Pregnancy changes us. There’s no denying that. We evolve, mentally and spiritually. We transform in ways we never thought even possible. We hear about that healthy pregnancy glow. Some of us attain it and we feel absolutely fantastic—taking all the selfies we can to make sure we document it. Some of us believe the pregnancy glow is a myth—that it’s all sweat and hormones seeping out of our skin as we feel bad in the first trimester. We compare ourselves to everyone else—staring at old Facebook pictures green with envy. We love the baby, but what we wouldn’t do for our body back. As much as we idolize and look up to them, celebrities are no different. At the end of the day, these fabulous ladies are just regular women like us.
They wear their pregnancies just like we do—some absolutely fantastic and others in ways we question. Afterward—while we’re fawning over the few released images of their precious celebrity baby—these mamas are working hard to bounce back, as we do. Some celebrity mamas find that motherhood gets to them and they don’t bounce back as easily. Some celebrity mamas come back sizzling! Looking amazing in every photo and we end up drooling over their new pictures, too.
15 Nicole Richie—Sophistication Upgrade
Nicole Richie caught our attention when she debuted in the celebrity world as Paris Hilton’s best friend. Her days were spent partying, spending millions and staying out all night long. Her life was all hair extensions, itty-bitty dresses, and expensive makeup. She seemed to be living the life of luxury.
Richie shocked the world when she started dating Joel Madden of Good Charlotte in 2006. Their beautiful relationship blossomed quickly and escalated to their first child in 2008 and they welcomed their second child the year after. Richie took to motherhood fantastically. Nowadays, we see she’s ditched the flashy outfits for more sophisticated clothing. She exudes class and grace—something we never thought we’d see from her. Lady Richie certainly is on our radar—and it has nothing to do with partying!
14 Kim Kardashian—Uncomfortable With Pregnancy
She's the queen of sheer, almost unattainable attraction. Her voluptuous curves are so on point we're envious. That why when Kim Kardashian announced her pregnancy with Kanye West, we couldn't wait to meet the baby of this bombshell. We also couldn’t wait to see just how fabulous she looked while pregnant.
However, pregnancy and Kardashian did not mix well like she thought it would. Instead, she admitted and DailyMail reported that her weight skyrocketed—and we felt a deeper connection to her as she struggled with bloating, in more ways than one, and being uncomfortable in her own skin. Her struggle sadly put her in the public’s eye with awful comments.
In the aftermath, Kardashian proved that she is still on top. Since then, she’s retained the curves of pregnancy with the slenderness she had before—looking better than ever.
13 Kate Middleton—No More Sickly Glow
When we heard Prince William and Kate Middleton were expecting their first little prince or princess, we were through the roof with excitement. However, pregnancy was not a breeze for Middleton. Forbes reported that Kate battled a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum—in other words, her nausea and vomiting were so bad that she battled weight loss and dehydration.
Her condition was so severe that she spent her entire pregnancy watched closely by doctors and looking sickly thin—so much so that many of her diehard fans were worried for her. We really felt sorry for the poor Duchess. However, after her two pregnancies, Middleton bounced back with a gorgeous luster. She fell into motherhood beautifully—and looking quite healthy we might add. She really showcased what a mother will sacrifice for the life of her babies.
12 Christina Aguilera— All About That Instagram Come-Back
Pop singer Christina Aguilera was once a celebrity icon for young girls everywhere. We loved her crinkle hair, her dark makeup and the way she bared her midriff wherever she went. She was young, she was fresh, she was gorgeous. When Aguilera announced she was pregnant with her first child—who was born in 2008—we were definitely curious as to how pregnancy and motherhood would change her style.
We weren’t disappointed. Gone are the days of bold statements. Instead, Aguilera glams it up with subtle sparkle accents and outfits on the modest side—at least compared to how she used to dress. She looks older in a sophisticated and classy kind of way. The look definitely suits her and we’re excited to see how she gracefully ages over the years of motherhood.
