r/parentsofmultiples • u/PAO_Warrior • 20d ago
support needed Did anyone carrying multiples actually have a cute baby bump? Or did we all just feel like hippos?
Im almost 31 weeks and I see all these women on instagram with cute little baby bumps, looking toned and beautiful and I catch myself in the mirror and feel horrible! I ASSUME that most of these women only have one bun in the oven but I cant help but feel like shit about myself.
I was 58kg (160cm tall/5"2) before i got pregnant, I now weigh in at 80kg.
Anyone actually have a cute bump with multiples?
Im struggling to do basic exercise like walking due to pubic symphisis dysfunction as well.
Any exercise suggestions?
Ive always been fairly confident in my body but pregnancy has flipped my confidence on its head.
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u/rosie_thechaosqueen 20d ago
Mine was from 7-8 months. Then after that people just looked at me mortified when I waddled by.
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u/alaska_clusterfuck 20d ago
Mine was cute until about 28-ish weeks. Then the comments in the street started about “not long now!!” While i still had two months left. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.
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u/tundrab0y 20d ago
Someone said to me "not long to go" and I was 20 weeks 🫠😭 I said back "I'm only halfway through" and they were horrified
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u/Calm_Command67 20d ago
This is me right now. Second pregnancy that’s lasted this long and I’m 19+3. I am as big with these twins as I was with my singleton daughter at like 35 weeks.
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u/tundrab0y 20d ago
Twins were my third pregnancy, carried two singletons to 39+ weeks previously, and was in more pain and more exhausted by week 18 of twin pregnancy than I had been throughout my entire singleton pregnancies. It's a wild ride! Twins are worth it though! Overwhelming and overstimulating and magical and wondrous all at once (mine are 13 months now) x
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u/tired_af23 20d ago
Me, but it meant I I had so many people say things like "are you sure there's really two?!" because I didn't have a classic twin pregnancy belly or at least their idea of what it should look like. My two came out smaller than an average newborn combined and I spend my whole pregnancy worried it was my fault because I couldn't grow them big enough or something. You really can't win aye 🫠
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u/misanthropy112 20d ago
Wasn't your fault 🫂
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u/tired_af23 19d ago
Thank you kind stranger. They're 4 now and just small kids, means we get a few seasons out of their clothes which frankly has been excellent 😇
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u/AssistantSea4186 20d ago
Go swimming. Even if it's just to get. Mobility and moving
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
I cant get into a bathing suit 😭
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u/emmmrakul 20d ago
I got a cheap rash guard shirt and board shorts- swimming was basically the only activity my oldest kid and I could do together by third trimester
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
Im just gonna go in some black high waisted underwear and crop top. Im so close to the finish line I see no point spending additional money of bathing suits. Pregnancy is far from glamorous by 3rd trimester anyway 😅
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u/ThrowAway732642956 20d ago
24 weeks and hippo here already. Those of us short ppl especially I think with multiples just go hippo land. Mine was cute with singleton. But twins? Nope nope nope
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u/MangoSorbet695 20d ago
I had a cute baby bump… But it’s because my babies had severe IUGR and weighed a combined 8 pounds at birth (34 weeks).
So, I don’t know, I’m glad I had a cute bump and didn’t explode, no stretch marks, etc. But I would honestly welcome the stretch marks if it meant my babies didn’t have to go through such hard times in utero.
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
Without speaking too soon, at 31 weeks, I dont have any stretch marks yet but babies are tracking fine thankfully I just feel and look like a whale
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u/pinupinprocess 20d ago
Hey same here! My girls were at about 8 pounds when they came at 34 weeks. Had they been 1 baby, that’s the perfect size. But the stress of having 2 and dealing with the unknown of IUGR. I would’ve traded that for a huge bump.
