Pregnancy Belly: What to Expect at Every Trimester (Plus, Real Photos!)

I was among the first of my friends to have a baby, so when it came to what my belly would look and feel like throughout my pregnancy, it was basically all surprises. Most of them were pretty fun, like when I started to show (around 20 weeks) and when I felt baby first kick (ditto). A few were unpleasant, though, like feeling like my stomach had zero room for food by the end of the third trimester. Then there were the just plain weird shockers, like how soft and empty my belly felt during those early postpartum days.

You might experience some surprises of your own—but in general, you can expect a fairly predictable progression as you move through the different pregnant belly stages, with a wide range of normal. Here’s what your bump may look and feel like during the first, second and third trimesters, plus what to expect for your post-pregnancy belly. (And, yes, we’ve included plenty of pregnant belly pictures for every stage!)

Key Takeaways

• Your pregnant belly can change a lot from trimester to trimester, and there’s a wide range of normal. You might start showing around 20 weeks, but factors like your body type, if you’ve been pregnant before and whether you’re carrying multiples can all affect when your bump pops.
• Your bump doesn’t just look different as pregnancy progresses, it can feel different too. Early on you might deal with bloating and nausea, while later you may notice baby’s kicks, heartburn, Braxton Hicks contractions and the sheer weight of your growing belly.
• By the third trimester, your belly may feel seriously full and heavy. Your growing uterus can leave less room for food, while baby’s stronger movements and added pelvic pressure can provide some surprising sensations.
• A postpartum belly may look and feel pretty different from the pregnant one you just got used to. Softness, loose skin, weakness and cramping can all be part of the normal transition as your body recovers from birth.
• There’s no single right way to feel about your changing belly. Whether you love your bump, have mixed feelings or need a little help embracing it, focusing on what your body is doing—and treating it kindly—can help.

When Will My Pregnant Belly Start to Show?

Whether you’re eager to show off your budding bump or hoping to hide your pregnancy for a few more weeks, it’s natural to wonder when your belly will start to show. There’s no milestone marker, but there is a typical path of pregnant belly progression. Many pregnant women’s bellies start to show around the 20-week mark. But that’s just a rough estimate, and in fact, it’s completely normal to start showing several weeks sooner or later, experts say. When your belly will start to pop, depends on several factors, including:

• Weight. “A woman’s own body weight distribution plays a big role,” explains Dr. Cindy Duke, MD, PhD, an ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist based in Las Vegas. A plus-size pregnant belly might not have a defined bump; women who carry more fat tissue around their middle might not notice a visible protrusion until their third trimester. Those with less-than-average body fat, on the other hand, might start to show earlier.
• Age and medical history. Women who’ve already given birth tend to show earlier and have bigger bumps compared to first-time moms. After a previous pregnancy, your belly muscles are not as tight and start stretching out a little quicker, Dr. Duke says.
• Being pregnant with multiples. Having twins or multiples will, of course, result in a bigger pregnancy belly bump that appears earlier.
• Baby’s position. Your bump might appear wider if baby is lying horizontally rather than head-down.

Your Pregnant Belly: First Trimester (Weeks 1 to 13)

It’s your little secret for now, and while others won’t know you’re expecting just by looking at you, it’s possible you might notice a difference in your belly during those first few weeks.

How your belly looks

Baby’s growing and your uterus is expanding every day. But both are still so small that they’re not all that noticeable from the outside. (Even at 13 weeks, your little one is only the size of a lemon!) That said, you might notice a difference.

• Bloated and puffy, like you ate too much. “Your uterus is starting to push your intestines and stomach upward, so you start to have this bloated appearance and your pants might not fit as comfortably,” explains Dr. Marquita Anderson, MD, an ob-gyn in Mansfield, Texas, affiliated with Christus Southeast Texas Hospital-St. Elizabeth. Surging pregnancy hormones, plus minerals like the iron in your prenatal vitamin, can lead to gas and constipation, which can also make your stomach look more puffed out than usual. It can feel like a weird middle ground, but it won’t stick around long.
• More prominent belly veins. The veins around your belly might start to be more prominent too, as your body makes more blood to support baby.
• Or…no change at all. While bloating especially can be par for the course during your first trimester, some women find that their early pregnancy belly basically looks the same as their pre-pregnancy one. “For me, there’s no bump during the first trimester. Which, to be honest, doesn’t help with any anxiety I’m feeling! It’s like I need proof to know everything’s good,” says Sarah A., a mom of three who’s currently pregnant with her fourth in New York City. But don’t let the lack of bump stress you out too much. “It can be normal for women to maintain a flat-looking belly during the first trimester. Some women may experience bloating, constipation or other digestive changes that make their abdomen appear larger, while other women may have no noticeable change,” says Denise Castellanos, CNM, lead midwife at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center’s Women’s Health Pavilion in Laguna Hills, California.

