This article was originally published on March 20, 2017. It was updated on October 1, 2020 by Kirstie Landry.
Once a woman is pregnant, she has one important question: to tell or not to tell? As soon as she finds out she's expecting, she may think of keeping her pregnancy a secret or share it just with close family and friends.
Why are women thinking of concealing their baby bumps? There might be a few possible reasons. Many women decide to keep it a secret just for the first trimester because of miscarriage risks or complications at work.
In addition, some women like to keep the news to themselves for a little while. But on the other hand, some women are so excited about being pregnant that they want to announce it to the world right away.
Nevertheless, there are still some reasons why women might want to hide their baby bumps from the world. Some women who find out that they are pregnant might wonder if there are ways for them to hide their pregnancy bellies, and if so, how they can do it.
There are clothes one can use to hide a pregnancy. A woman who is wondering how to hide her baby bump will likely also be interested in the fact that there are other ways in which she can keep her pregnancy a secret as well. Here are things a woman can do if she wants to hide a pregnancy.
6 Maternity Clothes Will Show Your Baby Bump
Maternity clothes are designed to show a woman's baby bump. They are made for those who want to show to the world that this is a special time in their life. Also, if a woman does not change her style too drastically, then those who are around her might not notice any change in her outfits. Even though she is changing, she may show others that nothing has changed by wearing the same type of clothes she wore before becoming pregnant, adding just little tweaks.
She may hide her pregnancy for a while longer by confusing people and making them think she's just adding some weight by wearing regular, looser clothes. A good suggestion would be to buy clothes that are one or two sizes larger than what she usually wears and to avoid slim-cut clothes. According to parents.com, this is also a good way for women to ensure that they have clothes that fit them right after giving birth. This is a very good option in emergency situations, such as interviews for jobs.
5 Adding Layers
Women can wear layers to hide baby bumps. That is because layers are a great way to hide a pregnancy belly, according to laurennatalia.co.
The more layers, the better, especially if they’re in the fall or winter. Women can conceal their baby bump by wearing a winter coat, a blazer, or a cardigan. But it would be best to wear it in a size larger than they usually wear. Those who are wondering how to not look pregnant can hide their bellies behind layers of clothes, jewelry, and jackets.
Pregnant women should make layering their new best friend. In the colder months, they can wear large sweaters and cardigans put over a shirt. This will definitely distract away from their belly. Also, in the warmer months, they can wear a short sleeve cardigan or a long tunic sweater to cover their bellies. Some other good ideas would be to layer on a lightweight vest or to throw on a scarf for good camouflage. All a pregnant woman has to do before getting dressed is to think of layers.
4 Don't Shy Away From Accessories
If a woman who wants to hide her pregnancy is looking to buy some new accessories, then it looks like a reason just fell right into her lap. Accessories are actually a great way to distract the eye from a woman's belly, and women can also use them as styling tools. They should use accessories to draw attention away from their baby bumps, and bring attention to their faces using big earrings, for example. Also, gold accessories tend to draw more attention than silver or black. Women can also bring the watcher’s eye up with bright short necklaces.
Women can also accessorize using long chains and fashionable scarves to conceal their protruding tummies during pregnancy. The scarf can be worn in a way that allows it to fall over a baby bump, which is what makes it such a good accessory for those who wish to use clothes to hide a pregnancy.
When hiding a pregnancy, it’s all about getting people to look anywhere except at the baby bump, or concealing it. Have a little fun with this. It can be a very effective way for a woman to hide her pregnancy belly, according to babygo.uk.
3 Use The Dental Distraction
If a woman is pregnant, she knows she will have to go to a lot of doctor appointments and scans, and she'll probably worried about raising suspicions at work. She'll have to come up with something to tell her boss, so she can safely monitor her pregnancy and also keep it a secret from the coworkers.
According to lifestyle.thecable.ng, women can tell their bosses that they have dentist appointments. If they need more excuses for their doctor’s appointments, they can tell them they’re having some major dental work done, which requires more appointments. They can even extend the appointments over several weeks, and every time they need to be at another appointment, they can tell their bosses that they’re heading to their next dental appointment. Lying isn't always the right thing to do, but it can help women hide their pregnancies if they're not ready or feel safe to speak on it.
