I had an ‘invisible pregnancy', I never got a bump and I’m really sad about it

“No one could believe I was pregnant, even at the hospital.”

2 min read

July 19, 2023 - 1:50PM

Parenting

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Every mum’s pregnancy journey is unique, and for some it includes a very small or barely visible bump up until the day their baby is born.

Nikki Salazar is one of those mums whose pregnancy was barely visible to anyone else, except her.

Explaining her experience in a recent TikTok video, Nikki admitted she was sad that she never had a big pregnant belly, before delivering her first child.

In the clip Nikki is seen wearing crop tops, with a flat stomach, in the months leading up to her son’s birth.

The young mum, who had her baby last year at age 22, said the reasons she never showed was because she had a “big uterus” and was carrying in her back.

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Mum shares how she never got a bump her entire pregnancy

No belly for months

In the video, which has been played 10.9 million times, Nikki shows what her belly looked like during her pregnancy, right up until the week she gave birth.

Nikki said she lost “about 15 pounds” in the first three months because she was throwing up so much.

But “didn’t think anything” of her little weight gain, because it was "early on”.

However as the months went by she “still had nothing”, despite having “all the symptoms and felt kicks regularly”.

In the montage Nikki is seen wearing tight and cropped clothing which show her flat stomach, including at seven months pregnant.

Nikki Salazer shared photos of her pregnancy. Source: TikTok: @nikkisalazar_

“It was a very crazy experience"

At eight months pregnant, she “started to feel very heavy”, but still had no bump.

In another photo, two weeks before giving birth, she is squatting down with a crop top on and her belly looks no different from months earlier.

“It was a very crazy experience, and no one could believe I was pregnant, even at the hospital,” she says.

In one photo, five days before giving birth, a slight raised bump can be seen on Nikki’s lower abdomen.

While many women might like to limit their weight gain during pregnancy, Nikki confessed it was difficult, as she’d always imagined growing big, beautiful belly.

She captioned the photo and video montage, “It’s all fun and games until you get no maternity photoshoot.”

Nikki Salazer didn't get a bump until days before giving birth. Source: TikTok @nikkisalazar_

"My first pregnancy was exactly like this"

The video has recently gone viral, with 1.2 million likes and 5800 comments.

Many people in the comment section were confused by her story asking, “how is this even physically possible?”

Nikki replied in the comments that her “baby was all the way towards my back and I have a large uterus. So he had more space”.

When an internet user commented, “jealous, but I can only imagine what it's like to not get that full experience and wanting a bump”, Nikki replied, it “definitely had its pros and cons. But I was very sad I didn’t get to experience it.”

Other users shared similar stories of ‘invisible pregnancies’.

“My mum was like this her first pregnancy. Apparently she could have gone her whole pregnancy without anyone knowing… she was only 16,” one person said.

A second mum shared, “me too! My first pregnancy was exactly like this. She came out 8lbs.”