How your belly will feel

Whether it looks different or not, there’s a good chance you’ll be having some pregnancy-related sensations in your stomach. Here’s what you might expect.

• Gas and bloating. Again, it’s pretty typical to feel like your pants are too tight, thanks to the changes that are already happening to your uterus along with more gas and constipation.
• Nausea or queasiness. Morning sickness is a major thing for most moms-to-be early on. Fortunately, many find that it eases up by the second trimester.
• For some, crazy hunger. That constant growling? Oh, it’s your stomach. Even though baby is still teeny-tiny—and you’re somehow also feeling nauseous—you might find that your appetite has ramped up big time. One time during my first trimester, my husband and I had late dinner reservations, and I ate an entire first dinner around 5:30 p.m. just to hold me over.

3 months pregnant belly

Your Pregnant Belly: Second Trimester (Weeks 14 to 27)

Things are really taking off now! There’s a good chance that your belly will pop at some point during your second trimester. And as your belly expands, you may start to notice some other changes too.

How your belly looks

You still might not see much of a bump when your second trimester starts. But by midway through, that’ll likely start to change—and by the trimester’s end, you’ll likely have a sweet, rounded belly.

• Aaaand we have a bump! Around the 20-week mark your uterus will have grown up to your belly button, which for many women causes their belly to noticeably protrude or pop. “For some people it can feel like it happens overnight. One day you just reach this threshold where it seems like everybody’s noticing,” Dr. Anderson says. Even then, it’s more your expanding uterus than baby that’s giving you that round look, she notes.
• Is my belly growing upward?! At 20 weeks, baby is still less than a pound and only about the size of a mango. And when your bump first becomes visible, it’s normal for it to seem like it’s growing more upward than outward, Dr. Duke explains. (That’s your stomach and intestines being pushed up to make more room for your uterus.)
• But the timing isn’t the same for everyone. “I’m not showing even at over 25 weeks,” says The Bump community member wilma007. "I asked my doctor at my 24-week checkup, and all he said was ‘it happens.’ He even mentioned a woman in his early practice that didn’t pop until she was in her 30th week. So it evidently does happen!” - Linea nigra appears. It’s not just the size of your bump that’s really changing these days. Some time during your second trimester, you might start to notice a dark, vertical line running down the center of your abdomen. That’s your linea nigra, a common but harmless pigmentation caused by changing hormones. This pregnant belly line will typically fade within a few months after giving birth.
• Stretch marks could start up. All of the fast growing and stretching can cause the skin around your belly (as well as your breasts, hips, butt and thighs) to develop, you guessed it, stretch marks. And they can show up as early as the second trimester for some, says midwife Castellanos.

How your belly will feel

The good news: You’re about to start feeling baby kick, and that first-trimester nausea may be easing up. The bad news: Your queasiness may be replaced by other not-so-fun symptoms.

• Sometimes hard, sometimes soft. Many women in their second and third trimesters start to notice Braxton Hicks contractions, sporadic “practice” contractions caused by the tightening and relaxing of your uterine muscles. These occasional, irregular spasms aren’t anything to worry about, and they’re not a sign that your body is going into labor. Call your doctor, though, if the contractions start to feel like they’re coming in regular intervals, go on for more than an hour or become progressively stronger or closer together, Dr. Anderson says. Those could be real contractions, which could be a sign of preterm labor.
• Baby starts to kick. By 16 to 20 weeks, baby has gotten big enough that you can feel them moving around—one of the things many women look forward to most. “Feeling baby move for the first time is something I’ve never taken for granted,” says Miriam D., a mom of 11 in New York City. At this point, the sensation may still be pretty gentle—think pulses or flutters (so sweet!). You’ll get the bigger kicks later.
• Less queasiness. If you were plagued by nausea during your first trimester, there’s a good chance that it may start to ease up some time during your second.
• Heartburn. Growing pressure on your abdomen from your expanding uterus paired with hormone changes means that you might start to notice some acid reflux these days. “With both pregnancies, I started noticing heartburn around the beginning of my second trimester, maybe 14 to 16 weeks. If I eat dinner and then lie down too soon afterward, I pretty much guarantee I’m going to feel it,” says Leslie T., a mom of two in San Antonio, Texas.

