Interesting facts about the size and shape of the pregnant belly

The size and shape of a pregnant belly in each person is different and your baby will develop with each day. False rumors about this can cause anxiety and negatively affect your health.

When you are pregnant, relatives or friends also often give you different advice or opinions regarding the size of your pregnancy. However, that may not be the case. You need to be aware of the facts regarding this matter.

Weight gain during pregnancy

Your doctor will periodically check your weight gain throughout the months of pregnancy. If you were lowweight when you first started pregnancy, you may need to gain more weight. Conversely, if you are overweight during pregnancy, you need to gain less weight to ensure the health of both mother and baby.

Another important thing that pregnant mothers need to remember is to always check and maintain the pregnancy weight. If that weight does not meet the average weight, the mother needs to review her diet during pregnancy .

Make sure you eat enough nutritious foods during pregnancy and that is how you listen to your body's voices. When you are hungry, eat right away and don't try to get too full. If you focus on maintaining a nutritious diet, then you will most likely gain weight.

BMI (body mass index) and pregnancy

If your body mass index is average at the beginning of pregnancy (between 18.5 and 24.9) then you should increase it to about 1/2 - 2kg during your first trimester  and increase by about 1/2 - 1kg per week during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. During pregnancy, the total weight increases to about 10 - 12kg.

If your body mass index is below 18.5 during pregnancy, you should gain weight by about 12-15kg.

If the mass index is about 25 - 29, the weight increase should only be about 5 - 10 kg.

If your BMI exceeds 30, the total weight you should gain during pregnancy should be 3-8 kg.

To see your body mass index, you can click here .

The truth about the shape and size of the pregnant belly

Some people believe that the size of your pregnant belly will tell you whether you have a boy or a girl. For boys, the pregnant belly tends to be low and swell. If you are pregnant with a girl, your baby's tummy tends to rise and extend to your hips. However, science still has no evidence for these rumors.

In fact, the shape of the pregnant belly does not affect and related to the child's gender. The difference in shape of the pregnant belly is due to the abdominal muscles and the mother's height during pregnancy.

If before pregnancy, you have a slim body, toned abdominal muscles, the pregnant belly usually sticks up because toned abdominal muscles will help you support the baby's weight better.

During pregnancy, you will also encounter a lot of questions and comments such as: "How many months has it been since the baby?", "Your belly looks so small" or "Your belly is too big!". Some people feel proud when their tummy is big because they think the baby is developing well. While others feel anxious and anxious for fear of the baby being too big, giving birth will be difficult. Some people have a small belly and feel happy because they still keep a slim body. Some people get pressured because they think that the baby in the womb is not developing well .

However, the truth is that with experienced doctors, they still cannot confirm anything about the health of the fetus when just observing the size of the pregnant belly. Therefore, do not pay too much attention to this issue. Just be happy, be optimistic, eat nutritious food, take regular pregnancy check-ups under the guidance of your doctor for your baby to develop normally and healthy.

When is the pregnant belly clear?

When pregnant, each person will reveal their belly at different times. Usually, the belly is visible when you reach the 2nd trimester . However, there are also people who clearly see the pregnant belly in the first trimester due to the increase of water and vapor in the abdomen.

Before pregnancy, abdominal muscles firmness affects the shape of the abdomen. The firmer your abs, the longer you will keep your tummy flat. If you are already pregnant and having a baby, your abdominal muscles are prone to sagging and your pregnant belly will show more quickly.

Diagnosis and periodic examination

Your doctor will diagnose and make an assessment of the size of your abdomen after each routine pregnancy check to make sure nothing out of the ordinary has happened . This is also a way for the doctor to check the development of the fetus in the womb and announce the due date if you are not sure when you will conceive.

The size and shape of a pregnant belly varies from person to person. Therefore, you do not need to worry too much if your belly is smaller than others.

Usually, the distance between the pubic bone and the top of the uterus increases by about 1 cm per week. If the diagnosis and observation show that your abdomen is not growing as expected (too small), the obstetrician may recommend an ultrasound to make sure the fetus is developing normally, steadily.

Worry about oversized pregnant belly

For many women, dizzying weight gain during pregnancy is difficult to accept. If in the past, you used to consciously keep your ideal body shape and body numbers, then the weight gain along with a sudden enlargement of your pregnant belly can make you worry. However, you should not be too stressed about this, as long as you eat properly, scientifically, increase fiber, limit sweets and high-fat foods, your baby will grow slowly, stimulating. The size of the pregnancy will be well controlled.