For most women, pregnancy is decidedly unglamorous and often downright uncomfortable. Between carrying the extra weight of each precious bundle, plus the swelling, leaking, oozing, and soreness that accompany each pregnancy, moms who enjoy it are generally not the majority! By the end of pregnancy, many moms struggle to waddle wherever they need to go, and are just ready for the baby to be out.
These moms, however, fully embraced the awkwardness of pregnancy and made it beautiful! We envy their ability to move around without wincing, but also we admire their commitment to staying true to themselves while growing new life. It’s not easy to go through the changes that pregnancy brings, whether you bounce back to your original shape or not! There’s lots to love about being pregnant, but being comfortable or staying athletic aren’t usually highlights!
There’s no rule saying moms can’t keep doing what they enjoy while pregnant, especially when their doctor signs off on their activities. And because each woman carries each pregnancy differently, plenty of moms may not even look pregnant- although we bet they’re feeling it! Check out these fifteen women who completely embraced their pregnant bods, and looked awesome while doing it!
15 Pole Dancing Mama Ignites Internet
Jill McLean, also known as Cleo the Hurricane in her professional life, teaches pole dance classes, stars in fitness DVDs, and sells clothing for pole dancers. She told Inside Edition that when she got pregnant with her son, she felt super unsexy (do any of us feel sexy while pregnant??) and kept on pole dancing to feel good about herself.
Now, if swinging around on a pole while wearing platform heels at 9 months pregnant doesn’t sound exciting to you, Jill gets that. She maintains that she didn’t intend for her pole dancing while pregger video to go viral, but she’s glad it’s exposing other women to what pregnant bods are capable of. She also credits her craft with keeping her fit enough to manage labor and delivery easily, including the delivery of her over-9-pound baby boy.
14 Crossfit At Full Term
Mom Meghan Leatherman kept up her Crossfit workouts until the day she went into labor, according to an interview with Today. During her pregnancy, actually in the final week, she set a personal record for back squats. Prior to that, she set her personal best on the dead lift at 215 pounds. While most women wouldn’t dream of lifting that much weight at all, pregnant or not, this mom is used to staying active.
She had been doing Crossfit for over two years, and when her and her husband found out she was pregnant, she consulted with her doctor to be safe. In general, it’s safe for pregnant women to keep working out if they’re experienced with whatever form of exercise they’re engaging in. So that means us couch potatoes shouldn’t start deadlifting mid-pregnancy, but for moms like Meghan, Crossfit during pregnancy is life.
13 Model’s Barely-There Bump Invites Criticism
Model Sarah Stage drew drama on Instagram when she shared snaps of her barely-there baby bump in 2015. Stage is a lingerie model whose flat tummy pics started a heated online discussion over the proper size of a bump. Many commenters were horrified that her tummy stayed so small (and bounced back so quickly after baby) and worried baby wasn’t healthy because of mom’s commitment to fitness.
Nine days after the birth of her baby (who weighed a healthy eight pounds seven ounces), Stage shared a pic of her practically flat tummy and pronounced abs. We’re super impressed with her ability to bounce back, when it takes most of us months if not longer to get back to pre-preggo condition. With the announcement of her second pregnancy, we’re prepared to pore over her pics with jealousy while she rocks another ab-filled nine months.
12 Marathon Runner Rocks Boston
Lifelong runner Amy Keil completed the 2015 Boston Marathon at thirty-four weeks pregnant with her first child. Early on in the pregnancy, she consulted her doctor, who agreed that running while pregnant was safe for mom and baby, but that if complications arose, she’d have to postpone competing in Boston. Between daily training and finishing a 20-mile practice run weeks before the event, Keil kept her bod in prime marathon condition, despite having a baby on board.
She told Runner’s World that she and her husband had already purchased a baby jogger for the baby’s impending arrival, and it doesn’t seem mom is willing to slow down. She hasn’t seen much backlash for her run, noting that feedback at the marathon was positive. With other moms now in the media for completing events while pregnant, she may have helped pave the way!
