Pregnant Blogger Shows Off Abs, Moms Everywhere Give Her A Thumbs Up While Eating BonBons

Fitness blogger takes to Instagram to defend her choice to exercise while pregnant

Pregnancy is the ultimate out-of-body experience that’s also like, all about your body. The physical changes are felt almost immediately and those changes can make you super tired. And not at all in the mood to exercise. That said, some women do manage to stay fit while pregnant and hey, we salute them. But for the rest of us? Please pass the salted caramel chocolates and shut up about “fit” pregnancies.

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Pregnant fitness blogger Sia Cooper is taking heat for not only staying ridiculously toned throughout her pregnancy, but for showing off her enviable pregnancy abs on Instagram. Yes, pregnancy abs. Two words that would not ever be combined to describe me while with child. More like pregnancy flabs, if you know what I’m sayin’.

Cooper tells US Weekly, “We need to stop living in the old age and accept the fact that you can be fit and pregnant. Pregnancy is not a handicap.” The 33-year-old mom is expecting her second child in May and definitely practices what she preaches. Check out those pregnant abs. After you pop another salted caramel, naturally.

The fit mom says, “Lots of pregnant ladies are like, ‘I don’t have time or energy,’ or ‘I just don’t feel like it,’ and that is completely fine. I am not judging you. That is your choice. But don’t bash me for mine.”

Let’s be clear — anyone who bashes this woman for her pregnancy fitness routine is a total asshole. She notes in her Instagram post that she’s not going about this wily-nily and has been approved by her doctor to work out as intensely as she does. She also claims that being fit during pregnancy can benefit the health of the unborn child, which science will back up. Your labor might be shorter, you’ll bounce back faster after giving birth and obviously, you’ll probably look better. We aren’t saying women shouldn’t exercise while pregnant.

But we also aren’t saying they should.

This is an incredibly personal choice that should only be made between a woman and her doctor. Staying fit while pregnant is an admirable thing to do. But if an expectant mom wants to spend nine months on the couch watching Netflix and eating Cheetos, that’s cool too.

Right now, I’m pretty into fitness. I do intense workouts several days a week and staying healthy is high on my list of priorities. I hate sitting around for too long and being active makes me feel amazing. That said, during both of my pregnancies, my body told me to shut the fuck up and sit down. Like, I actually heard it say that.

Not really, but stay with me here.

Once that pee stick turned positive, it was almost instantaneous — I was exhausted and woozy. My cravings tended toward carbs and cheese. No amount of research or doctor advice or fit pregnancy magazines my idiot husband kept buying me were going to convince me that I needed to be a “fit” pregnant lady. And that’s OK!

Every mom can do pregnancy how she sees fit (see what I did there?) and that means Sia Cooper’s insane pregnancy abs are just as amazing as my terrifying, stretch mark-covered beach ball and bonus varicose veins. We’re all different and just doing the best we can.

Judging this mom for staying fit is every bit as shitty as judging a mom for gaining 70 pounds while pregnant. It’s unnecessary and pointless. The best thing we can do is support each other, whether that means cheering on our fit pregnant friends or buying them a club-sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.

And you all know which one I’d prefer.