Best way to hide a pregnancy?

banananutmuffin

I don't post here often, but I find myself in a bit of a dilemma and I know you fashionistas will have great advice!

I just discovered I'm pregnant (3rd kid), and due to some personal reasons (previous losses, my "advanced maternal age," etc.) I want to keep it a secret for as long as reasonably possible. Like... until I'm 18 weeks if I can.

I'm 5'0" and about 106 lbs, apple/inverse triangle shaped, so I don't carry extra weight well.

I can hide this pregnancy most days with oversized sweatshirt and baggy jeans, but for holiday events I'm going to need to dress a little nicer. Could probably still get by in jeans, but people would expect something other than my husband's sweatshirt on my top! lol

Any suggestions? I find flowy tops (empire especially) tend to make me look pregnant even when I'm not, which isn't what I want. I don't want people to suspect if I can avoid it. What do you think? Is there any fashion hope for this situation?

Thanks so much!

13 years ago

Dressing

13 replies

Latest reply was from K. Period.

ramya

Veteran

Hi there

Congratulations :).. And all the best.
We have a forum member here GoldenPig:) is her name... And she is pregnant too and trust me her baby bump is barely noticable until recent...
Maybe you could check out her posts for inspiration as she is more dressy than casual...

13 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

You could try button-down shirts. They're usually a little looser and can hide a tummy. Maybe soft, flowy blouses and chunky sweaters that don't fit tight. Long tunics and skinny jeans/leggings might also work. I understand wanting to hide a pregnancy but 18 weeks might be difficult since you're already so tiny and this isn't your first pregnancy. I hope it all works out!

13 years ago

KikiG

Veteran

Best wishes for what I am sure is a rather stressful time for you, fashion concerns aside.

You could try adding visual or actual extra to your bust. What makes someone look pregnant as opposed to just heavy is a belly that exceeds the projection of the bust. Fiddle with your bust, and you may help disguise your bump by tricking people into thinking you have just gained weight. Don't forget to add visual bulk to your back, as well, perhaps with a vest or a cardigan. When people gain weight, they also gain in their backs and shoulders.

Another trick is to look for garments that drop from the projection of your bust, instead of track it. I have noticed how much visual "weight" this adds, and now try to select underlayers that do not tent. But a woven shift or shirtwaist dress that tented from your bust could disquise quite a bump.

13 years ago

carrie

(website)

Active Member

I would try to find looser or empire cut "regular" clothing for as long as you can. I found that I was able to buy non-maternity clothes for a long time if the cut was right, and I remember people were still uncertain about my pregnancy for a long time. People are more likely to attribute your shape to the cut of the clothes than to your bump. I think the longer you can find a way to make non-maternity clothes work for you, the more likely you will be to hide it.

13 years ago

banananutmuffin

Active Member

Thank you!

I am thinking maybe a chunky knit sweater with leggings or a tunic with leggings might be my best bet. My legs stay pretty slender until I'm way into my pregnancies, and pants that show off my legs might help distract everyone from my belly, right?

I fear 18 weeks is optimistic, but I'm going to try. At the very least, if people start commenting, I suppose I can just say, "Gee, I really need to lay off the potato chips."

13 years ago

Anonymous

I agree with Carrie.

13 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

Definitely check out Goldenpig's postings. Go back a few months, but even some of her most recent don't make her look *too* pregnant. She is a bit taller than you, but self-identifies her shape as apple I believe, and this is her third pregnancy.

13 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

Jackets are magic--leather, blazer, any extra layer like that will really help. Also I would think woven tops rather than stretchy, so tunics or button down shirts, maybe a size larger than usual if necessary. You are in luck with the oversize trend being so strong at the moment. Even if you wear your things a little large, just try to make it look trendy. Also, one thing I noticed about maternity pants is when they have that big stretchy part over the belly, this can grab onto the fabric of flowy tops and emphasize your bump because the top isn't really flowing anymore, so I would look for pants or skirts that you can wear under the bump. Congratulations and good luck!

13 years ago

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Hi Banananutmuffin!
Congrats on your pregnancy! How exciting! How many weeks are you right now? How are you feeling?

I too am an apple and having my third child and am at 22 weeks right now. I tried to hide my pregnancy for as long as I could and made it to 12-13 weeks before I was outed. With you being so petite and slim, there is no way you can hide it till 18 weeks, but there are definitely things you can do to minimize the bump. I agree with avoiding empire waist tops (screams maternity) and sticking to your pre-pregnancy wardrobe as much as possible. Loose tunic tops over skinny jeans are great for hiding the bulge. Try to squeeze into your regular pants and just unbutton the top and use an elastic or a Bella band if you can (I didn't really do this much because I like to wear dresses/skirts much more). Also, structure and waist definition (sounds counter-intuitive) worked best for me to hide the bump, like with belts and pencil skirts and structured sheath dresses, because people do not expect pregnant women to wear these styles. I would just hike up the skirt a little so the waist was higher up at my natural waist instead of near my navel, to give me a little more room for the belly. I basically kept dressing for my apple shape as if I was just gaining a few extra lb. And I think I only gained 4-5 lb my first trimester but my belly got proportionally huge for the amount of weight I gained.

You can check back through my WIW's on my YLF blog (esp the July and August ones):
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/

Here's a few posts where I specifically discussed hiding the bump:
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....g-the-bump
(you can see the difference in what my belly actually looked like in #1 and the dresses and skirts also I wore that week that hid the bump)
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....ump-eraser
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....ular-pants
(the grey suit one was especially good at hiding it)
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....h-the-bump
(see the contrast between the jersey dresses and more structured sheath dresses)

I was going to do a recap of my favorite first trimester outfits but never got around to it, but maybe this will be motivation for me to finally post them!

Congrats again and best wishes for a happy & healthy pregnancy! Love it that there are so many YLF babies on the way!

13 years ago

banananutmuffin

Active Member

I am not far along at all... maybe 4 weeks? But I do tend to bulge out quickly when I get pregnant. With my second child, it was obvious really really early. I guess because of my short torso. I feel bulgy right now but am sure it's just bloat.

Thanks again for all the advice!! Now I have some shopping to do...

13 years ago

Kristin L

Veteran

Congrats and best wishes! I have no idea if this will help or not, but I've seen shapewear for pregnant ladies at Target.

13 years ago

banananutmuffin

Active Member

Goldenpig: WOW! I just looked at some of your posts and you did a fab job of hiding your bump. It was an itty bitty cute bump, so you carried it well! I so wish I could raid your closet.

13 years ago

K. Period.

Veteran

Congratulations and I have my fingers crossed that all goes well! I too tried to hide my (second) pregnancy until quite late. I was also AMA (or as they kindly put it, an elderly mother), so I wanted to have all my tests before I fessed up to anyone that I was pregnant. I got almost all the way there, although a few people did start to notice.

My three best friends for hiding my bump were 1) jackets! 2) scarves worn over jackets and shirts, and 3) a tiered ruffled stretch top. The jackets were really the best. I wore them unbottoned so that they created bulk and a bit of a cave that I could hide my belly in. When the belly was getting too big for that disguise to work on its own, I wore scarves tied around my neck (both silk scarves and pashmina style ones) and draped over the belly. To switch it up because folks were seeing me every day, I sometimes wore really bulky shirts underneath the jackets, including one that I got that had tiers of fabric on it. Something a little more ruffle dense than the Bailey 44 tiered stripe dress, but along the same lines. Ultimately, some folks were very surprised, and some said that they suspected, but no one asked me. Hope that helps!

13 years ago

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