So you’re in the first trimester and you already have a noticeable baby bump? Or maybe you’re well into the second trimester and you’re just not quite ready to tell people yet… Whatever the reason for wanting to keep your pregnancy under wraps, I hope this post, sharing 8 style tips to hide a baby bump can help you out!

With these tricks I managed to disguise my bump at work up until 22 weeks - almost 5 months pregnant! In the video and photos I’m 20 weeks and although it was definitely getting harder to hide towards the end, most of my work colleagues were super surprised when I announced, so these tips really do work! (Particularly if you’re showing a bit early and just want to keep things quiet until you’re out of the first trimester… most people don’t hide it for as long as I did!!)

These tips can also come in handy if you’re looking for flattering ways to dress when you're postpartum (because your belly will still be quite big for a while!), feeling bloated or if you're ever just feeling self conscious of your tummy!

I hope you enjoy and that it can help you out until you’re ready to announce the exciting news!

Once you’re ready to show off the bump, check out my Pregnancy Style Essentials Post & Video!

1) The “Front tuck” with lower waisted pants

One of the best ways I found to hide my tummy was to wear a boxy button down shirt and tuck the front into my pants/jeans. This was particularly helpful at work!

The billowing of the shirt that the the tucking-in provides means it disguises any bump that might otherwise be noticeable above your jeans, as it tricks the eye into thinking it’s just the blousiness of the shirt.

By 11 weeks I was definitely having trouble doing up the button on my normal work pants though, so you’ll probably need to find some that have a bit more stretch.

I ended up borrowing a pair of work pants from my mum that were a size bigger than my usual. They were the “Tia Pull On Pant” from Saba (size 10) and allowed me to continue doing this “tuck in trick” for longer! They’re not maternity pants but have a stretchy waist band and were perfect! Even if you’re not pregnant I’d highly recommend these pants! They’re really nice and super comfy and I’ll definitely be getting my own pair down the track!

If you decide to give maternity pants/jeans a go, try to find the “under bump” ones so you can still tuck your tops in lower down and let them billow over the band to keep your tummy hidden!

2) Use Patterns To Trick The Eye

Patterns are really great as they can distract the eye from anything you want to hide! I know my tummy looked much less obvious when I was wearing something patterned compared to if I wore solid block colours!

3) Choose Darker Colours

Darker colours seem to disguise the bump just that little bit better than lighter ones. We all know that darker colours are more slimming in general, but it also helps as it hides the shadows that the bump creates!

Also, one of the few colleagues that had guessed that I was pregnant did so because she saw the light from the window shining through my white top (see first tip!) which showed the outline of my tummy! A darker colour wouldn’t have been so obvious! (Bonus tip - try not to be backlit if you’re using that trick… haha :p)

4) Go for peplum tops, boxy styles and loose flowy fabrics.

Peplum tops with a little frill around the tummy area were a life saver. Let’s be honest, these tops already kinda make you look a little pregnant anyway. They puff out at just the right area (because your tummy starts to pop lower down first) and are very good at hiding a bloated tummy (even if you’re not pregnant)!

Fortunately I already wore these long before I was pregnant so it’s not like I was changing up my style. The key is to pair them with more fitted bottoms so you don’t look big all over!

I actually went to my cousin’s 21st birthday party wearing a black peplum top over a pair of skinny jeans that I couldn’t actually do the button up on!

5) The Power Of Layering

In the first few weeks I found myself wanting to get the wear out of pieces that I knew I probably wouldn’t be fitting into for much longer! Things like my playsuits and more fitted tops. Obviously these kind of things can draw more attention to a bump, but a good way to distract from this is simply to layer a piece over the top. Think a chambray shirt left open over a white playsuit, or a blazer over a t-shirt and jeans.

Long scarves are great too as they sit in front of your tummy and distract the eye, and obviously jackets are handy too!

6) Fit and flare dresses

You know I love my fit and flare dresses and they’re particularly great during the early stages of pregnancy because they give that volume around the tummy area (and therefore easily hide a little bump!) but still nip in at the waist so don’t make you look big!

Obviously as you grow bigger these aren’t going to work, but for the early stages I think they look really nice and they are great for disguising an early bump! Dresses also have the advantage of being super comfortable which is exactly what you need when you’re in that (sometimes rather unpleasant) first trimester!

7) Belt A BoxyDress At The Right Point

You’ll see this tip demonstrated much more clearly in the video, but basically if you belt a boxy dress in just the right place (ie - not too high and not too low) and blouse the top part over, it can help to balance everything out and make the tummy area look smaller by creating more volume at the top.

It hides the bump much better than if you just wear the dress without a belt. Even if it’s a loose, boxy shape, it will tend to cling in the wrong areas and make your tummy more obvious if you just let it drape over your belly!

8) Overalls

Although these won’t be for everyone, if overalls are already part of your style they can be a really handy piece to hide a growing tummy!

Because overalls already give a little volume around the belly area, they’re a good way to disguise the bump, and because the denim is usually quite thick, they can be quite good to cinch everything in and make it less obvious!

Obviously, how easy it is to hide your bump will depend a lot on your normal style. If you usually wear more fitted clothes, keeping the secret might make it a little more difficult, but hopefully you’ve found some of these tips helpful! It’s crazy how different everyone is in terms of how much they show and how early too!

I was quite lucky because although I did start showing rather early (I had an obvious bump - which was probably just bloating! by about 9 weeks), the style of clothes I usually wear was very conducive to hiding my little baby bump!

Would love to hear if this has helped you at all or if you have any tips that might help others! Leave a comment below or come say hi on Instagram @laurennatalia.co and don’t forget to share the post/video if you know someone who it might help!

Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx