r/interesting • u/IshigamiSenku04 • 1d ago

This woman never had a baby bump throughout her pregnancy MISC.

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The baby was totally fine

42.1k Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

Y’all I’m pretty sure this is just due to her uterus having an anterior tilt or something, yeah? Like essentially women whose uterus is rotated backwards instead of forwards.

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u/ellafirewolf 1d ago

That’s what I was thinking too. I myself have a uterus that tilt’s inwards instead of outwards (which they normally do). I don’t have kids yet but I’m wondering if I’m also not gonna be showing when I do get pregnant in the future.

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u/miloblue12 1d ago

Same here. I was told a while back that mine tilts inwards also but I’ve not had kids yet so I’m not sure if it’ll make any difference. The only thing I’ve got evidence wise is that my sister has had two kiddos and I have no idea if hers tilts inwards but she hardly looked pregnant with both of her kids, so I’m kind of hoping that that’ll be the same for me.

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

yeah!!! that’s exactly why i commented it lol, i found out through fucking mychart of all things that i have one as well. i’m curious to see how it will affect my bump too.

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u/NuggetLover21 1d ago

The tilted uterus begins to tilt into the normal position in the first few weeks of pregnancy, so it’s a misconception that a tilted uterus affects bump size

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u/trexjj2000 1d ago

You are 100% right. Uterus tilt has nothing to do with bump size.

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u/miloblue12 1d ago

My doc had her hand up there and that’s when I found out, LOL

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u/AttitudeNormal1204 1d ago

I hope you were pregnant or delivery when her hand was up there.

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u/Either_Cockroach3627 1d ago

I have a tilted uterus and I could tell I was pregnant at 6 weeks, and everybody else could by the time I was 12 ish weeks. Idk if it has to do w it, but if you were looking at my back you couldn’t tell I was pregnant until I turned around, I carried it all in my belly. The back contractions were fucking awful too

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

oh shit. i get pretty intense back aches during my period. i can only imagine ill experience something similar

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u/User884121 1d ago

Me too! Lol. I just happened to be going through my chart last week and looked at the results from a transvaginal ultrasound back in 2017 for abdominal pain. It was noted that I had a retroverted uterus, but it has never been mentioned to me. I’m currently trying to get pregnant and immediately freaked out and started googling. Was very relieved to find out it’s generally not a big deal, but I did see that women with a tilted uterus might not show as much. So this was my first thought when I saw this post!

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u/vanasrose 1d ago

This happened to me when I got my IUD! It was just a little note at the bottom - retroverted uterus. Like that might have been nice to point out to me!!???

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u/Rough_Army_5177 1d ago

I was told the uterus can change tilts throughout your life, mine was anterior before but had moved to be in the regular position a couple years later

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u/Swordfish_89 1d ago

My pregnancies were completely different to my sisters, don't count on sharing her experience. The length of your torso seems most significant to me, more space for bowel and baby to share with there is 10 inches between hips and ribs compared to my 3 inches.

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u/Dadliest_Dad 1d ago

Chiming is as a dadliest of dads. I know that having a big old belly isn't necessarily appealing to you, or maybe even of your perception of how society (moreso BS pop culture) views you... but let me tell you that every great dad ever is spiritually there with, high fiving you, while we shout "Fuck yeah girl, look at that healthy baby! You fucking rock, mom!", REGARDLESS of your belly size, so long as you're doing your personal best to keep those little cuties happy. You do you, moms, and your future or current partner should cheer you just as much and even more. Cheers!

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u/Monskimoo 1d ago

I have a tilted uterus but was 100% showing from 20 weeks onwards. I’m 5’6”, perfectly normal BMI at 23 at the time, and baby was big but not considered big enough to require a C-section.

I had a slim face, arms and legs, and what looked like a beer belly.

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u/ResourceWorker 1d ago

How do you even find that out?

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u/lynnvega07 1d ago

From an ultrasound! I found out I had one when I was 8 weeks pregnant and my doctor was having a hard time finding the baby.

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u/Wonderful-Status-507 1d ago

doctor: i swear it’s in here somewhere

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u/Theobromacuckoo335 1d ago

Funny story: i was going for an ultrasound when I found out I have a tilted uterus.

The tech doing my ultrasound couldn't get the wand in. :/ tried to crab it in 3x before they realized what we're dealing with.

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u/jenowl 1d ago

For me it was during an IUD insertion. They use a long metal tool to measure your uterus and it was excruciatingly painful for me because while most of the time they need to curve forward, mine goes backwards, so they were piercing me. Since I'm tall, they warned me that since I have a retroflexed uterus and am on a birth control that stops my period that I am a prime candidate for a cryptic pregnancy

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u/Mundane-Car6818 1d ago

I have had similar issues with Pap smears. No one ever told me I have a tilted uterus but they said I have a tilted cervix. So when they do Pap smears, they are like digging around in there trying to find it and it is super painful. Now I just don’t get them, even though I know I should.

