Lauren Ellis
Congratulations you're pregnant!
Your excitement levels are sky high and you cannot wait to announce it to the world on social media. But hang on a second, when is the best time to announce my pregnancy?
While most of us will wait until the end of the first trimester and for the risk of miscarriage to drop dramatically, others like to keep our family and friends guessing for even longer!
Here are 12 crafty ways to hide your pregnancy bump and to divert watchful eyes away from your belly.
- More Layers of Clothing Pregnancy
Need a smart and effective way to conceal that baby bump? Wear more layers. In this case, more really is better – and if it happens to be autumn or winter, then you’re in luck lady!
Hide your pregnancy bump by wearing a cardigan, blazer or winter coat. Go with a size larger than what you normally wear and hide your beautiful pregnant belly with layers of clothes, jackets and even jewellery.
- Pregnancy Exercise
The key thing to remember here is the opposite: less is better. The pregnancy symptoms, the morning sickness, the fatigue – your workout regimen will definitely not be the same as before. You will most likely not be going for that 5k run like you used to, or spend an hour in the gym lifting weights.
Grab a gym partner (if it helps) and enrol in a Zumba or Pilates class. Again, ‘less’ and ‘light’ are the key here.
- Clothing Accessories
Need the perfect excuse to go buy some new accessories? Accessories help hide pregnancy bump because they draw attention away from it. So, you want to focus on large earrings, bright and short necklaces or, say, gold accessories which can be worn around the face and neck, as these are some of the best pregnancy accessories to hide pregnancy bump.
Long chains and trendy looking scarves (tie it up and let it fall gracefully over your belly) are also a great way to conceal that protruding belly.
- Colourful Camouflage Clothing or Patterns
Although this may vary from woman to woman, pregnancy bumps for some can show as early as the first trimester. One way to hide pregnancy bump is to ‘camouflage’ it with colourful patterns or clothes.
Apart from wearing the right clothes, always go with fabrics like satin, choosing ‘loud’ prints and bright colours. It’s always a good idea to avoid plaids and stripes, as they may attract unnecessary attention to your belly.
- Designated Driver
Maybe you’ve been invited to a party – it’s great if you were! However, where there’s a party, there’s drinking. You need to find a smart way to turn down the drinking without raising eyebrows. If you know how to drive – there you go, pregnancy and driving is your alibi!
What better way to turn down alcohol while you’re pregnant, while also being able to hide pregnancy bump a bit longer, than by volunteering to be the designated driver? Just let everybody know that you’re staying alcohol-free because you need to drive folks home after it’s all said and done.
- Pregnancy Yoga
Sign up for a pregnancy yoga class and your instructor will teach you specific breathing techniques and poses to help you tone your core and suck that pregnant tummy in, especially when others are around you.
Yoga really works for pregnant women, and not just for health purposes but also to hide pregnancy bump.
- Pregnancy Support Belt
These rigid belts can not only help support the key muscles and areas that can weaken during pregnancy such as the pelvis, lower back, hip and abdomen, but also help you conceal that baby bump.
A pregnancy support belt can be easily worn underneath your clothing and can help you suck in that belly, although you should exercise caution by not wearing it too tightly. Wear loose garments over it and you’re all set.
- ‘Hands Off’ the Belly
Pregnant women love doing this: touching, patting or caressing their belly. But who can blame them, really? While it’s understandable that patting your belly from time to time and feeling your baby move is something every mother finds hard not to do – you should resist the temptation to do so, because it’s only going to draw unwanted attention – something you can do without, for now.
- Wear Loose, Long Shirts
Loose and long garments are a great way to hide pregnancy bump, especially as it grows larger and more prominent. Well, all the more excuse to go down to the mall and start picking up some new dresses then. Just make sure the dresses are loose but not too loose – because you don’t want the wind to blow your cover!
A cute shirt or a loose blouse will do the job nicely and also add a little bit of variety, so that you don’t end up wearing super-loose and long shirts all the time – something that might raise suspicion.
- Loose Dresses
Loose dresses and tunics with ruffles on them also work very well to conceal that lovely baby bump. Go with long and loose dresses that naturally skim over your body. If Kim Kardashian can pull it off, so can you, woman!
- Big Bags
Women all around the world know that one of the fastest ways to elevate the mood is by going bag shopping. If you already don’t have a big enough bag, then go out and buy one. While sitting, put the bag neatly on your knees or carry it elegantly in front of you like the lady you are – helping to hide your pregnant belly.
- Two-person Trickery - Eating for Two
At this point, you may or may not have started “eating for two”. It’s probably fair to say that you’re getting more than your fair share of cravings. Your co-workers already know your eating habits, so it’s probably best to have your ‘meal for two’ during breaks, and not during the designated lunch hour.
You could also stuff your work desk drawer with some healthy snacks which you can munch on from time to time. Just make sure your office buddies aren’t around when you go in for the attack.
