Rock Your Bump or Hide Your Bump?

stephanie.varholak · October 2011

I have been hearing a lot of opinions on this lately; probably because I'm getting carrying high and huge and have been talking clothes with other women.

Typically I fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to wardrobe. Some days I wear the more flowing, 'traditional" maternity clothes that avoid any clinging to the growing bump, but honestly make me feel at times like I'm the center post of a large tent. Other days I like a non-maternity sized large to extra large shirt that is maybe just cut tunic-style or in the recent styles that are long & a little loose that covers me, but is more form fitting.

Some women have told me its "disgusting" or "not modest" to wear a shirt that shows your baby bump even if you are fully covered from neck to wrist to hips.

My husband actually likes a more form fitting shirt. I think he feels its like a point of pride to show off his handy work, but my mother makes comments that she hates to see pregnant women in non-maternity styled clothes.

Where do you fall? Have you had any similar discussions? Do you rock that bump for the world to see or do you try to keep it hidden in empire waist tops or wide cut maternity styles?

[Poll]

kms34 · October 2011

I rock it....always! I have ONE shirt that is flowy and DH told me it looks awful. I agree. I wear fitted shirts every single day. If I were super skinny pre-pregnancy maybe I'd be able to pull off a flowy shirt but I can't.

n8swife · October 2011

I rock it, otherwise, I look extra fat! I've mostly been wearing pre-pregnancy shirts..the flowing maternity shirts only make me look fat!

JhawkCE · October 2011

I need a SS. I actually hide my bump until I can't anymore. I'm going on 23 weeks with my second and no none at work has figured it out because I just wear sweatshirts all day. I just hate all the questions and comments.

When they do finally figure it out I wear mostly regular shirts with a bella band so the shirts are tight and hide nothing. It irritates some of the more nosy ladies in office. I enjoy that.

mkarns · October 2011

I rock it! I love this baby AND this bump. When I wear flowy shirts or dresses, I put a skinny belt on them right over top of my bump to define my shape a little more (so I don't look like a tent). I've never heard anyone speak negatively about it, but I get a lot of compliments.

As well, we're taking a vacation to Aruba and when I showed my In-Laws and DH the one-piece maternity suit I'd found online they said "NO WAY! Don't hide that belly! Wear one of your two pieces!" and DH is really excited about it. Now I'm going shopping for a 2-Piece with a little more modest bottom (string bikini- no thanks), but it really makes me feel good that DH wants to show off his pregnant wife!

MigenMigen · October 2011

I feel like I need an SS. I rock it - fitted maternity tshirts, etc. But - even at 25 weeks I'm still not really showing that much.

I'm carrying really low, so I just look like I've been stress-eating and no one seems to notice that there's a baby there! Maybe folks are being polite, or maybe I really am that chunky (5'7", size 12 pre-pregnancy), but I sure wish I could look like a proud mama instead of a proud fat chick!

firewife9278 · October 2011

I worked too hard for this pregnancy to not rock it! I am so excited to show off my bump

ClaireBear90 · October 2011

I tend to wear bump-rocking shirts haha but it's not really because I'm trying to show off... I just can't find many other options! However, the whole idea that wearing a shirt that shows your bump is "immodest" is a little baffling to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being modest and I've worked hard to find maternity skirts that fall below the knee, etc, and maintain my pre-pregnancy standards. However... the shirts I'm wearing now aren't tighter than the shirts I wore pre-pregnancy. Yes, you can see that I have a bump, but I'm not wearing spandex! It's a belly, for pete's sake. All of the people who take issue with a baby bump need to talk to the teenage girls wearing leggings without tops that cover their behinds.

That's just my personal opinion though. I respect mamas-to-be who wear loose, flowing clothes... and wonder where they find them!

stephanie.varholak · October 2011

firewife9278:
I worked too hard for this pregnancy to not rock it! I am so excited to show off my bump

I totally understand this! We had been trying for about 2 years, not as long as some folks, but long enough to want to rock the bump like a badge of honor! It seems to be older women; usually 50+ who think "this new showing your stomach thing" (as one person put it) is somehow shameful. I guess it's just maybe a generational thing.

A 50+ cashier actually told me yesterday that it was "so nice" to see a pregnant woman actually wearing a "real maternity shirt", as I was at the time - while coincidentally purchasing a large long sleeve strechy tee that was definitely going to show the bump. She then said, "well, this is ok, you know, for around the house."

ALHolli · October 2011

I switch it up based on my mood. When we go out somewhere I'll wear something more form fitting, but 90% of the time I'm just lazy and doing stuff at home anyway, so I've been living in sweats lol. Or if it's really early or really late and I have to go out, I'm usually in something lazy lol.

mac&chip · October 2011

I'm confused as to why showing off your bump isn't considered okay by some people. And the most confusing part is that the people who seem to be the most opposed, are the ones who want to "breeding" to be happening (yes, that's a religious stereotype, sorry).

Anywho, I am all about showing off my bump. I don't see why being pregnant would be anything to be embarrassed about.

meaganbrand · October 2011

Rock the bump for sure! What's not to show off? I'm in shape and am all belly so I think my bump is super cute if I do say so myself lol.

Shawnee11507 · October 2011

I rock it- it's huge already! If I wear big flowy stuff, I just look super fat. I like maternity t-shirts with the rouching on the side that make it long and fitted.

cheese.fiend · October 2011

I put "I rock it" but I'm still not showing significantly, so there are a lot of non-maternity tops and dresses that I wear to work where you can't really tell I'm pregnant.

