Trolling has been around since the dawn of the internet, and the population of insensitive ahem... lurking behind their computer screens or phones, ready to pounce on unwary innocents, is growing steadily in numbers by the hour. Social media sites make pregnant women easy targets and it's on Facebook and Instagram where much of the bullying goes on.

I've been a victim of bullying online and it did put a humongous, gaping hole in my self-esteem. However I've yet to experience being targeted and harassed as a pregnant woman. And hopefully I never will. Even the notion of someone getting enjoyment out of berating a woman with child makes me sick to my stomach. Where is the pleasure in it?

The internet is a vast place. There's much better things to do on it that sabotage someone's self-image, especially when they're going through one of the most trying experiences of their lives. Much of the time it's men throwing around the insults around on Instagram and Facebook, men who will never know what it means to be pregnant. Though there's also plenty of women calling the shots too, which is actually pretty devastating.

While all of the 15 cases we talk about here are maddening, some are just off the scale infuriating and make me, for one, see red. What sort of person would target a woman about the colour of her belly, for instance, or for making an effort to stay fit while pregnant? It makes the mind boggle.

15 Because Of Belly Color

Vegan chef, writer and actor Porsche Thomas chronicled her pregnancy through stunning posts on Instagram. However, when she uploaded a bikini shot, she immediately became a target for trolls who bullied her about the colour of her bump and her interracial marriage. One toll commented 'nasty-looking thing' while another asked the question why is 'her stomach so black?'

Thankfully, Porsche had many commenters jump to her defense. Some made the effort to point out a woman's body undergoes many changes while carrying a baby, and this can include having a belly that is darker than the rest of your body.

Porsche herself had an epic response to the trolls... "While some of y'all been in my comments criticizing the Blackness that is my belly and me during what shoulda been your holiday cheer, I been over here enjoying life, growing tiny humans, performing miracles, and hopefully getting even Blacker."

14 For Wearing Men's Clothes

Married lesbian couple Domonique and Crissy are YouTube stars with over one million subscribers tuning into their channel. When they announced Domonique was expecting a baby, things started to turn sour. As the bump grew, so did the hate...for what Domonique, as an expectant mom, was wearing.

Many of the trolls believed that because Domonique happens to be the 'more masculine' of the two, she shouldn't have been the one to carry the baby. She has been hounded for wearing 'boy clothes' and others have slated her saying that she looked like 'a guy currying a baby.'

But the pair refused to let the negative attention get to them, and said that they 'don't give two shits about your stereotypes.' Dominique said that she dresses in a way that's comfortable for her and insists that she will teach her son 'to always be himself and to stand up for himself!'

13 For Weightlifting

Sophie Guidolin, a 26 year old personal trainer who is pregnant with twins, has been the victim of trolls ever since she shared a photo of herself lifting weights. Sophie was cleared by her obstetrician and works out with her coach and husband Nathan.

Apparently, it's mostly been men who have been targeting Sophie, with one saying that the 30kg weight she was photographed lifting was 'considerably heavy.' Sophie retaliated and said "To me, that's not a heavy weight. It all comes down to what's heavy for the individual and what they could lift prior to pregnancy."

Sophie thinks that there's too much myth surrounding exercise and pregnancy, and that women shouldn't be discouraged from working out. She said "There were people saying I'm going to have a prolapse, but it's no different to if I bent down to pick up a pencil, or the groceries."

12 For Being Plus Size

During the pregnancy of her second child, plus sized model Tess Holliday was relentlessly hounded online. But Tess, who's name appeared on the 'Time’s list of 'The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet,' continues to be an ambassador for body positivity.

On her Instagram account she said "What I’ve had to be learn to be okay with (WHICH IS NOT COOL) is the fact that people still think it’s okay to comment on my body: ‘you don’t look pregnant,’ ‘you must be having quadruplets,’ ‘you are putting your baby at risk’ and a slew of other uneducated statements that are very far from my reality.”

She also poignantly stated “Making fun of my body will never make you a better person. It will never fix the void you feel within yourself, and the issues you have when you look in the mirror.” Never a truer word spoken.