11 Preggo Mom’s April The Giraffe Spoof
After this pregnant mom’s April the Giraffe spoof went viral, she found herself in the spotlight. Erin Dietrich recorded a spoof that mimicked the livestream feed of April the giraffe’s supposedly impending birth. While most of us relate to just wanting the baby out, Erin brought comic relief to the whole situation.
After friends teased her for following April’s [lack of] progress almost obsessively, Erin decided to buy a giraffe mask. That led to acting out her spoof of the April video, which included her prancing around her room while her husband filmed. If that’s not enjoying the final weeks of pregnancy, we’re not sure what is! Four days after the video was posted, Erin finally gave birth- but April was still pregnant. Erin later posed for a photo with her newborn son while wearing the giraffe mask.
10 Boxing Mom’s Alternative Morning Sickness Cure
Fit mom Vicky Sims told Inside Edition that working out while pregnant- specifically, boxing- eased her morning sickness symptoms. Most of us can’t drag ourselves out of bed while suffering from morning sickness, let alone make it to the gym. But this fitness junkie made it her mission to get to the gym and embraced her body's need for exercise through her last month of pregnancy.
This mama also kept to a specific diet and embraced a healthy weight gain to support her growing baby. Although she gained 25 pounds, which is normal and healthy, she didn’t start showing until seven months pregnant. We never knew boxing could ward off morning sickness and keep a mom so trim!
9 Celeb Baby Bump Garners Worldwide Fame
We already know Beyonce lives like a queen, because after all, she is Queen Bey. But when she’s pregnant, she’s even more stunning (if that’s even possible). When she’s with child, Beyonce glows like all pregnant mamas do, but she also stages elaborate photo shoots that highlight her growing belly. Beyonce isn’t one to shy away from the spotlight from zero to forty weeks, and in fact seems to relish being pregnant and posing for the pics!
She’s already in the spotlight most of the time anyway, but her maternity pics are steps above paparazzi snaps while out and about. We love that she’s sharing her beautiful preggo self with all her fans, although we’re envious of her ability to look glamorous whether it’s 30 weeks pregnant or a month postpartum. Way to set the bar, Bey.
8 Salsa Dancing Duo Goes Viral
Gemma Marin and her partner are the stars of a series of YouTube videos of dancing to Latin music- with Gemma’s 35 week pregnant belly included. The fun and feisty couple haven’t slowed down their dancing habits since Gemma became pregnant, and fans all over the world love their super fun and super sassy videos.
From the hit Despacito to Shakira’s latest release, these two have impressive dance skills that are only magnified by the presence of Gemma’s not-so-little belly. She looks like she’s having a ton of fun, but it also looks exhausting! Then again, dancing is great exercise any time, so it’s a good choice for keeping active during pregnancy. Either way, we love watching Gemma and her man get down to some great music- their child is a lucky one!
7 Babywearing, Pole Dancing, And Pregnancy
Ms. Wrights Way’s Ashley Wright went viral years ago when she was filmed and photographed pole dancing while wearing her toddler daughter in a wrap carrier. Not only was Ashley performing elaborate moves on the pole, she also frequently nursed her daughter, Shannon, while holding complicated poses halfway up the pole. There are even YouTube vids of the athletic mom doing pole dance shows while pregnant.
Now that she’s expecting another child, it’s hard to say whether Ashley will continue pole dancing with two little ones clinging to her, but she’s definitely embracing her pregnant bod the same as she has since birthing Shannon. Her natural and attachment parenting tendencies plus an earthy grounded attitude make her a mama who’s comfortable in her own skin. Way to shine, goddess mama!
6 Superstar To Mom-Of-Two In Stride
Singer Kelly Clarkson is used to living in the public eye, since she’s earned international fame in the years since winning American Idol. Her amazing singing voice and her friendly personality make her shows a treat to watch, and she’s just the kind of girl you’d love to go for coffee with, or have a few glasses of wine!
