How to Hide Your Pregnancy in the First Trimester

There are no rules about how or when you should announce your pregnancy. You get to make all the rules about how, when, or if you reveal news about your pregnancy.

So if you decide you'd like to hide your pregnancy for any reason at all, such as possible concerns about miscarriage, considerations at work, or simply privacy, that's a perfectly valid option.

If you're not quite ready to share your news with the world, here's how to hide your pregnancy from your growing bump to any early pregnancy symptoms you experience.

How to Hide Your Bump

If you're looking to hide your pregnancy in the first trimester, there's no telling how soon you will start to "show." Every person and pregnancy is different, and there are many factors that can impact how your abdominal area looks in early pregnancy, including whether or not this is your first pregnancy, your body shape, how your uterus is shaped, and even your genetics.

Even before you have a physical bump from your uterus expanding with fetal growth, hormonal changes can cause bloating and relax your stomach muscles. The relaxed muscles and increased water retention can cause an early bump that you may need to accommodate if you're trying to hide your pregnancy.

Here are some tips you could try if you're looking to keep your pregnancy under wraps for now.

Avoid form-fitting clothing

If you're not ready to highlight your belly, avoid wearing tight shirts, pants, and dresses. "Stick with clothes that look drapey or deconstructed. Think flowy or slouchy," advises Amy Tara Koch, a style expert and author of Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy Into the Ultimate Style Statement.

She suggests choosing a top with side-ruching or playing it safe with tunics. Empire-waisted items, which cinch underneath the bust, are "the magic silhouette" for pregnancy, says Koch.

Balance your outfit

Always pair loose items with form-fitting items for a proportional look. "If you wear something blouse-y on the top, wear something more fitted on the bottom," Koch says. Bottoms like leggings, black tights, and skinny jeans are perfect options to keep your outfit proportional when wearing a looser top.

Add a scarf

When draped strategically, a scarf can also hide your pregnant belly. "Scarves are so easy to pop on—and they make you look longer, leaner, and taller," Koch says. She advises trying an oversized length for extra coverage.

Don't wrap it more than once," she adds. "And leave it hanging down." Black and blue scarfs can visually slim the body, while a brightly printed scarf adds a pop of color.

Accessorize with face-framing jewelry

"Accessories are styling tools," Koch says. They can draw attention to body parts you love—and take it away from places you're uncomfortable showing. If you're trying to hide your burgeoning bump, for example, Koch suggests bringing attention to your face and away from the belly.

Something to consider is bigger earrings like hoops, chandeliers, or anything that goes below the earlobe. "I think gold is more powerful than silver or black," Koch says. "And stones work too."

Drop your neckline

You obviously don't have to display plentiful cleavage, but if it applies to you, showing a little décolletage can draw attention from your midsection. Koch advises that you try shirts with scoop necks, V-necks, or boat necks.

How to Minimize Morning Sickness

While some people may not "show" much during the first trimester, symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and exhaustion can be hard to keep from others. Your best defense? A ready excuse, says Juli Fraga, Psy.D., a psychologist in San Francisco who specializes in maternal mental health.

"Nothing is worse than getting caught with a bad case of morning sickness when you're not ready to spill the news, but remember, you've always got an out. Pregnancy isn't the only thing that makes someone feel seasick," says Fraga.

Some believable responses you could try if a co-worker walks into a shared bathroom while you're having a bout: "My partner had the stomach flu, and I think I have it too," or just a simple, "Ugh, must be something I ate!" If you don't think a simple excuse will silence your more suspicious friends or co-workers, here are a few more tricks that should work like magic.

Be strategic with pregnancy products

Want to benefit from some tried-and-true morning sickness remedies without drawing attention to yourself? Opt for more discrete products like ginger-infused drops that look like hard candies or cough drops and acupressure wristbands that look more like woven bracelets or silicone watch bands.

Always have snacks on hand

Snacking on something bland and easy to digest, like a cracker, can stop a bout of morning sickness in its tracks. At the very least, crackers will soothe your nausea enough to help you get through a meeting at work, says mom of four and doctor Elizabeth Chabner Thompson, M.D.

She recommends keeping two-cracker packs of saltines (the ones you sometimes see at restaurants) in your desk and purse. Other solid options bets include sour candies, mints, and spearmint gum.

Sip something soothing

The smell and taste of peppermint tea can be energizing and calming to a sour stomach. The same goes for ginger, which makes a great warm beverage. And both can go in that travel mug you usually use for coffee so people will be none the wiser.

You can buy ready-made tea bags or to be even more discrete, make some fresh ginger tea at home yourself with this simple recipe from Heidi A. Fowler, M.D., a mom and psychiatrist in Newport, Rhode Island: Pour boiling water over freshly sliced organic ginger and steep for 5 minutes in a covered pot.