11 For Having A Big Bump

No bump is the same size or shape, something trolls don't seem to understand. When they see a baby bump, it's just another opportunity to sharpen their claws and get nasty. When Instagram fitness star Revie Jane Schulz was 24 weeks pregnant with her first child, the comments came in thick and fast about the size of her bump.

But it wasn't only online. When trying on a dress, the shop assistant couldn't help but have a jab and said "Holy moly!’ My friend is 36 weeks and you’re only 24 weeks and you’re WAY bigger than her!" Revie said she'd get the same comments everywhere she went, and ended up offering advice to everyone following her on Instagram “Here’s a tip, don’t mention the size of a bump,” she wrote. “No ‘you’re so big!’s No ‘oh! You’re so tiny’s.' Just say something like ‘you look beautiful / healthy/ amazing!"

10 For Looking Toned

Fitness junkie, blogger and Instagram star Hannah Polites documented her pregnancy on her social media account, but wasn't ready for the backlash. The photos that ramped up the most attention was when she was entering the third and final trimester of her pregnancy.

Many commenters were concerned about the health of the unborn child and felt that her slim physique posed a health risk to the baby. Hannah said “It’s truly shocking to read some of the comments regarding my health and that of my unborn baby, especially at a time where women are particularly vulnerable and can be more sensitive to bullying.”

She went on to say doctors said her baby was very healthy, and actually 20 per cent bigger than average and she wouldn't let critics get to her. A quick glance at her Instagram page is all the evidence you need to see she saw this through.

9 For Being Super Fit

Every woman has the right to stay fit during pregnancy, but not according to many trolls. Miami personal trainer Oxana Rumyantseva experienced extreme bullying because of her small baby bump. Because Oxana chose to stay fit while pregnant, she was accused of being 'selfish' and 'starving her baby' among many other things.

She said "There are so many haters who don’t understand fitness during pregnancy and call my pregnant abs ugly." For the record, her cardio and strength training routine were approved by her obstetrician. Oxana wasn't new to pregnancy though. The bullying was targeted at her fourth pregnancy bump.

During her first pregnancy she said that she gained 48 lbs, ate like a pig and was afraid to exercise. She didn't want that for her fourth. "I need to be an active pregnant mom. I need to be healthy and strong and to have energy for my big family."

8 For Showing Too Much Belly

I can't understand the logic of some people. When a woman becomes pregnant, it's natural she's going to gain weight. Apparently some viewers who watched Katie Fehlinger - a weather news anchor for CBS Philly - present the weather weren't aware of this fact.

Katie started to get harassed because of her weight gain, and was called 'disgusting' and a 'sausage in casing.' One troll had the audacity to say 'sticking your pregnant abdomen out like that is disgusting.' Thankfully, Katie decided not to stand for it herself and put out a manifesto for mom's everywhere which included the following sentences:

“I say let’s raise a Shirley Temple to swollen feet, stretch marks, nausea, all the extra pounds and the dark circles! They’re badges of motherhood. And for those of you who think that’s ‘disgusting,’ remember a woman went through the very same thing to bring YOU into the world."

7 For Looking Ready To Pop

I don't know about you, but I thought that Nashville star Hayden Panettiere looked gorgeous as a pregnant woman. She literally glowed and always wore such an enormous smile. Her joy was infectious.

Though apparently she gained more weight than is recommended during pregnancy. The 5 feet, 2 inches star had gained nearly 40 pounds before she delivered her first born. She said herself that she felt as though her feet were 'going to snap' under the weight.

When she was snapped at 8 weeks pregnant, wearing a two-piece swimsuit while on holiday in Hawaii, the shaming started. Hayden was called 'out of whack,' 'giant,' 'huge,' and 'ready to pop.' Though it was refreshing to see the defence horde was out in strength with one commenter saying "Such a refreshing change to see a celeb looking like a normal, healthy pregnant woman. She looks fabulous!"

6 For Having Too Much Bump

There is no 'just right' size for a baby bump, especially in the eyes of internet trolls who get off on making other people miserable. Expectant mom Vona Clay was, naturally, incredibly excited about her soon to be born first child, and put a photo on Instagram of her bump.

No sooner had Vona pressed 'publish' did the negative feedback start to stream in. One particularly nasty comment said "Wtf is this bitch pregnant with? Shrek??? Sextuplets??? An elephant???? Huh I NEED ANSWERS." Another said she was 'about to have a teenager.'