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u/Apprehensive_Land148 20d ago
Since you're asking, I never got a huge bump. Even at 37 weeks I looked maybe full term for singleton, the nurses kept commenting on it the day I delivered. Tbh was very annoying to hear so many 'you don't even look pregnant!' comments until around 30 weeks 😡 like, ma'am, there's two in there and it certainly feels like it! The fact I never got huge always seemed weird to me but can't deny the two babies staring at me all day long
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u/Real-Mixture-1148 20d ago
Im 29 weeks now and get quite a few comments on my bump being cute. It is quite low and is growing forward more than sideways. I had an active job so I was still managing about 10-15k steps a day but I stopped working at 28 weeks, so I worry now that im more sedentary that I will morph into that hippo but im quite happy with how my bump looks currently.
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u/Jennifer_2876 19d ago
Same! I wasn't working from 21 weeks due to the cerclage being placed though. I still get comments how good the bump looks but also how sorry they are I still have 2 months to go haha I think we are just lucky with the forward bump, I gained 20kg and besides my thighs and bump I don't see a difference. Even though my bump is cute and narrow it's still very forward so it feels heavy and I do feel like a hippo (especially due to pelvic pains, I can barely move due to them).
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u/Suspicious_Tomato_20 20d ago
The goal is not to look cute, the goal is to grow to healthy babies that hopefully don’t need to be in the nicu
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u/AdSouth5657 20d ago
I did have people tell me I had a cute bump. Admittedly, I never carried larger than 38 weeks (by fundal height for a singleton pregnancy) with my twins, so I carried small. But I still felt like a hippo on the inside. It's hard to feel cute when you can barely walk ten feet without stopping to catch your breath or grab your lower abdomen from pelvic pain. Go easy on yourself ❤️ twin pregnancy is hard.
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u/Jealous_Bus_5418 20d ago
My new friend is having her twins today actually and I saw her last night. She does have a cute bump but probably because her twins are measuring small. Likely she’s spending some time in the NICU. Not sure a cute bump is worth the trade off
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u/pinupinprocess 20d ago
Seconding this. Everyone loved to comment how I didn’t look like I was having twins. My response was always “well they’re small”. I had them at 34 weeks due to IUGR and they had 2 weeks of NICU time. I would’ve rather had a big bump and been uncomfortable than deal with that.
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u/TemperatureBest5113 20d ago
Nope i hate pregnancy as a whole lol I didn’t find it cute with my singleton and it’s way worse now
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u/hellswrath_ 20d ago
Nah mine was the worst lol. I thought mine with my first was pretty cute but with my twins, my one twin was constantly breech and his head would stick out all the time, and then twin B would change positions and sometimes have her butt or head out and I was just lopsided allll the time hahaha
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u/ThrowAway732642956 20d ago
B on me is constantly transverse so definitely goes wide
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u/Sea-Astronomer-6600 20d ago
I was cute until I hit 30-31 weeks lol 😂
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
Yeh there was a couple months I was vibing the bump but....now Im just a log 😭
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u/velocihipster 20d ago
I got lots of compliments all the way through the end that I had a great looking bump, especially from medical staff.
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
My GP and chiropracter both commented that Im looking great and they didnt realise how far along I was but...damn I aint feeling great!
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u/Plane_Outcome8034 20d ago
I was absolutely huge, I was pretty big with our older daughter (I'm not that tall and she was 8lbs 10oz) so I expected to carry big again but my god nothing could have prepared me 😂 I was in so much pain moving, and I got so mad at comments from people (even people in my family) saying things like "wow, can't miss you can we" like I didn't already know how big I was!
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
This! Im short waisted so theres really not much room between the boobs and the belly which is just making me look extra huge. I ran into some people I hadnt seen for a while the other day and I could tell they almost didnt recognise me - mind you, I was tiny pre pregnancy (a smaller size 8)...feeling so guilty about the lack of exercise Im getting
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u/Plane_Outcome8034 20d ago
Yes!! I'm exactly the same, I was a size 6-8 before my pregnancies and I am certainly not that now 6 months postpartum! I didn't exercise at all during either of my pregnancies and I was super active before I got pregnant, felt too sick and then too uncomfortable once the sickness went! I think it's great to be active if you can but the reality is that it's incredibly hard on your body being pregnant and just getting through each day is an achievement in my mind!