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u/PumpkinDash273 1d ago

You should try to find an obgyn that works for you so that you can get your tests done comfortably. I have an anterior (forward) tilted uterus and a posterior tilted cervix so it looks more like an S shape than a C shape like most do. Anyway, I'm very lucky that I have a great obgyn because when I got my first pap smear I barely felt it. I know that other people don't have great experiences though and I really do believe it's all about finding the right doctor, this applies in any field

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u/hunnibear_girl 1d ago

You usually find out during a routine pelvic exam or ultrasound.

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u/Stevie-Rae-5 1d ago

Usually people with a retroverted uterus don’t show as quickly, but they do show eventually because that baby grows and the uterus gets bigger and the belly goes out! It’s wild that this woman never even looked pregnant, given how slim she is.

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u/cottonon8675309 1d ago

I have the same tilt and am currently 8 months pregnant! I do have a visible bump but not as big as others. At one of my appointments I asked about it and the doctor was like “yeah it’s not tilted anymore lol, baby popped it out” 😂

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u/ellafirewolf 18h ago

Oh wow, didn’t know that could happen. Good to know 😂

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u/Blue_Robin_04 1d ago

Why don't all uteruses have that? Is that dangerous?

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u/PumpkinDash273 1d ago

Not usually dangerous, could be depending on how severe the angle is but most of the time it's harmless. A "normal" uterus tilts out toward the belly, while a posterior tilted one is less so, sort of angles more up/back towards the spine.

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u/welly7878 1d ago

How did you find out?

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u/jizzypuff 1d ago

I didn’t show during my pregnancy and my uterus isn’t tilted. The doctors said a lot of first time moms don’t show much but idk how true that is.

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u/asirenoftitan 1d ago

I have this too! I’m 32 weeks, and while I have more of a bump than she does, a lot of people are still surprised to hear I’m pregnant. I think a combo of my uterus and where he’s decided to hang out have all led to me just not looking super pregnant. Still feel very pregnant though, and I think I’m missing out on some of the perks that come with more visible pregnancy (people offering seats, help carrying things, etc), but I won’t complain.

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u/Electronic_Wash_6125 1d ago

Not when. If. No guarantees to getting pregnant.

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u/Balc0ra 1d ago

My wife basically had the same thing. She was told the bump forms when there is not enough room in the abdomen for the uterus without expanding the belly. Tall women usually have more space etc. If the baby is small on top if it, it won't show at all.

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u/Imaginary_Recipe9967 1d ago

Damn I’m a 6’ woman and this definitely didn’t apply to me! Why didn’t anyone tell my baby she could’ve stayed in the back?

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u/stephanonymous 1d ago

I wonder if it also has to do with torso length. Like, a tall woman with comparatively longer legs and shorter torso might show more like a shorter woman, whereas a tall woman with a long torso might not.

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u/kimberriez 1d ago

I’m short with a short torso and carried entirely on my front. You could not tell I was pregnant from behind or slight angles from behind.

He was basically sitting in my lap he was low and front and center. I would sit down at my desk and my relatively skinny legs would be supporting my belly. It was super weird.

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u/oceansapart333 1d ago

Yes! I’m 5’7” but legs/hip height are the same as my 5’2” sister. I barely showed, I assumed because babies had more room to stretch out.

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u/wyldstallyns111 1d ago

I’m 5’10” with a weirdly, disproportionately long torso and I look like I’m right about to burst from month four or five of pregnancy onwards. I think the uterus tilt makes the biggest difference (mine grows essentially straight out)

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u/Swordfish_89 1d ago

Absolutly mostly to do with that, then placenta position because cord comes from centre of placenta to belly of baby so they typically face placenta.
I'm only 5ft but my legs were longer than my 5ft 4 sister's were. Only 3 inches between my hip and bottom of ribs. Even when my sister had lost a lot of weight she looked smaller with a similarly sized baby than had a few years later.

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u/Swordfish_89 1d ago

Depends where placenta develops, my first was anterior so she was right in my back but because i have a short torso and longer legs for my 5ft height, so she was still very obvious.
2 was a known bigger baby, placenta at the back and they prefer to face the placenta, i felt her move all the time and measured 48cm at 38w pregnant. 9lb2 born on due date, 3 pushes and 2 sutures.
Much different to my emergency csection because #1 stayed towards my back and didn't rotate as she should have... dam that 41w induction, would have waited longer if i thought she could have decided to move herself. lol

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

ohhh now that is interesting

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u/Special_Trick5248 1d ago

Also she looks like she has a long torso and larger build.