2 Use The Detox Excuse
There are a lot of different people who go on detoxes from time to time, so it is not uncommon for one to hear a person say that they are choosing to detox. Therefore, those who wish to hide their pregnancies can use that excuse.
This means that women who wish to hide their baby bumps from their friends, family, and co-workers can try telling them that they are detoxing if they get invited to drink some adult beverages, or eat something that is unhealthy for an expectant mother to eat. This is also a great way for pregnant women to ensure that they avoid harmful things like coffee, soft cheeses, and raw meat. It’s a great way to hide so many pregnancy-related symptoms.
1 Be The Designated Driver
It’s a known fact that alcohol is an important part of all of social events. But how could a pregnant woman refuse the alcohol without raising suspicions? If she can drive, she has found her key out of drinking alcohol. According to babygo.uk, she can be the designated driver. It’s the perfect excuse to refuse alcohol during pregnancy if they want it hidden a little while longer. And women can still have a great time with her friends. This is her way out of the pressures to drink alcohol, and choose one of the alcohol-free drinks available at the party. The good part is that her friends will be feeling so grateful.
Pregnant women can also tell people they need drinks to be non-alcoholic because they need to be driving their friends or family around. Also, they should make sure that they don't over-do it with the same group of people, because they may catch on and start raising questions.
Using The Bathroom Frequently
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One of the least pleasant things women tend to experience when they are pregnant is morning sickness. Furthermore, the term 'morning sickness' can be really confusing for some women, since this is actually a symptom that they can experience any time of the day or night.
This is sometimes compared to a hangover, as it feels very similar to one. But what makes it worse is that it can last a long time.
Morning sickness is one of the pregnancy symptoms a woman can’t hide. But she can use some tricks to avoid suspicion from her co-workers. If her co-workers see her taking too many trips to the toilet, she can tell them that she has the stomach flu, according to popsugar.com.
Another problem that’s causing her trips to the toilet is the constant need to pee. Her baby is starting to press on her bladder and she probably feels like peeing all the time, so she’ll start visiting the toilet more often throughout the day. Little white lies can be really helpful in scenarios like this one.
Don't Touch The Belly
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Many pregnant women touch their bellies during pregnancy. This is very common, but it can also be a clue that a person is expecting. According to babygo.uk, this is something a woman should avoid doing as much as possible if she is wondering how to hide her baby bump from the rest of the world for as long as she can.
There is nothing wrong with a pregnant woman wanting to touch her baby bump. However, since it can make her pregnancy very obvious, she should not do it in front of people.
Most pregnant women touch their tummies, and they do it extremely often. They should make sure they don’t do this in the presence of people they want to keep this a secret from. They should just remember to keep your hands away from their pregnancy bellies so as not to draw unwanted attention to them.
A Break From Coffee
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As pregnant women want to do what’s best for the little ones growing inside their bellies, they start to change their diets so he or she will have the healthiest start that they possibly can. This also includes quitting coffee or at least drinking a lot less.
Coffee is not very good for pregnant women because it can be harmful to their unborn babies, according to pregnancybirthbaby.org.au. But if a woman suddenly starts drinking much less of it (or stopping altogether) that can make some people suspect that she is expecting.
If a pregnant woman is wondering how she can put a stop to her coffee intake without raising anyone's suspicions, then she can start by telling them that her doctor has suggested she cut down on the caffeine for a few days. They can also try bringing coffee mugs with them, and just filling them with water.
Camouflage With Colorful Patterns
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Some women begin to show from the first trimester. If this is the case for a woman who wants to hide her baby bump, then she will have to think of solutions to hide that lovely bump. One trick to do this is to use clothes that have colorful patterns, according to babygo.uk.