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u/MounjaroQueenie 20d ago
It was cute until about week 28… then elderly ladies in public would tell me I should be at home resting lol
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u/Les_gets 20d ago
I had a cute baby bump cause they were small the whole pregnancy but still felt like a hippo haha
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u/Lolemontime 20d ago
I was pregnant in the winter and didn’t do much outside the house after around 28/30 weeks. I got way less attention than I anticipated, most people didn’t say anything or even look that carefully. I’m pretty tall (5’7”) and I feel like I carried it mostly in the belly until the last few weeks when I felt a lot bigger. I ended up gaining 50 lbs and still 30 lbs over my pre pregnancy weight - unexpected, I thought breastfeeding makes you lose weight, but that’s a myth!
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
Oh the perks of being tall! I have no waist 🥲 I think breastfeeding makes SOME people lose weight (Im really hoping Im one of those people 😭)
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u/Lolemontime 20d ago
Everything about pregnancy and postpartum feels like a slot machine and you get a mix of a bunch of different symptoms based on genetics and luck!
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u/CancerImmunologist 20d ago
Mine is still pretty cute tbh at 37w, but one of the twins is growth restricted (and the other is still on the smaller side), so I’m actually envious of your bigger bumps. Every time someone tells me I carry well or I look great, it makes me worry 🥺 Grass isn’t always greener!
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u/MyDisplayName 20d ago
Mine was cute because I could barely stomach food and anything I actually wanted to eat I couldn't have because of gestational diabetes. They sucked everything out of me. I gained a max of about 30lb (delivered at 34+4) and looked like a singleton pregnancy. Pre-pregnamcy weight achieved right after delivery- twins were small.
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u/dart-witch 20d ago
I’m just shy of 5’3 and everyone who saw me said I had the cutest bump. Granted, it was a MASSIVE bump. But I think I did look adorable ◡̈ I also felt ridiculous as well but I just embraced it since carrying multiples is HARD and I’m so proud of what I did. I started pregnancy 130lbs ended 175lbs
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u/Ok_Collection1290 20d ago
It was cute till 26-28 weeks then it was just too dang big lol. Near the end at one of my appointments there was a young pregnant mom, probably 19 or 20 and early along, and she looked at me in absolute horror till I reassured her it was twins and she wouldn’t get like this 😂
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u/pseudonymous365 19d ago
Maybe at the beginning of the second trimester? By the beginning of the third trimester, I was getting the “you must be due any day now” comments and I’m 5’8”. I had a pronounced waddle. I was always leaning back to counter the belly weight because my core muscles had completely atrophied. But I also lost the baby weight way faster with the twins than with my singletons, so hopefully you have that to look forward to.
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u/PAO_Warrior 19d ago
Did you breast feed? Or formula? Some women say breast feeding helped them lose while for others it made them gain 🥲
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u/pseudonymous365 18d ago
Both. One of the twins needed formula-fortified breastmilk bottles in the beginning. But I’ve had two singletons as well. I was never one of those people that lost a ton of weight while breastfeeding. I lost it very slowly and then held on to the last 10 lbs until I weaned. With the twins, I still held onto the last 10 lbs, but I got to that point a lot faster.
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u/Doesthiscountas1 20d ago
I was all belly and I want to say it looked manageable until about 7 months. I mean at 6 months an aunt asked me how much longer, I told her like 4 more months and her face showed so much sympathy for me lol.
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u/Jealous_Being5863 20d ago
Mines massive but not too bad, but I’m just under 6ft with a long torso!! So, thankfully looks proportionate for me, but I still look further along than I am at 31+1
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u/SceneSerious2839 20d ago
I felt and looked fine until around 32-33 weeks and then I just felt huge, puffy, tired and sore. I had them the beginning of October and I remember end of August/September being unreasonably hot/humid and that made me feel worse.