But when Kelly got pregnant with her first child, critics commented on her weight gain, and the media wasn’t very nice about pointing out the extra pounds. In a world where women are praised for being thin and dainty, Kelly was a normal-sized pregnant mama who didn’t care what anyone thought. Everyone’s weight gain varies with pregnancy, and many of us never lose the baby weight! We love that Kelly didn’t let anyone get her down, because we love and appreciate her keeping it real!
5 Preggo Celeb [Over] Indulges
There are plenty of reasons to love this honest and outspoken celeb mom, although we have to admit we kind of hate her for taking John Legend off the market. Anyway, Chrissy Teigen’s Twitter posts are always hilarious and straight up real, so it’s no surprise that while she was pregnant with daughter Luna, not much changed!
Chrissy still shared amazing food with her followers, like her yummy cravings and all the delicious snacks she enjoyed. While she didn’t try to hide her pregnancy indulgences, none of those sweet treats showed up in her preggo bod- she looked amazing the entire pregnancy. Obviously she enjoyed herself and also maintained some sort of fitness routine (plus those amazing genes at work)- because it’s all about balance. Besides, pregnancy cravings are no joke.
4 Rainbow Baby, Glowing Mama
For Jacob and Britni Lamance’s third pregnancy, their photographer staged this epic rainbow smoke bomb to surprise them. After suffering a miscarriage early on, and Britni subsequently losing a fallopian tube due to complications from the ectopic pregnancy, they went on to have their son Jameson. When they began trying to conceive baby Wrightly, they weren’t sure what to expect. With only one fallopian tube, Britni wasn’t sure they could conceive, and getting pregnant took nearly five months of trying.
Their photographer, who’s known the couple since they first booked their engagement photos, didn’t let on that she had this surprise in store. As if preserving Britni’s pregnancy glow in photos wasn’t enough- now the couple has a meaningful portrait that shows the significance of this baby’s impending birth, plus mama’s gorgeous preggo belly.
3 Olympian Competes While Pregnant (Twice)
Olympic runner Alysia Montano has completed two races while pregnant, crediting Wonder Woman as her biggest inspiration. In 2014, she ran in the race prelims while 34 weeks pregnant, in 100-degree heat! While her tummy was her most noticeable attribute during the race, Alysia’s real claim to fame is her 2012 Olympic debut, where she earned a bronze medal.
In 2017, Alysia again ran a race while pregnant, this time at five months along. While her time didn’t rank high enough to qualify her for the semi-finals, Alysia is still the fifth-fastest American runner ever. Pregnant or not, she definitely kicks butt and embraces her body in all its stages. While most of us are challenged by waddling to the bathroom while pregnant, gals like Alysia keep working and running throughout their pregnancies. Showoffs!
2 Wonder Woman Earns International Acclaim
Women (and men… and basically everyone) everywhere were thrilled to see Gal Gadot onscreen in Wonder Woman, being a kickass superhero while looking fabulous and all. So it was even more amazing to find out that during filming, Gal was five months pregnant but totally avoided any diva-like demands or preggo related outbursts.
This classy chick embraced her preggo bod to the point of not actively trying to hide her bump in the film, but continuing to play her part regardless. Although, what do you expect from a badass girl racer who was cast in three of the Fast and the Furious movies? We’re not surprised she was so chill about acting while pregnant, and since it was her second child, you know she’s got a handle on this momming thing.
1 From Playmate To Playing Mama
Kendra Wilkinson left the Playboy franchise years ago, but she’s still famous for her past with Hugh Hefner as well as her marriage to former football player Hank Baskett. With their first child, Kendra gained over thirty pounds, a stark contrast to her former life as a Playboy playmate whose essential function was to look good on the arm of her older man!
Now, Kendra is in full mom mode, with two pregnancies under her belt, and more than a few stretch marks. Kendra is candid about her mom bod, however, and has shared honest and upfront pics with fans that show her real body and real struggles! Obviously, we still think she’s gorgeous anyway, and luckily, so does she!
Sources: Inside Edition, Today, Runner’s World, Daily Mail, Inside Edition, PopSugar, PopSugar, FloTrack