11 Jessica Simpson—Cue The Comeback
From the moment she donned her daisy dukes, Jessica Simpson stole our hearts and became the center of every man’s fantasy. That all changed when she gave birth to her daughter Maxwell in 2012. Being pregnant did not fare well with Simpson as she ended up with drastic changes throughout the pregnancy—enough for the public to take notice. Those same people couldn’t help themselves and began commenting.
Unfortunately for Simpson, she also struggled with the bounce back. While people expected her to go back to her old self quickly, she took her time with it—it was even reported by Stylecraze that she joined Weight Watchers to help her through managing a second pregnancy.
Coming out the other side, Simpson’s still proved that she’s still got it! Her confidence in herself is what’s skyrocketed with motherhood.
10 Hayden Panettiere—Work That Dress, Girl!
Hayden Panettiere gained her fame from her role as Claire in the TV show Heroes. Like her character, she’s short and small-framed—standing a whopping five feet two inches tall. Unfortunately, she admitted that pregnancy was not kind to her. Long before she delivered her baby, Dailymail reported that she gained over 40 pounds.
Naturally, that high number didn’t compliment her small frame—but she didn’t care. She was more focused on the baby she was carrying despite the shameful comments thrown at her.
Since then, Panettiere shed the baby weight and gained back that petite frame. It’s more than that, as pregnancy matured her as she combatted postpartum depression and began to openly speak out. The maturity she gained really has made her a force to be reckoned with.
9 Elsa Pataky—Double The Babies, Double The Comeback
There’s nothing like being pregnant but being pregnant with twins can be crazy. Just ask Chris Hemsworth’s wife–Elsa Pataky. Coming in at exactly one foot shorter than her Australian husband, the boys she was carrying were bound to be big babies. It made obvious sense that she was going to be huge—which she wore in a stunning fashion and still put the rest of us to shame with her class!
That large baby belly didn’t stop her from bouncing back and then some. Just months after giving birth to twins, Pataky released a fitness book and debuted a toned, muscular frame to drool over. Her jaw-dropping transformation in a matter of months was more than enough to put those who put her down to shame.
8 Jennifer Hudson—Dropping It Like It's Hot
Jennifer Hudson, 2004 American Idol talent, has become one of our favorite mama stories. This exceptional singer built a name for herself in music, TV, movies and even Broadway. Over the years, she’s even been incredibly outspoken about her struggles to maintain a healthy figure and healthy lifestyle—always appearing on the highly curvaceous side. We see nothing wrong with it!
However, Hudson used the birth of her son—David Daniel—in 2009 to really motivate herself in that department. She kicked her rear into gear and shocked the world. Her bounce back was way more than a bounce back as she flaunted a beautiful—and might we add incredibly healthy—physique. Motherhood looks absolutely fantastic on her and she isn’t letting it slow her down, either. We love the healthy lifestyle example she’s giving Daniel!
7 Beyoncé—Sasha Fierce Indeed
Hip-hop knockout Beyoncé was incredibly excited for the birth of her first child, her daughter—Blue Ivy Carter—and we were equally excited. As she was pregnant, however, the slim icon stirred up a lot of rumors that she was actually pregnant with twins—or maybe even more! During her pregnancy, she transformed, like a lot of women do, and the media criticized her for it, hence the speculation that she had more than one bun in her over.
Mom life came like a breeze to her as she bounced back quickly from the pregnancy. She looks better than ever and we're so living for it. Queen Bey and her husband Jay-Z are actually going on tour together soon, and it's safe to say she'll be focusing on her fitness while she's at it, have you ever seen the crazy dance moves she's capable of? Wild!
6 Hilary Duff—The Perfect Fill Out
Disney star Hilary Duff has always been a beauty in our eyes. She grew up from a cute girl to a stunning young woman. So, when she and her then-husband Mike Comrie announced they were going to have a baby, we couldn’t wait to find out more about her little Disney prince or princess to be.
