Despite being one of the most natural and beautiful things in the world, many women still face criticism and backlash both during and post-pregnancy. From their diets to their exercise regimes to the natural shape of their bump - moms-to-be and mothers can face an onslaught of disapproval from others simply because they're doing things differently.
There are always online debate about what a "real" pregnancy body should look like, but people are quick to forget that every pregnancy is different, and some slimmer women may have smaller bumps. One woman who faced this criticism is model Bella Lucia.
Over the summer, Lucia mystified her 1.4 million Instagram followers with a series of pregnancy progression photos that showcased her bump.
Here's a picture of Lucia in a bikini at 23-weeks pregnant: And here is a picture of Bella at 35 weeks pregnant, which she described on Instagram as being "the happiest she's ever been":However, due to the fact that Lucia's bump appeared smaller than average, many people were quick to criticize the mom-to-be in the comments section, and question how her bump could be so "small" and "tiny". One commenter even accused Lucia of posting the images to "make others feel down about their pregnancy size".
Lucia responder to the comment, saying: "I can't change the size I am, I would embrace my belly; big or small - I post these because I'm happy about my pregnancy and I love documenting MY journey... I also frequently post women of all bump sizes on my stories and say how beautiful every bump is... stop trying to create drama"
Per Fox News, Lucia was also forced to take to her Instagram story, writing: "As you can see, women show very differently but are all carrying a little life. Just because I’m not showing as much as you like doesn’t mean my pregnancy is ‘unhealthy’ or that I’m promoting a ‘skinny’ pregnancy.
"It’s just my body and I can’t help it if it doesn’t look the same as other women. Body shaming is not okay no matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ someone is."
In wonder news earlier this month, the 22-year-old welcomed her newborn son to the world, describing birth as "the best experience of [her] life" in an Instagram post. And in an update to her stunning figure, Lucia has since posted a video showing her transformation from 40-weeks pregnant to one week postpartum.
Naturally, Bella looks absolutely amazing:Per Yahoo! Entertainment, Bella has informed her followers that she isn't doing anything to try and lose weight: "I haven’t done anything to lose weight apart from breastfeed. It’s just happened naturally."
And after revealing that she had actually gained 44lbs during pregnancy, one commenter said: "You'll never get back this body sorry for telling ya."
But the new mom hit back, saying: "Sorry for telling ya — I actually am back to this body. My boobs are just bigger from breastfeeding. And it wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t back I created a life."