4 months pregnant belly

5 months pregnant belly

6 months pregnant belly

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

The third trimester can feel like a bit of a marathon—your belly is bigger than ever, and the extra weight might be making you uncomfortable. But it’s all worth it, because in the blink of an eye, baby will be here.

How your belly looks

By 28 weeks, your uterus—and your bump—has extended well above your belly button, Dr. Duke says.

• Stretch marks, again. If they didn’t show up during the second trimester, chances are you’re starting to notice them now. There’s not a whole lot you can do to prevent stretch marks, especially if they tend to run in your family. But trying not to gain more than the recommended amount of weight can help, says Dr. Anderson. If your body and pregnant belly stretch marks are itchy, regular moisturizing can provide relief.
• Linea nigra may appear. They don’t show up at the same time for everyone, or at the same time during each pregnancy. So if you didn’t notice your linea nigra forming during the second trimester, it may start to show up during your third. That said, not everyone gets a noticeable one (I didn’t!), so if your belly stays relatively line-free, that’s also okay.
• Your belly button pops. The appearance of your navel may change too. If you’ve had an “innie” your whole life, you may be surprised to find that one day your pregnant belly button will just pop out! All that pressure on your abdomen may give you a temporary “outie”; it should return to its normal position a few weeks or months after you give birth.
• Your bump walks into the room before the rest of you. “My belly must have looked dramatically large because I got ‘you must be having twins!’ comments every five seconds. My fundal height and weight gain overall were completely normal, but the way my belly looked on my frame and the way I carried made it really pop,” says Natalie Gontcharova, senior editor at The Bump and a mom of one.
• Lightening or dropping. As you get to the tail end of your pregnancy, you may notice that your bump suddenly appears to drop or sit lower. Called lightening, this happens when baby moves down into your pelvis to get ready for delivery. While it’s hard to say exactly when baby will arrive, dropping usually happens within weeks, days or even hours of the birth process kicking off. So get ready!

How your belly will feel

You’re in the home stretch now, and your bump might be feeling stretched to the brink. It’s normal to feel a bit uncomfortable during the third trimester as baby puts on weight and takes up more space in your uterus. But all those little kicks and flips that are happening these days will more than make up for it.

• Very big and heavy. As baby starts to put on more inches and ounces, they’ll continue pushing your belly outward, creating a sensation of fullness or tightness in your tummy. (Between 28 and 40 weeks, your cutie will grow from the length of a rhubarb to the size of a mini watermelon!) “You’re experiencing maximal distension of the uterus, skin and abdominal muscles because baby is taking up so much space,” Dr. Anderson explains.
• Getting full quickly. Your growing baby and expanding uterus will also be pushing up more against your stomach, which literally leaves less space for food. As a result, you’ll probably find that you fill up a lot quicker these days. During my last month of pregnancy, I remember feeling like my stomach was basically already full even before I’d start eating. So I stuck with lots of mini meals to make sure I was getting the nourishment I needed without making myself more uncomfortable.
• Again, sometimes hard—sometimes soft. If you haven’t had Braxton Hicks already, you may start to notice them during your third trimester. Some women find that their Braxton Hicks tend to intensify as their delivery date nears. If you’re noticing more than six contractions per hour and they seem like they’re steadily getting stronger, let your doctor know. Those could be signs that labor is starting.
• Strong kicks from baby. Early in the third trimester baby’s arm and leg movements may feel downright forceful. Later on, as your approach your due date and baby has less room, their movements may feel muffled—more like rolling rather than sharp jabs. “My kid was kicking and moving around like crazy, so my husband and I spent a lot of time just watching the waves forming,” says Bogna S., a mom of one in Warsaw, Poland.
• Belly button pain. Some women get uncomfortable twinges in their belly button during the third trimester. As your belly grows, the skin and muscle around your belly button stretch, which can cause an achy or sharp feeling.
• Pelvic pressure. Especially as baby drops, you’ll start to notice a sense of heaviness down by your pelvis. “It was like baby was just sitting there and pushing on everything. It wasn’t exactly painful—more like this constant feeling of, ‘Okay, wow, there’s a lot of weight down there,’” says Leslie T.

7 months pregnant belly

8 months pregnant belly

9 months pregnant belly

Your Twin or Multiples Belly

Your belly won’t actually double or triple in size during a multiples pregnancy (phew). But having two or more babies in there definitely means that you’ll be bigger, and potentially endure some more challenging symptoms, compared to a singleton pregnancy. The good news, of course, is that you get an even bigger reward at the end.