While nothing really popped out from her pregnancy, it’s her postpartum self that really caught our attention. The lovely Duff really found herself after pregnancy as the actress found herself with curves that weren’t there before and we're so living for it! Look how great she looks. Her once-lithe figure turned hourglass-esque—something many of us strive hard for. Duff has a physique to die for as she chases after her very active son, Luca.
5 Jaime King—Well Rounded
Hart of Dixie star Jaime King has been incredibly open about her struggle with fertility. So, when she announced she was finally having a baby, we were blown away and excited for her. Unfortunately, that excitement was outweighed by public opinion that King wasn't going through a healthy pregnancy. The petite actress showcased a petite baby bump—something a lot of the media claimed was unhealthy. She made pregnancy look good despite what everyone said, but she’s made motherhood look even more fantastic.
The openly vocal star celebrates her miracle baby every day as she has taken up the mantle of speaking out for women everywhere who struggle with fertility. It’s a noble cause and one that makes us adore her even more for becoming this voice. Motherhood transformed her into a for-the-cause warrior that we look up to.
4 Megan Fox—Elegance And Grace Evolution
As a young actress, Megan Fox exuded an illustrious confidence that she showcased head to toe. From on-point makeup to barely-there dresses, from expensive jewelry to long tresses, she was the "it" girl for a long time. Her look was already ready to party—not that we can blame her. She was young.
However, amidst the long romance with her husband Brian Green, Fox welcomed two children into the world—and from looking at her, it’s clear how the experience has changed her.
Everything about her young look has evolved. She’s traded out the party girl for an elegant woman who wears simple and clean looks. The downplay in her makeup and outfits actually up-plays her extraordinary beauty. We find ourselves envying her appearance more now than ever before.
3 Nicole Kidman—Aged Goddess
The ever-beloved Nicole Kidman became the living definition of the phrase, “it gets better with age.” The gorgeous movie star showed off a lovely bun in the oven with a pregnancy that really didn’t catch our attention. What did was the aftermath.
As she slipped into the role of mother, Kidman seemed to transform right before our eyes. She shed her youthful wiles, flowing clothes and eye-popping makeup for something different. This blonde bombshell embodies elegance as she opts for simple clothing and accents her best features with makeup.
There’s no doubt that she really can do it all—spending days filming and keeping up with her children while rocking the red runway in a stunning fashion. She gives us all hope that we can one day be that impressive.
2 Angelina Jolie—All Natural Beauty
Angelina Jolie has been in our sights for years. Her Hollywood career and romances have kept us waiting with bated breath for what she’s going to do next. The Hollywood mom has six children—three that she’s adopted and three that she gave birth to.
Nothing in the world—despite all her talents—has suited Jolie like motherhood has. She wears the title in a way that we envy. Her youthful and carefree ways disappeared when she became a mom.
Jolie matured into an incredible woman with a heart that grows continuously—something she’s passing on to her children as she teaches them life lessons. She didn’t just have the pregnancy glow. She has the motherhood glow. If there was ever a woman who was meant for motherhood, it is Angelina Jolie.
1 Coco—Bounced Back Quickly
When Coco and Ice-T informed us that they were expecting a baby, we knew that baby was going to have some fabulous parents and we couldn’t wait to see the outcome. A glamour model, actress, and dancer, Coco’s notoriously slim physique came into question the further she moved into pregnancy. Her baby bump matched her frame—petite and adorable. However, that’s not how the media saw it.
Instead, she was called out for the tiny bump being too small. People questioned if her baby was healthy. Coco fired back that she and her baby were healthy—something we quickly saw after the baby was born. After the birth, Coco also showed us how she would regain her lovely figure as everything went right back to the way it was.
References: Baby Gaga, Bright Side, Parents, Momtastic, Baby Gaga, DailyMail.co.uk, stylecraze.com, forbes.com, DailyMail.co.uk
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