Earlier this week, photos of the Instagram model Sarah Stage went viral. They seemed like standard fitspo selfies: In one, Stage, impeccably contoured, is posed in front of a mirror in a bikini, her stomach flat and toned. But the hashtags on the post indicated that she was "#6monthspregnant." What?Reflexively trying to make sense of the image an caption, my first thought was that this woman is a very powerful witch. Stage, who is pregnant with her second child, also maintained a six-pack throughout her first pregnancy.But Stage's pregnancy, while perhaps rare, isn't unique. There are quite a few anecdotes on the internet from women who didn't realize they were pregnant because they had hardly gained any weight, and other women who know they're pregnant but insist they never really showed."I never had a bump my first pregnancy," one woman wrote on a forum. "I went to a theme park five days before my daughter was born, I waited on the exit side of the rides and people kept asking why I didn't ride. No one believed I was nine months pregnant. Some women just don't show much."When I spoke to Dr. Sherry A. Ross, an obstetrician, gynecologist, and author of She-ology, she confirmed that some pregnant women just don't look pregnant. "Every woman carries and shows off their pregnancy differently," Ross explained. "Taller women who have a larger midsection may not show off their pregnancy as obviously as shorter women. If a woman is six months or 24 weeks pregnant, the vast majority of naked women would have a noticeable pregnancy bump. The photos of Sarah Stage do not show a six month pregnancy bump, but this may be owed to unique genetics." (Or a flattering camera angle, she adds.)In addition, Stage, who hawks a fitness e-book and sponsored protein shakes on her Instagram, is clearly an exercise fanatic. Ross says that abdominal muscle mass could play a role. "The more abdominal muscular support and tightness that exists, the more likely the growing uterus will not 'pop' out early on in the pregnancy," she explained. "If you have looseness in the abdominal area, the uterus will more easily lean forward or pop out and be seen sooner in the pregnancy."But, in terms of bump size, there's no better or worse way to carry a pregnancy. The 33-year-old fitness mom has said that her pregnancy is perfectly healthy. However, Ross cautions, it is possible that a flat stomach during pregnancy could indicate a problem. "If a pregnant woman continues to have a small baby bump during the course of her pregnancy this may suggest she has a smaller baby than what would be considered normal growth," she said. "Serial ultrasounds would show how well the baby is growing inside the uterus and if there was any cause for concern."
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