So, I hit the 17-week mark, and honestly, I was starting to wonder where the bump was hiding. You see all these pictures, right? People posting their cute little bumps way earlier than this, and here I was, still fitting into most of my regular pants.
I remember looking in the mirror each morning, turning sideways, trying to see something. Maybe a little curve? Nope. Just looked like I’d had a big lunch, maybe. It was a bit strange, not gonna lie. You expect things to happen on a certain timeline, and when they don’t, your mind starts wandering.
It wasn’t like I felt bad. The nausea had mostly gone away, which was a huge relief. And I’d started feeling those tiny little flutters, like popcorn popping way down low. That was amazing, and definitely helped me feel like things were okay in there. But still, the lack of a visible bump was noticeable, at least to me.
I found myself comparing my non-bump to others online or friends who’d been pregnant. Some folks looked properly pregnant by this stage! It made me think, just for a second, “Is everything alright? Am I doing something wrong?” Silly, I know, but pregnancy brain does weird things.
At my next check-up, I casually mentioned it. Just said something like, “You know, I’m 17 weeks and still not really showing much.” My doctor was totally unfazed. She chuckled a bit and said it was super common, especially with the first baby. She mentioned stuff like your own body shape, muscle tone, and even the position of the uterus can affect when you start showing. Basically, she told me not to worry and that everyone’s different.
Hearing that directly really helped. It took the pressure off. I stopped scrutinizing my belly quite so much and focused more on eating well and just feeling those little movements. It was a good reminder that pregnancy isn’t a race or a competition, and my body was just doing its thing on its own schedule.
It took a few more weeks, but eventually, the bump did decide to make an appearance. It wasn’t overnight, but gradually, it became undeniable. So, if you’re at 17 weeks, or even later, and wondering where your bump is, hang in there. It’s probably just taking its time, and that’s perfectly okay.