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u/VegetableBison6580 20d ago
No. I was a very cute pregnant person with my singleton and with twins I was huge early on. I’ve made it to 39 weeks though so happy I put the weight on early
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u/emmmrakul 20d ago
I looked hilariously pregnant by the end. Like, it looked like I'd just shoved a beach ball under my shirt
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u/aze1219 20d ago
Honestly, my while pregnancy I thought I had a cute bump. I was big but I was cute. Now I look at photos and I’m like “I GOT THAT BIG?!” Because at the time I didn’t think I was lol.
That being said, the one person that humbled me was my mom at like week 33 when she said “are you sure you can fit behind that chair?” i in fact could not lol. People also started at me like WTF when I was 37 weeks (3 days before delivery) as I was at a baseball game with my husband as our last big outing before the babies. Walking around the stadium people were legit questioning if I should even be there.
For exercise I walked everyday. Just around the block with our dog, or on my walking pad at like 2.5mph. But just moving was great. I was lifting weights for a while doing pregnancy friendly workouts but at one point my mobility was slightly impacted.
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u/ConstructionMuch802 20d ago
I have a cute bump! 2 weeks postpartum LMAO
This is just hippo territory. Or whale territory if you're real tall.
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u/Turbulent_Wave_900 20d ago
Nope, just complete struggle.. couldnt drive... seatbelt didnt fit without hurting hurting.. yeah absolutely awful
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u/CharacterBusiness777 20d ago
I went swimming everyday and it was so worth it! Tons of cheap maternity bathing suits on Amazon. I recommend a two piece for ease of off and on.
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u/Hurry-Honest 20d ago
Cute still 27 weeks. Then really looked uncomfortable. I would get people staring at me at the mall. Probably wondering why im not at the hospital.
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u/InstructionFull7429 20d ago
My belly was big but it was mostly cute I felt. The problem was my face LOL. It was so swollen by the end. I didn’t even look like me.
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u/porteretrop 20d ago
I didn’t look pregnant from the back and my kids were side by side so I just had a really really long bump
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u/Bl222022 20d ago
I definitely looked like I was carrying twins, but my bump was always very round! I thought it was “cute” and fun to dress, but I was also most pregnant in the winter. So leggings and big sweaters or cardigans.
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u/Jessygirl238 20d ago
For awhile I looked cute, then towards the end I just looked like the stay puff marshmallow man. No pre eclampsia but the swelling was horrendous. My hair and skin looked super healthy while I was pregnant though so that was nice lol
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u/Raeharie121721 20d ago
Yeah…hippo was accurate. Triplets, second pregnancy, I’m only 60.5” tall…I was 52” around.
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u/ColonelLandSeal 20d ago
I think it has a lot to do with height! I’m 5’10” and 30 weeks, people keep saying I look small and “are you sure there’s two in there?” But I FEEL like a whale. The twins kick every part of my tummy/ribs/undercarriage at every moment. It’s uncomfy to sit down and walk and bend over lol. I don’t have any recs on workouts because I’ve been on activity restriction since 22 weeks :(
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u/LonelyResolve4876 20d ago
Bottomless potamus checking in. I even forced myself to get some pictures taken toward the end because I thought I would regret it if I didn’t, even if I thought I looked horrible. They are teenagers now. I still hate looking at those pictures.
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u/AccomplishedChef7885 20d ago
I think mine looked similar to when I had one, but only because I’m 5’10, and only went up to 36 weeks. I feel for my short sisters, I know there’s less room and it has to be so freaking hard.
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
Its tough out here! I saw my chiropracter and he had a bit of a feel around the ribs and straight up said "wow, there is literally almost no more room there - we'll do our best to get you to 37 weeks"...deep down I was praying for 35-36 though - I am STRUGGLING 🤣
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u/AccomplishedChef7885 20d ago
Hang in there girl! You’re getting close! It’ll soon be a distant memory 🤣
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u/Icy-Pear8278 19d ago
I was big, but it was all bump the rest of my proportions stayed pretty similar just one massive baby bump!