RachPip · October 2011

I do not like the flowy shirts. They just make me feel even LARGER than I am, and IMO (at least on my body) they are not flattering at all. DH definitely likes the form fitting shirts better too, he's always complimenting me when I wear them.

pinksweetpea2 · October 2011

I rock it. I would rather look pregnant any day, than look questionable. That will come soon enough in the PP days. ;b

busterbeagle · October 2011

I voted rock the bump. Mine is still pretty small and I like to accentuate it with snug clothes. Otherwise I don't look pregnant at all. One of my favorite things to wear is a sweater dress because it is clingy without being too tight or casual.

harmonicbabe26 · October 2011

stephanie.varholak:

Some women have told me its "disgusting" or "not modest" to wear a shirt that shows your baby bump even if you are fully covered from neck to wrist to hips.

CLEARLY the women who told you that were not pregnant themselves bc how can you call prego belly disgusting???? I mean it is the most natural thing in the world. It's not a tumor, or deformity... it is a BABY!! That's just crazy talk.

ROCK THE BUMP ALL DAY LONG! I wear all my normal shirts and sweaters (the cotton stretchy ones haha) which shows off my cute belly to the world every day!

trebmal · October 2011

I have wanted to be pregnant too dang long. I was probably rocking mat. shirts far sooner than I should have, esp. since I barely started showing, oooooh last week. BUT I am SO proud to be having this baby and I positively LOVE it when my DH walks up to me and rubs my tummy and says, "looks good mama".

greeneyed_bride · October 2011

I've never understood why people think it's "immodest" not to try to hide your baby bump. Boobs are more personal/sexual than a growing baby, and it's not as if all non-pregnant women's fashions are designed to hide the fact that we have boobs. When I wear things that are loose, I think it makes me look even more pregnant. I'm still small everywhere else, so there's no "hiding" the bump. If I wear something loose, you can't tell where my belly starts and ends, so I look like I'm farther along than I am.

soralette · October 2011

I put that I mix it up, because I can still wear my pre-pregnancy unisex t-shirts, so I do (along with the more form-fitting maternity styles)... it's just still obvious that I'm pregnant in 'em, haha.

Lena122 · October 2011

I consider myself to be a fairly conservative dresser (no low cut shirts, no tummy showing) when I'm not pregnant but I definitely rock the baby bump. I honestly don't understand why some people find it offensive.

MyHusbandMyHero · October 2011

I rock it!! We worked hard for this thing and I'm proud to show it off! I'm carrying high too! My abs feel like steel. I think it's kinda weird though considering I always feel LO really low!

mrsmacdouble · October 2011

I definitely "rock the bump", but I attempt to do it modestly, still. I don't want to shove my huge pregnancy boobs in other people's faces just because I can. Plus, I'm soooo not used to even having cleavage to begin with that it would just feel awkward for me!

HOWEVER, with the belly...I say show it off! You can be covered but fitted and still be cute. I think that's why I'm such a huge fan of my ON skinny jeans..they really help to compliment the fact that my legs are a "normal" size.

h0b0girl · October 2011

I rock it as well! It took a lot of time, money and stress to get pregnant so I am very proud to finally have a bump. I have been wearing maternity pants and pre-pregnancy shirts (and will continue to do so until they dont fit). My bump is not to be hidden. I actually found that some of my pre-pregnancy shirts are not flattering with a bump so I only wear those that show off my bump.

aracelyluna · October 2011

I do go back and forth but mainly because I like the flowy shirts when I feel blah. Similar to what I did pre-pregnancy. I have not received any negative remarks about wearing my rock the bump shirts. However I remember when some of cousins were pregnant and my grandmother would always make remarks about their shirts or about people touching their bellies. It is definitely a generation thing.My parents or in-laws don't say much, they usually complement the belly or my shirts. I love my belly!

christinak22 · October 2011

Tighter maternity shirts (with gathering on the sides so they're long enough) are far more flattering, IMO. I would rather strangers KNOW I'm pregnant than have to stare to figure out if I'm a chubb-o or expecting.

lbsunde · October 2011

I haven't bought any maternity shirts yet because I am on the small side and last time when I went and tried some on, they looked horribly disgusting on me. So far I have just been wearing clothes that I already had that are stretching with me (like those polyster/spandex type of shirts.)

So I am rocking the baby bump!

KatelynEA90 · October 2011

I don't actually own any maternity shirts and my bump isn't that big yet. But I wear all my normal form-fitting shirts(belly covered completely). I have a few loose shirts that I loved before, the kind that are loose and then go tight around your hips. I don't know if I explained that well. But I wore one the other day and it completely hides my bump. I just look totally normal in it, unless you pull it tight, and it felt weird.

liberty95 · October 2011

I absolutely rock it. DH says I am the cutest pregnant woman he as ever seen (he MIGHT be a little partial Stick out tongue ) and I feel really confident in how I look. As a PP said, I also feel like fitted tops are more flattering.

However, if it was summer, I do not think I would rock a bikini - not loving the whole stretched out belly button thing!

ryry1977 · October 2011

I rock my bump. I bought all maternity shirts that are more clingy. The older set of people are used to bumps being hidden and don't really like the bump showing...it shows their age in my oppinion.

BoB-BrideOnBgt · October 2011

I rock it everywhere but work where I am not quite out yet. After next week though, there will be no more hiding! It's still easy to hide because my office is freezing and it's normal to see me in a zip up fleece all day!

KimberlyTX · October 2011

Rock it! I was so happy to finally get my bump around 15 weeks, why would I hide it?? My favorite work dress is a black Motherhood dress with rouching (sp?) on the side that emphasizes the bump. If I wear the flowy stuff, I feel frumpy--like I'm wearing my gram's housecoat.

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