How your belly looks

• First trimester. You’ll start off bloated and not-quite-pregnant looking, but somewhere between 12 and 16 weeks, most women who are carrying multiples will start to sport a bump, according to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “I remember comparing myself to friends who were pregnant with one baby, and they were still mostly in that ‘Is she pregnant or did she just have a big lunch?’ stage. Meanwhile, I was already very clearly pregnant,” says Gina R., a mom of twins in Rockville, Maryland.
• Second trimester. You’ll continue to be visibly bigger than women who are pregnant with singletons at the same stage of pregnancy, midwife Castellanos says. “People would guess I was way further along than I was,” says Gina R. And with two or more babies and a rapidly expanding uterus growing inside of you, you may start to experience things like stretch marks and linea nigra earlier compared to singleton moms-to-be too, Castellanos adds.
• Third trimester. Suffice it to say, your belly will probably look, well, huge. “I remember looking at pictures and being like, ‘How was I walking around like that?’ And somehow I kept getting bigger even when I was sure there was no more room," says Gina R. If you hadn’t yet gotten stretch marks or linea nigra during the second trimester, they’ll likely show up now.

How your belly will feel

• First trimester. Expect to feel bloated and blobby, just like women with singleton pregnancies. As for morning sickness? It might be intense, lasting for several hours each day or actually causing you to vomit
• Second trimester. You’ll probably start to feel the weight of your belly at this point. “It was heavy and tight, especially at the end of the day, and bending over was getting harder. I had a lot of stretching and pulling feelings around my sides too,” Gina R. reports. You might also be having more severe symptoms like constipation or heartburn, Castellanos says. And it’s safe to bet that those Braxton Hicks contractions that can kick off during the second trimester may be more frequent, research shows.
• Third trimester. All of the symptoms you dealt with during the second trimester may stick around or become more intense during this time. Also, be prepared to feel a lot of kicking. “The movement was wild. I could feel one baby moving on one side and the other one moving somewhere totally different. That was probably one of the strangest parts,” says Gina R.

Your Pregnant Belly in a Second or Subsequent Pregnancy

It’s pretty normal for some things to feel different the second (or third, or fourth) time around. Here’s a sneak peek of what your subsequent pregnancy might be like.

• Your bump gets bigger faster. Your core muscles have been worked this way before, so they’ll likely stretch out sooner this time. As a result, you may start to show earlier compared to your first pregnancy. “My pants became too tight almost immediately and I’m pulling out my maternity clothes sooner than I had planned to,” says pregnant mom of one Brittany C.
• Bump shape may (or may not) be different. Some women notice that they carry pretty much the same every time. “All 11 of my bumps looked almost identical. I carry entirely forward—the bump projects straight out in front of me rather than spreading to the sides,” says real-mom Miriam D. For others, each pregnancy belly can be distinct. “My belly was more ‘floppy’ with my second. I think it had to do with my C-section and my abs. I look back at my first pregnancy pictures and think I actually looked cute. With the second one, I just look large and very, very tired,” says The Bump community member maplehearts.
• You might notice kicking sooner. Once you know what those early movements feel like, you may be able to pick up on them a little earlier. Yay!
• You might have more Braxton Hicks. Again, this probably has to do with the fact that your body—specifically, your uterus—is more used to being stretched out and has already learned the whole pregnancy drill.

How to Love Your Pregnant Belly and Postpartum Body

Some women are smitten with their bump from the get-go and others have mixed emotions about their changing bodies throughout the different pregnant belly stages. All feelings are normal here! That said, if you need a little help embracing your changing body, here are some tips to try.

• Remember why your body’s changing. Shift the focus from your body to the little person that’s forming in there.
• Try some loving touch. “Grab your favorite lotion or body oil and rub it gently all over your belly. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, say kind things to yourself and remind yourself of all the beauty that’s come with this change,” suggests Sarah A., the mom of three in NYC. It might feel a little cheesy at first, but keep it up. After a few minutes, you might feel really grounded and relaxed.
• Do a pregnancy photoshoot. “As a maternity photographer, I’ve watched hundreds of women encounter their bumps through a camera lens for the first time. Almost universally, they’re harder on themselves than the photographs are. They come in apologizing for how they look—and leave in tears over how beautiful they are,” says real-mom and photographer Miriam D. Don’t want to spring for a professional maternity photoshoot? Have your partner or a friend take some photos of you, or even snap some selfies in the mirror. And there’s no need to stop at one photo session. You can do it every month or every week to see how your bump changes over time. You’ll be amazed to look back at these once you’re no longer pregnant, guaranteed.
• Be nice to your body. Think about the practical things that you can do on an average day to feel more comfortable in your new skin. “For me, celebrating the pregnancy wasn’t necessarily about doing something huge,” Leslie T. says. “Instead, I tried to be nice to my body in practical ways like taking baths, putting lotion or oil on my belly, wearing clothes that felt comfortable and resting when I was tired.”
• Remember that your body is right on track. “Probably the biggest thing was reminding myself that my belly wasn’t a problem to solve. It was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. That shift in perspective was actually really helpful for me,” says mom of one Elizabeth G.
• Try not to compare yourself (or your own pregnancies). “Bumps are a beautiful thing, but no person should obsess about their bump size or stress over them. Every body is different,” Dr. Duke says. Instead, focus your energy on taking care of yourself and going to all your prenatal appointments.