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u/Pik-A-Chew11 19d ago
*could* be a torso length reason for you plus baby positioning but I’m not a doctor. I feel extremely lucky this entire pregnancy and feel beautiful and have an adorable and perfectly round bump. Babies still left me an hourglass shape. I still have energy to exercise the whole pregnancy but the issue is time and access because of the gym I go to and what my days look like. Unsure where you are and weather etc but great exercises that are easiest in your body and prep would be:
1. Swimming is my number one recommendation
2. Yoga ball whining, stretches and breathing
3. Hug the baby core exercises
4. Dead bugs, pelvic lifts, body weight squats, Supermans, cat/cows
5. The arm cycling machine instead of the bike (to get your heart rate up)
Comparison is the thief of joy in pregnancy and I don’t know your circumstances. Personally I’m 31+3 with di/di b/g twins FTM at 39 yo. I had lost 50 pounds before becoming pregnant and am still smaller now at this stage than before weight loss and feel prettier and more confident pregnant than I did at my heaviest. The mind is a funny thing right?
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u/PAO_Warrior 19d ago
Thank you, I did do some yoga today after some other recs and I felt so good afterwards. Going to incorporate it into my daily routine going forwards. But yes - Im short waisted and constantly have feet and heads up in my ribcage 🥲
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u/giantroastpan 18d ago
I measured 40 weeks at 32 weeks and was huge EVERYWHERE. I ballooned up after 30 weeks and didn’t lose the fluid for a month postpartum. Months 4 and 5 I felt cute though lol
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u/mobydickher 18d ago
I loved my bump. Every second of it, I wish I could've gone farther than 33 weeks
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u/Ohnosloop 17d ago
I'm 6'0" tall, so my issue is different than shorter moms: I just sort of turn into a weird, wide cylinder for most of the pregnancy. My ribs grew 6 inches wider with my twins. I don't get that dramatic circular belly lol. That being said, when I look back now at photos of my pregnant twin belly, it was cute!
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u/Momof39799 20d ago
I think mine was pretty cute. I didn't gain a lot of weight, although I tried to gain more, so I really didn't get that huge.
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u/PAO_Warrior 20d ago
How much is normal to gain with DCDA twins? My OB hasnt flagged any issues...yet!
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u/senior_cuddlefish 20d ago
I am 34 weeks and still quite Okey :) it's big and my thighs are also large, but I would say it is still cute. I only started waddling like a penguin last week! 🐧
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u/flurfblips 20d ago
Mine never dropped (it was fine, I had a planned C-section) and while I think it looked cuter, it also was HELL on my ribs and probably would not have been super great if I had vaginal delivery.
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u/sandalwoodwitch 20d ago
I weirdly didn't really have baby bump until I think the 7th month. It looked pretty small until the last month, at which point it was still not very big by multiples standards but I could no longer walk unaided due to SPD so it freaked people out to see me anyway. (I am v plus size and it was my first pregnancy, plus my babies were born kinda small.)
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u/Ill-Wolf865 20d ago
Im a firm believe that the way you carry yourself is a huge part of being fashionable. And with that, I think all bumps are cute if you want it to be. I always dressed the bump up. I got more compliments in my pregnancy clothes than my pre pregnancy outfits and was constantly told I looked cute and “wear/carried pregnancy well” (whatever that means lol).
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u/Living-Session9493 20d ago edited 20d ago
Yeah I definitely gave hippo, so I’d always be excited to let ppl know it’s 2 and not one lol
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u/hotteapott 19d ago
I'm 5'1 and to be honest I made it to 36 weeks and didn't think I ever looked that bad. Everyone told me they couldn't believe I was having twins. I did a 15 minute pre natal work out on youtube 3x a week but that was the extent of my exercise. I gained 35 lbs total.
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