When did you get your baby bump?

When you first get a baby bump, should it be soft?

• Im 12 weeks pregnant and used to have nearly a flat stomach but now I look bloated with a nice rounded bump but its soft? Even if I breath in whats left is soft.... so am I just getting chubby or is this the start of a bump?

• Answer:

  It will be soft to start with. At 10-12 weeks the uterus starts to rise over the pubic bone but bloating is common right from the time you miss your period. It can be counted as a baby bump though I guess because it's caused by pregnancy. At 12 weeks your uterus is pushing all of the rest of your insides up, adding to the bump effect. This is why it's soft - not because it's not baby. As your uterus grows, it will rise at a rate of roughly 1cm per week, so by 20 weeks it should be about in line with your belly button and you can count backwards down from your belly button to work out where it should be prior to that. For example at 18 weeks it will be 2cm bellow your belly button but with a margin of 2cm meaning if you can't find it you should feel up to 2cm up and down. Your uterus will be firm. The rest of your stomach, above the uterus will be soft.