Your Post-Pregnancy Belly

For 40+ weeks, you grew a human inside your belly. The so-called fourth trimester is a physical and emotional adjustment. This period of transition can feel awkward; you won’t look pregnant per se, but you definitely don’t look not pregnant either. Either way, embrace the incredible thing your body just did and celebrate your post-pregnancy belly. Here’s what it might look like hours, days and weeks after birth.

How your belly looks

• Soft and squishy. After months of having a hard, full belly, things might feel weirdly soft and, well, doughy. “There was this sort of deflated quality to it that I wasn’t expecting,” says Elizabeth G., a mom of one in Concord, Massachusetts. “I didn’t want to fall into that mindset of, ‘I need to get my old body back,’ because my body had just done something pretty extraordinary. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t weird!”
• Still pretty pregnant. Keep in mind that just because your uterus has more or less shrunk back down to its pre-pregnancy size by six weeks postpartum, according to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), your belly probably won’t look the way it did before you became a mom.
• Loose, stretchy skin. Your skin might still be loose or stretched, and it may take months or more for you to lose the weight you gained, experts say. “It really surprised me,” recalls Brittany C., a mom of one who’s pregnant with her second in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. That’s completely normal, and not something you need to stress about. After all, you just built a new person and are now focused on caring for them 24/7.

How your belly will feel

• Achy or crampy. After birth, it’s normal for your belly to remain swollen for two to six weeks as your uterus shrinks back down to its pre-pregnancy size, Dr. Anderson says. As this happens, you might experience occasional dull, period-like pains, called afterpains.
• Wobbly or jelly-like. You’ll find that your abdominal muscles are stretched and weak, Dr. Anderson explains. For me, there was this sense that my core just wasn’t holding everything in the way it normally did. In most cases, things should start to tighten on their own in the coming weeks, but if you notice your belly continues to protrude several months after giving birth, you may have abdominal muscle separation, or diastasis recti, says Dr. Duke. (Don’t worry, though—there are ways to close that gap.
• Tender or sore. Especially if you delivered via C-section, it’s normal to experience some tenderness, soreness, tingling or even numbness around the site of your incision as you heal. But sharp pain, swelling, redness or heavy bleeding are not, so if any of those things are happening, let your care team know.

Post-pregnancy belly pictures

Share Your Pregnant Belly With The Bump

It’s amazing to see your pregnant belly grow from week to week. We’re looking to feature even more baby bump photos in our Pregnancy Week by Week content series to highlight the diverse physical changes that each week of the journey may bring. Do you have any belly images you’d like to share with us? Click here to submit your images. Thanks for being a part of our community!

To Sum It Up

Your pregnant belly will change in ways you may expect—and plenty of ways you don’t. From the first hint of a bump to the heaviness of the final weeks and the softness of your postpartum belly, all of the pregnant belly stages are part of your body’s remarkable work of growing and recovering from pregnancy. So try to give yourself plenty of grace along the way, and remember that there’s no single “right” way for a pregnant belly to look or feel.

How We Developed This Article

There are as many types of pregnant bellies as there are pregnant women. To learn more about the pregnant belly stages—and how your bump looks and feels during each one—we spoke with three ob-gyns and a midwife. We also drew on guidance and information from trusted medical organizations. Finally, we incorporated real experiences from moms to offer a relatable look at the many different ways pregnancy can change your body.

After editing, this article was vetted through fact-check and reviewed by our ob-gyn medical reviewer. Learn more about how we ensure the accuracy of our content through our editorial and medical review process.

About the author: Marygrace Taylor is a freelance health writer and mom of one who’s been covering pregnancy and parenting for more than 15 years. Her son is in elementary school now, but she remembers walking around with her baby bump like it was yesterday.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.