks similar to a basketball game
  • The baby grows to nearly 12 inches
Seventh month (calendar week 27-thirty)
  • The baby's growth gets slower, and the abdomen size may exist constant or increase
  • The baby is now about 14 inches
8th month (calendar week 31-35)
  • The abdomen size is the same, but it looks bigger
  • The baby would grow up to 18 inches
Ninth calendar month (week 36-twoscore)
  • The belly looks curvy and bigger
  • The baby would exist about 18-20 inches

In case you practise not notice the above changes, practice not panic or assume something is incorrect. Bank check with the midwife or doctor if y'all're worried about the shape or size of the abdomen.

Common Concerns About The Pregnant Belly

Some of the mutual concerns that pregnant women might have about their bellies are mentioned here:

  1. Small belly: If you lot have a minor belly and your doctor or midwife tells y'all it is normal, then you do not accept to worry nigh it. One of the concerning reasons for a small belly could be oligohydramnios or low amniotic fluid. The condition may exist diagnosed through an ultrasound, and the doc could propose a treatment based on factors such as its extent and your medical history (5).
  1. Large abdomen: If your abdomen is growing chop-chop, you may visit your medico for a check-up. Usually, it could be normal due to your previous pregnancy or other factors. 1 of the concerning reasons for an unusually big belly could be polyhydramnios, or a loftier corporeality of amniotic fluid (6), which would be diagnosed past your doctor and handled appropriately.
  1. High belly: If you lot are carrying loftier, it normally means yous have a good muscle tone and strong abdominal muscles. Also, it could be because y'all're tall, and in most cases, a high pregnancy belly is considered normal unless diagnosed otherwise by your medico or midwife. However, make sure your md monitors the size of the belly regularly.
  1. Low belly: With a low belly, it might seem like the baby is ready to come out whatever minute, but that is not normally the case. Conveying a low belly could cause discomfort, pressure on the lower back, and pelvic hurting, but is not a reason for business.
  1. Wide belly: Carrying broad commonly means that the babe is in a side-to-side position, a situation termed equally a transverse prevarication (7). It could be a problem if the baby does not turn with its head down at the time of labor. Nevertheless, sometimes, an overweight pregnant woman may acquit broad, which is non a reason for concern.

Your pregnancy belly lasts only as long as your pregnancy does. Then, celebrate information technology with special activities.

Celebrating Your Pregnancy Belly

Here are some exciting ideas to brand your pregnancy memorable:

1. Photoshoot:

A pregnancy photoshoot is a trend these days, and lets yous capture your pregnancy belly every month and create a beautiful collage at the end.

Photoshoot for pregnant belly size chart

Paradigm: Shutterstock

ii. Abdomen painting:

Painting something artistic and beautiful on your belly is another thoughtful style to celebrate your pregnancy. You lot can let your husband or kid do it, or get it done professionally.

Pregnant belly painting

Paradigm: Shutterstock

iii. Pregnancy volume:

Yous can record anything and everything about your pregnancy. Take pictures of your pregnancy belly every month and paste them in the book. Besides, you could write what y'all are feeling at every stage. Your babe would exist happy to read information technology when he/she grows up.

Pregnancy book for pregnant belly size chart

Image: Shutterstock

Enjoy every week of your pregnancy, eat healthy foods, and follow the instructions of your doctor or midwife. Do not pay attention to the folklore surrounding the shape and size of a pregnant woman's belly. Too, ensure that your medico or midwife is carefully monitoring fetal growth and abdomen size.

[ Read: How To Calculate Pregnancy Weeks And Months Accurately ]

How was your pregnancy belly? Practise share your experiences and what stories you came beyond about your belly in the comment section below.

References:

MomJunction's articles are written later on analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You lot can acquire more virtually the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

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Jacky Bloemraad-de Boer is a certified professional midwife, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, doula, nutritionist and herbalist. In 2012 she began JJ Doula Training in Amsterdam and has trained more 200 doulas. Boer has trained midwives across the globe for a three-year midwifery programme that she created. She continues to teach midwifery sciences and complementary medicine for fertility, pregnancy, childbirth... more

Shikha is a writer-turned-associate editor at MomJunction. Her core involvement lies in writing articles that guide couples through their courtship to marriage and parenthood. She as well specializes in baby names. Existence a postgraduate in Human Resources, she likes understanding people and their relationships. This reflects in her relationship articles, where she deals with both the rosy and the greyness side... more than