17W 4D and belly looks smaller this week?!?!

[Nicole S]

I know this is going to sound silly but I think my belly looks a bit smaller for the last two days than last week.

I am 17 weeks and 4 days today. We saw the OB on the 23rd and bubs was all good and just had a bad case of the hick ups.

Today I feel a bit smaller than I was feeling a couple of days ago.
Still haven't felt any movement although at the 12 week scan was told the placentia was anteria so that may have somehting to do with it.

I feel fine, no cramping just a bit tired in the afternoon but I think that has more to do with the silly season.

My next scan is on the 7th January and then are not due to see the OB till first week of Feb.

I guess my question is did anyone else have weeks like this when you felt/looked a bit smaller at this stage or any stage???

Thanks in advance

[Trillian]

It could be as simple as bubs moving to a different position - even at this stage of pg where your baby is positioned can have an affect on how it looks. As for the movement, even without an anterior placenta you may not be feeling movement just yet, so that's not something to worry about either. I'm sure all is well.

[briggsy's girl]

Nic - i've found exactly the same thing this week! i am 18w today, and was starting to have a decent and rather solid (although lopsided) pot until the last few days - i started getting some weird stretching pains, and my tummy went softer again with less movement. when it was really stretched (like painfully so) we used doppler and babies heart was loud and clear about 2 inches right of the middle of my tum. today, it was no where near that - tummy was soft, and heart beat was almost directly underneath my belly button - so it seems like the baby has moved significantly and that is why my tum feels different. the kicks are still very much on the right hand side, so we think the baby has stretched itself out - at this stage, bub's is around 5-6 inches long, so if it stretches rather than being curled in the fetal position, it's easy for it to flatten itself and put less outward pressure on your body (hope that makes sense!)

i completely understand your stress at feeling different - it's kinda scary having been through all this and then to feel "less" pregnant than you did a few days ago - but it seems to be normal. as my DH so lovingly put it to me yesterday when i was getting the stretchy pains and then nothing at all "the baby is just renovating - getting it's home more comfy - be prepared, it's gonna get worse before it gets better!" gee thanks hun... lol

[Nicole S]

Thanks Trillian & BG, I never really thought that bubs would make such a difference to my belly at this stage of pregnancy but as BG said bubs measures 5-6inch at the moment (me bringing out the ruler...) I guess in a way it's still hard for me to believe I am FINALLY pregnant and without a nice big round belly or feeling movement it makes it even harder.

Funny enough I am getting slight MS in the evening this week and feeling like crap although having an apple when this feeling comes along seems to help.
It's just strange that from having really nothing for the past 17 weeks I finally feeling a bit sick although BG you would probably wish you were not sooo sick during your pregnancy.

BG, laughing out loud on what your DH said about bubs renovating...I guess it will get worse over the next couple of weeks/months.

I guess if there is no blood all must be good.
I keep telling myself not to panic until I see/feel anything to panic about.

[briggsy's girl]

in the absence of cramping that continues without relief, or regular BH that just won't let up, or new blood, my Ob said all is good. you'll be getting BH already, but may not feel them so much just yet...

for something so relatively small (but huge considering the size when we first got to see them!), they cause a lot of worry and stress don't they? i'm getting sporadic stretchy pain - tried to explain it to DH last night and just couldn't - it happens maybe five or six times a day and has me flinching in pain - but i know all is ok, and i just assume the Gremlin is making it'self known! i think i'd be more worried if i had anything else that seemed "odd" - like continuous cramping or bleeding - but it seems to be just a case of baby making room for itself. am kinda looking forward to it moving to the middle and even a little to the left of my tum - EVERYTHING has been on the right side of my tum so far - and that ovary is still nasty swollen, so i think i'm way more sensitive on that side - what might feel minimal (like stretching) is feeling a lot more intense because of that swollen ovary!

[*Efjay*]

If its any comfort, my 2nd pregnancy theplacenta was at the front also & I felt no movement till about 22 weeks.

[Megan]

Nic, I definitely had the same experiences. One minute I had a firm bump and then a couple of days later it seemed smaller and my tummy was soft again like there was no sign of a baby! About 2 weeks ago my tummy was very lopsided and only hard on the right side, so I gave him a bit of a poke and he disappeared again! So, it seems it all depends on the position of bub, and there's still quite a bit of room to move around in so s/he is playing a bit of hide and seek! Now at around 24w, there is no mistaking the hard belly bump!

[Nicole S]

Thanks FionaJill & Megan
I guess it still is early days on really looking pregnant but with everthing I had read I should feel movement for the 20 week mark so not long to go.

[CathyS]

Around week 15 my bump looked like it shrunk. I was worried, but it went back to looking big within a few days.