The process of having a baby is never easy. Between the pressures of pregnancy and carrying on all of the extra weight, it’s easy to see why it often takes a long while for things to go back to normal.
Even after giving birth to a baby, many women experience societal pressure and anxiety as a result of physical changes, an unstable emotional condition, as well as other problems. Fortunately, some celebrities are not hesitant to talk about it, reminding us that everything that happens to mothers during the postpartum period is absolutely normal and that they are not alone.
For example, while some dive headfirst into a tough diet and highly intensive workout, others, such as Halsey, are comfortable with their postnatal body and don’t want to immediately regain their pre-baby body form, and therefore, they ease back into things.
Here are 16 celebrity mothers who reveal what it’s like after giving birth, from Hollywood’s biggest stars to the world’s most recognized athletes.
#1 Aja Naomi King
Source: @ajanaomi_king
Viewers of the TV show How to Get Away With Murder are familiar with seeing King dressed elegantly and with perfect makeup. However, on her Instagram profile, the actress isn’t afraid to present herself as she is, especially right after giving a baby.
“No, this is not a pregnancy ‘Before’ picture. This is the ‘After’. After days of labor. After experiencing what felt like my insides being ripped apart, no lie. After experiencing the unimaginable beauty of childbirth, this is what is left behind. This Gorgeous Body!,” the actress captioned her photographs, reminding viewers that a woman’s body doesn’t have to be flawless after pregnancy and childbirth.
#2 Amanda Seyfried
Source: @mingey
The star became a mother again for the second time in 2020, but the experience was exceedingly hard and traumatic because of bouts of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, which she shared honestly.
“It’s so traumatic to deliver a baby even if you’re not suffering from anxiety or depression or any kind of mental illness, to begin with. Every mother I’ve ever spoken to is terrified of the nighttimes because you put your baby to sleep and you’re just hoping they don’t die in the middle of the night. It’s grim, but it’s the reality of motherhood,” Seyfried confesses.
#3 Ashley Graham
Source: @ashleygraham
Graham is a famous plus-size model. She does, though, manage to balance a busy life with caring for her three sons. Ashley is frank about all of the obstacles of parenthood, including loving her postnatal body and other difficulties faced by young moms.
#4 Cardi B
Source: @iamcardib
The singer not only opens about her body changes during pregnancy and after motherhood, but she is also willing to take advice from her fans. “Ladies, how do you guys get rid of the black line in the middle of your stomach after giving birth?” Cardi B wondered immediately after the birth of her daughter.
#5 Carrie Underwood
Source: @carrieunderwood
After a long period of difficulties and several miscarriages, the country singer became a mother for the second time in January 2019. Underwood said that getting back into shape after this pregnancy was difficult.
“I just want to feel like myself again… for my body to feel the way that I know it can. As I was working out today, I realized that for the past 11(ish) months, my body has not belonged to me. It was a perfect home for Jacob,” the actress said.
#6 Chrissy Teigen
Source: @chrissyteigen
The actress is currently expecting – hình như chị này mới sinh con rồi/ c xác định lại infor chỗ này xem có phải ko , mấy từ chỉ hiện tai như currently phải đặc biệt chú ý vì bài gốc có thể là bài cũ, mk viết lại thì phải update infor.. để đảm bảo tính chính xác,- đầu năm sau mới đẻ cơ… her fourth kid. Teigen has been honest about the “costs” of pregnancy and parenting on social media and in interviews. She didn’t disguise the fact that she gained some weight during her pregnancy, but she doesn’t consider this a problem.
“Basically I am 20 pounds heavier than I was before Miles. He’s 10 months old, I never lost the last bit because I just love food too much,” the model openly admitted. Teigen is also not afraid to show off the changes in her body that occurred during this time, such as stretch marks.
#7 Gemma Atkinson
Source: @glouiseatkinson
The British actress and model, who is a fitness fanatic, chose not to put off getting back in shape following the birth of her daughter Mia and began training right away. However, Atkinson opposes any postpartum body “imperfections” pressure on new moms and emphasizes, by example, that no one is exempt.
“I hope new mums realize they don’t have to be back to their post-baby body so quickly. Growing a human for 9 months is a big deal and it’ll take longer than a few weeks to get your body back to how you want it,” Gemma believes.
#8 Halsey
Source: © iamhalsey / Instagram, © iamhalsey / Instagram
The singer had multiple surgeries and three miscarriages due to endometriosis until she gave birth to her first child in 2021. Halsey’s body, like most moms’, has changed significantly since her pregnancy, but the singer isn’t trying to recover her pre-baby body shape.
“I will never have my ’pre-baby body back’ no matter how it changes physically because I have now had a baby!” said the singer.
#9 Hilary Duff
Source: @hilaryduff
The star is a happy mom of three who talks frankly about parenting in all of its stages, from the early months of pregnancy through newborn care. Duff is resilient and has no regrets about her decisions, despite the changes to her body throughout pregnancy and after childbirth, as well as balancing work and breastfeeding.
#10 Jenny Mollen
Source: @jennymollen
The American actress, writer, and wife of American Pie star Jason Biggs are famous for telling her followers almost everything. And Mollen has been equally public about her early months and her body changes. She’s shared a neat scar from her C-section, her imperfect figure, and pictures with indications of exhaustion on her face, reminding us that billions of mothers around the world are in similar situations.
#11 Jessica Simpson
Source: @jessicasimpson
Simpson is positive when discussing the hardships that come with the postpartum period since she had the experience of two childbirths. “Just stretching it out in my rubber corset. The joy of postpartum,” she humorously captioned the photo, which was posted two months after the birth of her third child, Birdie.
#12 Jessie James Decker
Source: @jessiejamesdecker
The singer-songwriter reminded her fans that it’s quite normal for a “pregnant” belly to remain for a while after giving birth. Under one of her candid selfies, she wrote “Keepin’ it real! 3 weeks post and I’m still very swollen. The 3rd has been by far the hardest recovery, but I’m feeling stronger every day.”
#13 Olivia Munn
Source: @oliviamunn
“The postpartum road is rough, but it’s so worth it. My body hasn’t snapped back, but it made this little guy so I just have a love for it,” the actress admitted. Munn gave birth to her first child with stand-up comedian John Mulaney in 2021.
#14 Rachel Platten
Source: @rachelplatten
After the birth of her first kid, the American singer-songwriter started sharing not only amazing pictures on her Instagram page but also genuine shots from the life of a young mom.
“Yesterday (going out to an event and getting cute) was empowering but SUCH anomaly and this is way more realistically me most of the past 2 weeks. I mostly just don’t want any other moms feeling less than because of me only sharing half the truth,” Platten wrote in the post’s comments.
#15 Amy Schumer
Source: © amyschumer / Instagram
The comedian became a mother for the first time in 2019, but it didn’t stop her from making hilarious jokes about motherhood. While other celebrities published perfect pregnancy and postpartum photographs, Schumer showed the reality of new moms’ daily lives, exposing the C-section scar, the time-consuming procedure of breastfeeding or decanting, and other “charms” of parenthood.
#16 Serena Williams
Source: @serenawilliams
Serena’s post-pregnancy recovery in 2017 was long and difficult, and she was not afraid of sharing it. The tennis player was bedridden for six weeks after the birth of her daughter Olympia.
“No one talks about the low moments — the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, ‘Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby?’ The emotions are insane,” Williams admitted in a Vogue interview.