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u/For_Aeons 1d ago

Funny because my friend is almost 5'11" and had the tiniest little girl and she was huge.

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u/trexjj2000 1d ago edited 1d ago

Obstetrical/gynaecology sonographer here! Anterior means above or closer to the surface, so you have the right premise but it’s actually the opposite. Most women’s uterus’ sit in a neutral straight up and down position, but everyone’s uterus in reality have a tilt forward or a tilt backwards (posterior tilt) toward the spine. An anterior tilt is called anteflexed and a posterior tilt is called retroverted. A retroverted uterus is super common, and the only downside is Pap tests are a little harder because the cervix is a little harder to find.

However, once a baby is past 20 weeks, the tilt doesn’t matter and the uterus will look the same due to the size of the fetus.

Everyone’s bump size will look different depending on placental location, amniotic fluid levels, fetal abdomen size, and babies position relative to the mother’s organs. Those who have smaller bumps typically have a posterior placental location (placenta is lining the uterus closer to the maternal spine), a lower but normal amniotic fluid range, and baby laying comfortably in a tucked position with head and body low in the hips. A longer maternal torso also means there’s more room to grow up and down rather than out. Other things, such as gestational diabetes will cause the fetal abdomen to be much larger during pregnancy and cause a bigger bump too.

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

the scientific explanation! you’re the best, thank you for sharing :)

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u/Jcbwyrd 1d ago

Interesting! How does a fundal placenta vs an anterior one affect showing? Or is the placental location by itself not enough to say - and just one of the many factors you listed?

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u/catleesimomofkittens 1d ago

I just went to the OBGYN and found out my uterus is super tilted to the right. Is this going to affect how my baby bump will look when the time comes?

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u/ummmwhaaa 1d ago

I was told at a gyno visit well before my 1st pregnancy I had a tilted uterus-is that why they stretched my out so far forward, but I looked normal from the back? I could rest my drinking cup on my belly. I'm 5'2 and my once size 5 feet grew to 7.5 🥲

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u/weeliz 1d ago

I have a retroverted uterus and currently pregnant, it flipped the "right" way round when I was about 2 months gone. Apparently this happens most of the time, and once baby is born it likely will flip itself back towards the spine again. I also have a very visible bump since the uterus flip!

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

it’s crazy how this stuff has such a specific affect on our body like what 😭

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u/KeyFeeFee 1d ago

My uterus is extremely retroverted, it basically lays on my spine when I’m not pregnant. I’ve had 4 babies in the last decade and got a huge bump each time. It tends to inflate and rotate forward with pregnancy in most people. Sometimes it lays the right way after but mine definitely stays backwards. I never knew before by first and was bummed between that and anterior placenta that I wouldn’t show or feel him but that was entirely unfounded fear lol

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u/hunnibear_girl 1d ago

Maybe? Could also be a first pregnancy. I have a retrograde uterus. I definitely still showed while pregnant, just not as prominent of a bump as others.

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u/Morbid_Explorerrrr 1d ago

Vast majority of posterior tilted/retroverted uteruses flip forward when they grow in size. I had a very retroverted uterus at the start of my pregnancy and I have a huge bump.

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u/Pinklady777 1d ago

Yes! This is the explanation. Happened to a friend of mine. The doc also explained it to me when I found out I had an odd uterus as well. The baby basically grows towards the spine.

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u/shit4braaaains 1d ago

I had this issue but not to the same degree as this woman but my bump was pretty small compared to most women's and my doctor said it was because I have a long torso and that my uterus is tilted. So yes, it's definitely a thing! Also, I had a lot of shame towards this and feared I wasn't growing him properly because people commented on it a lot but he was perfectly fine.

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

thank goodness you and baby are both good. it’s nice to hear all the positive stories of moms who have this experience firsthand as someone who has a retroverted uterus themself

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u/Phemus01 1d ago

Yup my mum and sister both have this and neither showed during pregnancy. In the case of when my mum was pregnant with my youngest sister she didn’t find out till 8 months because she wasn’t showing

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u/Maezymable 1d ago

Mine is this way and although I did show more than this I’d say I looked about 25 weeks at delivery

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u/kacellirk 1d ago

My uterus had an anterior tilt and I had a large bump while pregnant. I’m also only 5’3 so I think the only place to go was out lol

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u/reflekt- 1d ago

I had an anterior tilt but I had a 6-ish month looking bump at the point of delivery. I liked not feeling like a dump truck my entire pregnancy

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u/lilbios 1d ago

Wooah thanks for the knowledge drop

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u/EirMed 1d ago

You mean retroverted? Anteverted would be normal

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u/Hot_Routine7505 1d ago

So does this cause a complications or make the mother sick? Like does the fetus grow towards her vital organs in a dangerous way?

