When did people first start to notice your baby bump?

I’ve been offered a seat on the subway five times in as many days. This tells me two things:

1) Toronto transit users are a kinder lot than I would have given them credit for. (But, also that ladies need to help a queasy/unsteady-on-her-feet sister out. All but one of my kind seat vacators were men!)

2) My bump is an obvious bump. No longer am I just bloated, or maybe a little rotund around the midsection, but unmistakably pregnant. Even to someone who doesn’t know me.

I had a similar experience at the dentist the other day. As soon as I walked through the office door one of the receptionists squealed, “I see you have a little baby bump there!” I was dumbfounded. This was the first time a total stranger had made such a confident statement about my bump. During the past week more and more colleagues have stopped me in the hallways or by the sinks in the washrooms of our office building and whispered, “Are you?” But this was a real public declaration of my growing belly. I had to smile.

Read more: Is it safe to visit your dentist while pregnant?>

It’s strange to think that my little baby secret is no longer a secret. Or something known by my friends and family alone, but out there for the world to see — literally. It’s also reassuring, though, in a way. About a month ago my husband and I took a trip to South Carolina for a week and before we left I was joking with my friends that I needed to take a t-shirt that read, “I’m not fat, I’m pregnant!” because it felt strange to have this growing waistline that looked puffy in a bikini, but nothing like a baby yet. It’s nice to have people acknowledge that there’s a growing baby in there — and comforting to know that it’s not just due to all the jujubes I’ve been inhaling. (Seriously, I can’t get enough of them!)

When did people first start to notice your bump? Tweet me @KarenRobock.

Originally posted in May 2012.