Besides wearing the right clothes, pregnant women have to also pay attention to colors and patterns. Fabrics such as satin with bright colors and loud prints, or stripes and plaids need to be avoided, as they attract the watcher’s eye to the belly. They can wear dark, and solid-colored clothes, which usually makes people look slimmer. Also, another tip is to combine a darker colored pant with a colorful lighter top. Pregnant women can also wear printed flowers on their tops. These colorful patterns combined with dark colors have an amazing minimizing effect, and also don’t attract attention to growing baby bumps.
So remember to pattern it up! Pregnant women should definitely check out some new tops and dresses with stripes, polka-dots, or flowers. It can be their fashion style!
Eating For Two?
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There are a lot of different things women will begin to experience when they are pregnant, and some of them make it really hard for a woman to hide her pregnancy, even if she is using clothes to do it. While a woman who is in the early weeks of pregnancy might not be eating a lot more yet, she might be getting some cravings.
But she should be extra careful when she is eating around others, especially if they are around her enough to know her typical eating habits. Any changes will make them ask questions.
Try the following tips. Pregnant women can eat their extra food when no one is around, or when they are on a break at work. They can also just try snacking when no one is watching, or filling their desk drawers with the foods that they crave.
Less Of A Workout
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Everyone should workout. After all, working out is a really important part of life, and it is a great way for a person to be as healthy as they possibly can. But when a woman becomes pregnant, there are some things she might go through that could keep her from wanting to workout.
For example, they might feel some fatigue or even morning sickness. This means that their workout schedule could be changed. Pregnant women may not be able to keep up that five-mile run when they have a growing baby inside of them. That’s fine, but the people they workout with might notice that something is up.
Women who are wondering how they can manage to not look pregnant can try doing different exercises. They should schedule a pilates class one afternoon together with their gym partners, which could keep that person from asking them to do other things.
They can also tell their gym partner that they have some allergies or a stomach bug, and they can’t attend their scheduled gym class. They can also blame it on a work deadline or on a minor injury. That should do the trick.
Wear Loose Dresses
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A loose dress is a great way to hide a baby bump that’s growing bigger and bigger. Pregnant women can now go to the mall and start shopping for some new dresses.
Just be careful that the dresses are not too loose. Women should choose pieces of clothing that fit over their bodies nicely. A dress is too loose may draw more attention to a person, which is not what they'll want if they are trying to hide a baby bump from their friends, family, or co-workers.
They could also wear a loose blouse or a cute shirt that has a banded bottom that hides their pregnant belly. By doing this they won’t have to wear loose clothes all the time.
Long tunics are also great for situations like this. In addition, women can wear some loose dresses that have ruffles on them. Ruffles are a smart thing for a person to wear if they are trying not to look pregnant.
Bags Are Your New Best Friend
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There are a lot of reasons why a person might want to own some type of beautiful bag. Perhaps they just want to have their spirits lifted a bit, or they wish to use it to their advantage if they are trying to cover up a growing baby bump.
Women in this situation should buy a few big bags or totes. But, there are some important things for them to take into consideration. For example, they should know that they do not have to have expensive designer bags. But since they are likely going to be using them a lot, women in this spot might want to choose some bags that are very nice.
Also, the bags a woman chooses have to be big enough to cover her growing bump as much as possible. In addition, when they are around others, they need to carry the bag in front of them. They can do some things to make the bag look even trendier, which will keep everyone else's eyes away from their stomach. People can do this by tying a fashionable scarf to their bags.
They can also try standing behind chairs and countertops as much as possible. Hiding a pregnancy means hiding a baby bump for as long as possible.
Keep It From Other Kids
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Pregnant moms might want to also hide their pregnancy from their older children for a while. Kids can have a hard time keeping secrets from other people, so they could accidentally slip up and tell others about their mothers' big news before they are supposed to.
But the good thing is that there are some good tips for moms who wish to keep their pregnancies a secret from their little ones. For example, if a child wants their pregnant mom to get on a ride with them, the mom can just say that the ride is too crowded and then suggest something that is a bit more pregnancy-friendly according to whattoexpect.com. Moms can also ensure that their partners spend some time with the kids while they get some rest.
Sources: Parents, Lauren Natalia, Babygo, The Cable Lifestyle, Popsugar, Pregnancy Birth & Baby, What To Expect