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u/girlikecupcake 1d ago

It shouldn't, but it can cause issues if the tilt is severe. It can cause more problems with the bladder than usually expected, depending on how bad the tilt is you can have a higher risk of loss or early labor.

A retroverted uterus is generally just considered a quirk or normal variation, not a problem in itself.

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u/No-Concentrate9781 1d ago

I have an anterior tilt and didn’t really show until 6/7 months. I had to pee CONSTANTLY and would have to waddle around due to back pain. I’m somewhat petite to it looked like I was just being super dramatic lol. I ended up having my daughter 3 weeks early(she was perfectly fine just a tad small) and when I got to the hospital in labor they double checked how far I was along because they didn’t believe it lol. I had IVF to conceive so we were confident on the exact day of conception lol

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u/trexjj2000 1d ago

Your uterus tilt had nothing to do with the pain or discomfort of your bladder during pregnancy. Women who are more petite often give birth earlier, and having that extra weight and organ adjustment is really hard on the hips, lower back, and sciatic nerve.

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u/jescott17 1d ago

I also have a tilt but I showed early with my pregnancies because I'm only 5'3"

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u/Nankurunaisa_Shisa 1d ago

Same!

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u/OneRFeris 1d ago

My wife has a backwards uterus, but still gets a big bump

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u/Witchy_Underpinnings 1d ago

It depends. My tilts inwards and I’m tall so I didn’t show much at the beginning, but baby boy was 8.5 lbs so by the end I looked like I had a watermelon inside me. If he had been smaller I think I would have kept the small bump I had at the beginning. I wasn’t really showing until 6 months.

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u/AttitudeNormal1204 1d ago

That was my issue.

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u/Valimaar89 1d ago

During pregnancy uterus goes upwards, so no more tilting up or backwards. I don't think his is the explanation

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u/WhenIWish 1d ago

With my first, I had an anterior tilt and didn’t even get close to a bump until right before I had him (at 27 weeks), so neighbors we weren’t close with literally had no idea I was even pregnant.

Something must’ve happened after that pregnancy, no one ever mentioned an anterior tilt again and I got a normal bump with my 2nd, who went full term so it was normal bump PLUS me being like ong I can’t get any bigger right??? Haha.

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u/oceansapart333 1d ago

I think it’s also a long torso. I’m 5’7” but my legs are the same as my 5’2” sister. People had no idea I was pregnant. At 8 months out neighbor saw us carrying in diapers from a baby shower and that’s the only thing that clued him in.

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u/leeann0923 1d ago

When it tips backward, it’s a retroverted uterus, and about 20% of women have it. It doesn’t prevent you from showing, but it may delay the onset. I have a retroverted uterus and I didn’t have a noticeable bump until 20 weeks with twins. But I definitely blew up from there.

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

that seems to be the consensus, but yes you’re right i meant retroverted, thank you 🙏

what was carrying twins like?

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u/leeann0923 1d ago

The physically most painful thing for the last 7 weeks or so and I couldn’t sit, sleep, eat, work without feeling like shit. My delivery also nearly killed me. And I had it pretty easy all things considered compared to others.

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

that’s really tough, i’m glad you’re still here. i hope you and babies are happy and healthy 🙏

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u/leftoverrice54 1d ago

Does that lead to any kind of complications for the mother?

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u/jtaliax 1d ago

doesn’t seem like it with what i’ve seen in the replies

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u/onlyonejan 1d ago

This is the answer

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u/Pandepon 1d ago

It’s more likely due to her being tall and having a longer torso, more vertical space inside to work with if you’re 6’ tall compared to the typical 5’3.5” woman with a higher waist.

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u/DrSchnuffi 1d ago

I wish. My uterus tilts backwards almost 90 degrees and I still looked like a planet in bith my pregnancies

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u/mvfrostsmypie 1d ago

I have a tilted uterus and I look more pregnant than this chick after a large meal :(

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u/AHailofDrams 1d ago

My girlfriend was like this, but not quite as much.

She had maybe 6 inches of belly

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u/WasteSign8450 1d ago

I don’t think so because mine is backwards yet i have a massive belly as time passes. Second baby on the way.

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u/Iari_Cipher9 1d ago

My uterus is tilted and I was definitely showing

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u/cb51096 1d ago

I think so too, but I can’t help but feel there is some degree of lying.

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u/Nova2105 1d ago

I have a tilted uterus and am also 5'10 (they say tall women can show less) and this was not the case with my pregnancies at all. There was no denying I was pregnant by 5 months both times.

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u/IngunnaBurston 1d ago

what makes the difference?

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u/Vincent-Briatore 1d ago

Plus being overweight.