After her photo went viral, Vona sank into a deep depression. It ended up with Vona's mom writing a long post on Instagram, claiming that it was one of Vona's ex friends who had started with the trolling. There's been accusations the bump was actually a work of Photoshop. But whether it was or not remains a mystery.

5 For Plus Size Maternity Pictures

Most mom's want to shout out to the world that they're expecting, and what better way than with a set of gorgeously captured maternity photographs. This is what expectant mom Brittany Dykstra of Florida thought when she had her pregnant body photographed at the beach.

But gushing compliments were nowhere to be found. "People said I shouldn't be taking pictures, that my face and my arms have blown up, and not just because of the baby...and that pregnancy pictures are just for skinny women." Brittany said that she 'sobbed for hours' and that 'it's hard being plus-sized and pregnant.'

What's truly sad is that some of the comments were actually made by friends and family, not only strangers. Needless to say, Brittany, made her Facebook page private, and, in response to the criticism, she teamed up with Florida photographer Natalie McCain and created the Honest Body Project which went viral.

4 For Carrying Differently

Every woman will carry her baby differently. Though haters who trolled Australian fitness trainer Chontel Duncan, appeared to disregard this fact when Chontel posted a photo on Instagram featuring her bump and the bump of a friend.

The considerably shorter Smith had a bump several times larger than Chontel's, despite only being a few weeks further along in her pregnancy. Chontel stated, correctly, that the size of the bump being nothing to do with how healthy or not the baby inside is.

Despite Duncen's explanation, many of her followers - of which there are hundreds of thousands - complained she was just showing off. One commenter wrote "Jesus, I'm not even pregnant and have more of a belly than the one on the left hahaha." Duncen retaliated with a massage that ended with a brilliant truth. "It's safe to say there are people out there that underestimate the female body."

3 For Being Too Big Too Fast

There is nothing that internet trolls won't attack when it comes to pregnancy, and there is no 'right way' to be pregnant. Supermodel Chrissy Teigen discovered this when she announced on Twitter that she was pregnant. Critics were fast to take away the joy. Seceding that she was too big, people started asking if she had twins in there and speculating how far along she was.

Many of the comments actually came from women, including one called Ticia who wrote, “Damn you got big fast! My bestie is due in Feb and she’s ½ your size. Not twins? Probably triplets!” Teigen was quick to the mark. "I did IVF. One at a time. It isn’t twins. I can see the damn thing,” she explained. “Get out of my uterus!” She continued, “Please stop. I put one embryo in. I have ultrasounds every few days. I didn’t announce at a week.”

2 For Drinking Prosecco

English TV personality Amy Childs was snapped enjoying a glass of prosseco at a hair salon, and, as to be expected, a war started online that she was damaging her unborn baby with alcohol. Amy quickly took to Instagram to hit out at the claims, and ensured everyone that the fizz she was drinking was in fact non-alcoholic and that she was shocked that her fans believed she was drinking alcohol.

She said "So it seems I’ve been criticized following a set of photos which surfaced yesterday. I’m pretty hurt that people would think I am the sort of person who would put my baby at risk. Under no circumstances would I ever do that. Being a mum is something I’ve dreamt of for so long and I wouldn’t ruin it for an act of selfishness. The pictures you are all referring to have been taken way out of context."

1 For Gaining Weight

Gain too much weight and you're a lazy arse and are putting your baby's health at risk, don't gain weight and you're a show off and putting your baby's health at risk. It's rare that an expectant mom can win with her pregnancy body. Not even Kim Kardashian could win when she was pregnant with her first baby North West.

Kim's weight gain was gold for the media, who raged on and on about her body with such headlines as "I Can't Stop Eating!" The trolls had a field day too and circulated a meme comparing Kim in a black-and-white dress to a killer whale. It doesn't matter if your net worth is a billion dollars or you're currently unemployed, no pregnant woman should be made to feel bad about her body. Internet trolls who prey on expectant moms better be ready for when karma bites them in the ass.

Sources: dailymail.co.uk, Instagram, usmagazine.com, yahoo.com, health.com