Pregnant celebrities from supermodel Bar Refaeli to actress Blake Lively and yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin have been heating up Instagram and the red carpet with pictures of their ultra-pert baby bumps.
With such glamorization of pregnancy, it’s easy to understand why moms-to-be might feel inadequate about their own changing bodies. But every woman’s experience is different: Not all pregnant ladies look like they’ve swallowed a tennis ball, when in reality they’re growing a human being.
Nevertheless, doctors say although there’s no right or wrong way to carry, pregnancy is not a license to throw caution to the wind and eat whatever you want.
“Those celebrities are probably not having a tub of ice cream every day,” Dr. Fahimeh Sasan, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, tells The Post.
Sasan recommends gaining between 25 and 30 pounds during pregnancy — and believes a nutritious diet, combined with a doctor-approved exercise regimen, goes a long way toward staying healthy.
Five New Yorkers — all, like Refaeli, in their seventh month of pregnancy — discuss their health and body image as they await their babies.
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Heather Stachowiak
30 lbs. gained, 31 weeks pregnant
Tamara Beckwith; Arizona T-shirt, $14 at JCPenney.com; Solow leggings, $55 at Shopbop.com; sneakers, $159 at Greats.com Style blogger Stachowiak, who began her pregnancy at 140 pounds, is happy with her weight gain — even though she’s already gained the entire recommended amount.
“I am an athletic, muscular person, and the changes to my body have not shaken me much,” says the 30-year-old from Jersey City, a first-time mom-to-be. “I look like a completely different person because I’m more curvy, and everything, including my breasts, are bigger. To be honest, my butt is out of control — my husband is so happy about that one!”
She’s unruffled by the likes of Baldwin and Refaeli. “I remind myself that my body knows how much weight it needs to gain,” she says.
Still, the brunette wants to build up her strength training: “Delivery is hard,” she says. “My mantra is, ‘Just listen to your body because your body is meant to do this.’ ”
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Elizabeth Manning
15 lbs. gained, 32 weeks pregnant
Brian Zak; Maternity V-neck, $12 at Oldnavy.com; Pure Body leggings, $30 at Gap.com; “Ecentrcq” slip-ons, $60 at Stevemadden.com Like many expectant mothers, Manning feels pressure from celebrity moms to look trim while pregnant, and to quickly lose the baby weight.
“I’m constantly looking at pregnant-celebrity websites to see their progression,” she confesses. “But the best advice I’ve received is to keep living my life.”
As with her three previous pregnancies, Manning gets in her fitness via brisk walks — but her food cravings are more intense.
“For a while, I had to have McDonald’s cheeseburgers, fries and chocolate milkshakes,” admits the chemical engineer from Secaucus, NJ. “A few months ago I had a thing for Lindt chocolate bunnies — I’d be eating one a day.”
And although her ultrasound staff tells her she is “at an advanced maternal age,” Manning laughs it off. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ But 41 is not old. I think Janet Jackson being pregnant at 50 is great — it opens up the door for women to have children at an older age.”
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Gin Cheng
10 lbs. gained, 30 weeks pregnant
Tamara Beckwith; Maternity V-neck, $12 at Oldnavy.com; New Balance leggings, $90 at Lordandtaylor.com; “Ecentrcq” slip-ons, $60 at Stevemadden.com Even though Cheng’s gained relatively little weight, she tells her husband of five years that she feels “like a whale.”
“You just feel so big, wobbly and fat,” says the Forest Hills, Queens, compliance project manager.
When she was pregnant with her first son, now 20 months old, she couldn’t get enough tiramisu or red velvet cake. Now, she craves pizza.
And although her mother encourages her to exercise, Cheng finds it hard to hit the gym with a toddler. “I’m much more tired,” says Cheng, 34. “I gained around 30 pounds the first time, so I am hoping for a similar result.”
She still finds small ways to keep moving, thanks to her tot. “I walk a lot and take him to the park,” she says.
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May Lane
9.5 lbs. gained, 29 weeks pregnant
Tamara Beckwith; Maternity V-neck, $12 at Oldnavy.com; Karen Kane leggings, $67 at Lordandtaylor.com; “Ecentrcq” slip-ons, $60 at stevemadden.com During her first pregnancy, the yoga instructor put on 35 pounds and delivered an 11-pound baby.
“I had to go to the children’s ward for diapers because he was so big,” the Union City, NJ, resident recalls of her son, now 20 months old.
This time, the 34-year-old coped with nausea during the first trimester. “I thought my baby was a vegan — I could not stand the sight of eggs or meat,” says Lane, who’s gained less than 10 pounds.
Lane continues to enjoy yoga — in her case, 11 times a week, along with twice-weekly swims. She recommends that pregnant yoga fans consult their doctors before exercising, and never try poses involving twists or back bends. She says moms-to-be should engage their cores with squats and tabletop poses.
But she isn’t the only expectant mother on the mat: “I see women wanting to do a lot more during yoga classes in order to stay in shape.”
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Lisa Kelly
30 lbs. gained, 28 weeks pregnant
Tamara Beckwith; Pure Body T-shirt, $35, and leggings, $30, both at Gap.com; “Ecentrcq” slip-ons, $60 at Stevemadden.com For this lawyer-turned-teacher, the most important thing is to stay healthy: “The best advice that I have gotten is that you are the mom, you know best.”
Kelly tries to find time to work out, but most of her exercise involves chasing and lifting her 3-year-old son, Benjamin: “I consider that weightlifting.”
Like most pregnant women, the 34-year-old avoids caffeine and wine. Her one craving? Carvel Flying Saucers.
Overall, she considers herself lucky that both pregnancies have gone smoothly, without morning sickness. “Feeling the baby move and knowing there is a new life inside — it’s pretty amazing,” she says.
