Fiona Trewhitt sported a “very big” bump in her first pregnancy. In her second pregnancy, however, she carried small – “so it was a huge contrast”, she says.

She wasn’t the only one to notice the contrast. “People made loads of comments about the way I ate or exercised and about how concerned I should be,” she says of her smaller bumped-pregnancy.

While Fiona wasn’t overly concerned, her obstetrician was cautious, organising extra scans to monitor her baby’s growth. “I kind of felt [the scans] were unnecessary and expensive, but did it anyway to be safe and sure,” Fiona says.

Thankfully, the scans were all reassuring, and baby Tommy was born a healthy size.

Midwife Amanda Bude says your baby’s position, the position of your uterus and your pelvic shape can all influence how you carry.

She says there are also lots of reasons your baby may be small – your child’s growth can be limited in pregnancy if you smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs or have poor nutrition. Babies may also be small for gestational age (SGA), growth restricted, or just be genetically small.

And if there’s not much fluid around your baby, your bump may also appear less pronounced.

[button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”left” href=”http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/stages-of-pregnancy/when-youre-carrying-small-20150811-giwb22.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=editorial/” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the Full Article[/button]