How long can one not show?

I had a doctor’s appointment today – pretty useless in that nothing was done beyond measure my uterus and take blood for a thyroid test. I’m now in the second trimester. The doctor said this is when many women start to have more energy and feel better. But since I never felt too bad to begin with, I don’t expect much of a change.

It’s odd to think that six months from now, I could very well have a second child in my arms. That both seems so near and so far. So near in that it’s only six months and it’s within this calendar year. I think not crossing into another calendar year during this pregnancy somehow makes it feel shorter.

At the same time, when I think about how many weeks of my stomach growing are left, then it seems like a very long time.

I have occasional flashes of wow, our lives will change this year. Or crap, can I really handle a huge belly and labor again? But generally, I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. Usually, I don’t even know what week I’m in at any particular time.

I asked the doctor how much growth was expected in the next few weeks. Could I wait until after the second set of screenings to inform my work?

He said that depended on the person, but that because I’m tall, I probably wouldn’t be showing.

Last time I told my employer around the 4th of July for a due date in the first third of December. This time it will probably be the second half of July for a due date towards the end of December. Basically, I’ll be giving about the same amount of notice.

I didn’t think that would be possible, since I heard that women show earlier the second time around. I do think I’m showing more than last time, but it’s still not enough to attract notice. Or at least not enough notice to cause anyone to comment yet. If it’s because I’m tall, I guess I’m grateful.

pop

Yesterday, early in week 8, I popped. My formerly fairly-flat stomach suddenly had a bit of a bulge that didn’t go away no matter how much I sucked it in. Still, I felt pretty confident no one was going to notice.

Until today, when Mark commented on how he could now tell I was showing. “I wonder how long you’ll be able to hide it from work,” he said. At the time, I was sitting on the couch, which emphasizes the bulge, and wearing a little t-shirt for a bike ride – not something I’d wear to work.

But still, now that I know I’m showing and that the initial pop is an irreversible process, I’m stressing out a bit. Another week and a half until vacation. I hope I can continue to look normal for that long. I guess it doesn’t matter too much if I start to show in Spain. But neither do I really want to return to the office in June with a protruding belly.

Last time I didn’t tell my employer until 14 weeks and no one had noticed. I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case this time.