22 celebrities who proudly showed off their baby bumps

Pregnancy can be a vulnerable time for women; not only does the female body react differently every time it grows a new life, and so can be quite unpredictable, but it changes in form throughout the whole nine months.

For any woman this can bring up insecurities, as they adjust to their evolving shape and grow used to the softness of their new curves. But for women in the public eye, who are scrutinised daily for the way they look, it can prove an even bigger challenge. Which is why we want to celebrate the celebrities who embraced their pregnancy bodies by showing them off with these beautiful, intimate photographs...

Singer Ciara is expecting her second child with husband Russell Wilson, and recently took to Instagram to show off her burgeoning baby bump. Wearing a black bikini, Ciara can be seen in the photographs tenderly touching her stomach. Showing her love of the way her body changes to carry a child, she captioned the series of pictures: 'The Bump is Bumpin'. It sure is.

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Katy Perry embraced her baby bump in the music video for her latest single Daisies. Spending most of the video in a white dress which gorgeously shows off her bump, Katy also appears naked as she celebrates her changing body, in a blink-and-you-miss-it series of shots.

Katy and her fiancé Orlando Bloom announced they were expecting a baby back in March, and later revealed they were having a little girl in an adorable Instagram post. Speaking about her pregnancy, Katy said she was consciously "creating space for something new to happen like this."

In the lead-up to the birth of her son Isaac, model Ashley Graham empowered women in her community to embrace their own beauty. Not only did she share photographs of her nude body, but she opened up about how she felt different, too. "Anyone else feel like being pregnant gave you a whole new appreciation for your body??" Ashley wrote in one Instagram caption.

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During her pregnancy with baby Callum, Jenna Dewan wasn't shy to share intimate pictures. Not only did she post a series of beautiful portraits from her photoshoot with photographer Elizabeth Messina, where she posed almost-nude to accentuate her pregnant body, but she also proudly posted this at-home selfie with a face mask on her baby bump. Speaking of her most recent pregnancy, Jenna described it as "one of the most magical times in your life".

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When she was pregnant with her third child, Reign, in 2014, Kourtney Kardashian posed naked on the cover of Du Jour magazine, proudly showing off her bump.

Describing her body confidence during her pregnancies, Kourtney said: "To me, nudity is not something to be ashamed of. I’m not embarrassed of my body. I’m at my best when I’m pregnant. It's such an amazing feeling, the transformation that your body goes through. There's something about it that's so empowering and beautiful and I just really embrace it."

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Posting a picture of herself in a bralette, Iskra Lawrence proudly invited her followers to appreciate her baby bump and stretch marks. And in a YouTube video released midway through her pregnancy, the model spoke more about her self-perception while growing a baby, considering her past history of body dysmophia. “I think it’s a really wonderful, positive challenge to be taken out of your comfort zone and to find the ways that your body is changing and to continue to love yourself in that journey, whatever that looks like for you,” she said.

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Actress Kate Hudson invited her followers in on her pregnancy journey when she was carrying baby daughter Rani in 2018. In one picture close to the end, Kate proudly showed off her burgeoning bump along with her "outie" belly button, which is very common in later stages of pregnancy.

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As a personal trainer, Kayla Itsines' body is part of her job. So her followers were always going to be interested in how she felt seeing her body changing. In one Instagram post during her pregnancy back in 2019, Kayla opened up about the challenges she faced seeing her bump grow - and the limitations that had.

"I honestly feel so lucky to be a woman and be able to bring new life into the world. It's incredible what the female body can handle and continue to be amazed how my body is growing and changing," Kayla wrote. "But have I enjoyed being pregnant? As a trainer and someone who enjoys being very active, initially I struggled with the concept of not training and doing the things I’m used to. There is so much uncertainty with pregnancy, especially if its your first time and for me this is.

"I love my baby body and am so grateful to have had such a life changing experience. It's opened my eyes and allowed me to see things from a different perspective. But ladies, it's been a mentally, physically and emotionally challenging time in my life and I am sure all women with children or who are soon to have, can relate," Kayla shared.

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When she was pregnant with her daughter Alexis Olympia, tennis champion Serena Williams posed for this striking portrait on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. The pictures speak for themselves, showing the strength and beauty of an expectant mother's body, and Serena also shared insights on Instagram into how she felt during pregnancy.

Speaking about another pregnancy photoshoot she did, with Mario Testino for Vogue, Serena wrote: "I was so energetic that day but then I remember being totally exhausted and needed to take a break for an hour. I was still trying to understand this whole pregnancy process. Nowadays I have no ankles or toes and my fingers resemble sausages but it's moments like this... that makes everything worthwhile. "

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In a very real Insta-post, Lizzie McGuire actress Hilary Duff expressed her frustrations with pregnancy at one of her more challenging moments. "The boobs are big, the belly is big, the body is big. Man.. pregnancy is hard," wrote Hilary. "Giving love to all mamas who make it look effortless... this journey is hard as hell and also incredibly special. Lovely to have a little life inside and to day dream of all the new adventures to come buuuut almost impossible to get my own shoes on..sick of getting up 9 times a night to pee and looking at this weird body in the mirror that is not my own at the moment."

Ending her post on a more positive note, however, Hilary praised how magical it is that the female body can grow a whole new human inside it. "Women are so bad ass, this was just a note to remind myself and remind others how’s strong and beautiful you are! WE GOT THIS!" she signed off.

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Kylie Jenner was notoriously secretive about her pregnancy; in fact, she didn't even confirm she had been expecting until after baby Stormi was born in February 2018. Since then, however, Kylie has let her followers in with some intimate shots of those nine months, and has discussed how she felt about herself and her body at the time.

"I have so many belly photos but this one has always been one of my favourites. Making my little baby storm was such a special time in my life," wrote Kylie in the caption. "I actually became so much stronger and independent throughout the entire experience. Women really are amazing."

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Millie Mackintosh is not far off giving birth to her baby daughter with former Made In Chelsea co-star and husband Hugo Taylor. But throughout her pregnancy, as well as sharing bare-all snaps of her baby-making body, Mille - who's a big fitness and nutrition fan - has been completely honest about the way it's really made her feel.

In a searingly honest post, the reality star admitted that, although she's in awe of her changing body, getting used to her growing figure is a challenge. And one that has impacted on her self-confidence. "As my bump gets bigger I am in total awe of what my body is capable of. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you’re sharing your space with such precious cargo. However that doesn’t mean that I haven’t had days/weeks where I felt my self confidence slowly dwindling," Millie admitted.

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When TV presenter Stacey Solomon was pregnant with baby son Rex last year, she was incredibly open about the way her body changed. In one candid Instagram post, Stacey took a close-up of her bump, revealing some newly-grown hair on her stomach.

"Did anyone else’s belly just suddenly become covered in fur?" she asked her followers. "I’m not upset by it one bit I’ve always loved my, furrier than most, body, I’m just so fascinated as to why this happens?" she added, reassuring anyone else who's experiencing the same that there's absolutely nothing to hide.

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When Chrissy Teigen was pregnant with her first child, Luna, back in 2016 she drew positive attention to her growing body in this Instagram picture. Wearing a bodysuit to accentuate the curve of her baby bump, Chrissy showed she was embracing her changes, writing: "Hello new thighs! You appeared out of nowhere but I am not mad at it!"

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