Fitness Trainer’s Photos Show That A Healthy Pregnancy Looks Different For Everyone

Written by Mitha Shameer
Last Updated on

Women are often judged on their appearance, including their body. Either you are too fat, too skinny, too curvy, too tall, or too short. And you might think that people would spare women at least when they are pregnant. But sadly, things are no different even when you are carrying a baby in your belly.

Chontel Duncan, who is a fitness trainer in Brisbane, Australia, recently shared a photo on her Instagram account which went viral. The photo showed Chontel and her friend showing off their very different pregnant bellies. The objective of the photo was to show how different pregnancy can look for two women. Duncan was 5 months pregnant in the pic while her friend was 4 weeks further along. For Duncan, it was her first time being pregnant while it was the third pregnancy for her friend, Nat. Duncan says that they had worked out how being 4 months apart has its perks- like, how their babies would be of the same age, the same grade at school, and also can be potential best friends.

When Duncan posted the photo, it was received by both applause and backlash at the same time. And we are not surprised. Although she garnered many supporters, she also received a fair share of flak for it. There were followers who even questioned the health of Duncan and her baby. Duncan says that she never imagined that the reaction to her photo would turn out to be this crazy.

Fitness Trainer's Photos Show That A Healthy Pregnancy Looks Different For Everyone (3) pinit button
Image: chontelduncan/Instagram

But it didn’t stop Duncan. She recreated her previously viral pic with her friend Nat many weeks after giving birth. In the pic, both Duncan and Nat are seen holding their babies who seem to be perfectly healthy baby boys. In the caption, she says she got a surprise visit from her friend and her baby Charlie.

Duncan says that it was obvious to her that their pregnancies would be different as she is extremely tall and holds a lot more muscle mass. And it was her first time being pregnant while it was the third pregnancy for her friend, Nat. Duncan posted the photos in an attempt to show how everybody is unique, and how people shouldn’t judge women based on how they look. She also says that women shouldn’t be afraid of how their bodies will look once they are expecting.

Her Workout And Diet

 

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A post shared by CHONTEL DUNCAN (@chontelduncan) on Mar 15, 2016 at 5:02pm PDT

Duncan, a bodybuilder and HIIT trainer in Australia says that she didn’t have to make any major changes to her workout during her pregnancy. She says that her pregnancy fitness regime has been a progression of slowly modifying her exercises. She also added that she loved training during her pregnancy and didn’t feel like she had to put in more effort.

Luckily, she didn’t have to alter her diet much either. She says that she had to have scrambled eggs instead of runny eggs, and that’s the only major change that she had to make.

You might think that people are more sensitive to women during their pregnancy. But they often have to deal with snide remarks about their weight, their growing belly and much more. Even after pregnancy, things won’t come to a halt as there’s another thing for people to judge- breastfeeding. Basically, everybody believes they have the right to tell women when and where they should be breastfeeding. And in this new age where everybody has a social media account, people have got a platform to vomit their thoughts. Everybody now has an opinion on even the tiniest of things.

Chontel is now a mum of two, and we couldn’t be more proud of her for standing up for herself and taking a stand on pregnancy shaming. Have you dealt with any such remarks when you were pregnant (or after pregnancy)? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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