By Laviniah Karanja, Fashion blogger and Face of Kenya UK 2014
Lingerie model, Sarah Stage, has continued to cause a stir since pictures of her at eight and a half months pregnant emerged. Although she is close to delivery, the model, fitness guru and mommy blogger is sporting an incredibly toned six pack where the ever growing bump should be visible.
At 30 years old and expecting her first child, Stage, who is of European and Costa Rican descent and lives in Los Angeles, says a strict diet and regular exercise have helped her maintain her trim physic whilst having another human growing inside her.
“Ahh #9months this week I can’t believe it!! He’s already 6lbs and still 4 more weeks to go #BabyJames,” she recently wrote on Instagram.
Weight gain is an inevitable part of pregnancy and is vital to the growth of the baby. The extra weight gained by a woman during pregnancy serves as nourishment for the developing foetus and is stored for breastfeeding.
It is expected that with expectant mothers, especially at the latter cycle of their pregnancy, there is a steady weight gain which helps to lower the risk of haemorrhoids, stretch marks, varicose veins, backache, fatigue and shortness of breath.
Since the release of the lingerie model’s fit pregnancy images, many have been left wondering how this is possible and if it is safe. Franci Cohen, a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, certified nutritionist and a mother of four children said a body like that during pregnancy can be obtained in a healthy way.
“The main thing is, before you go into your pregnancy, I would say get as fit as you can. You can continue until the day you give birth as long as you’re not so extended with the belly that it throws your balance off or if you’re carrying dangerously low,” Cohen said.
She advised a way to achieve tight abdominal muscles like Stage’s is by eating smaller meals throughout the day, which help to maintain the integrity of the muscles so they don’t stretch. Cohen says a key factor in how fit and healthy you remain during pregnancy is how fit and healthy you are going into your pregnancy.
Cohen also noted, despite personal efforts that a lot of what a woman’s pregnancy body looks like depends on her height, genetics and whether she starts her pregnancy body overweight, underweight or at a healthy weight.
Stage has become an internet sensation over the course of her pregnancy since documenting her body transformation, all the while raising questions about her weight and size of her baby bump.
One critic asked, “Where’s this baby hiding at?? Definitely not her tummy!!”
Others have suggested she is putting her baby in danger and that her actions are extremely selfish.
“Feed the baby! She’s just cares about her looks, not the growing of the baby. So sad that the baby (will be) so tiny when he comes into the world,” someone recently wrote
But while Sarah has faced her fair share of criticisms, others were more complimentary with their comments.
“Everyone is body shaming her. It’s really sad how quick everyone is to judge her and say that she is starving her baby, before actually educating yourselves on why she may look so small,” one person wrote.
