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I’m 7-Months Pregnant & Ashley Graham’s Breastfeeding Pic Made Me Feel a Whole Lot Better About Motherhood

Around the time I started announcing my pregnancy, Ashley Graham and Jenna Dewan also revealed they were expecting. Meanwhile, Shay Mitchell and blogger Rocky Barnes were sharing glamorous bump shot after bump shot. As someone who’s the first in their friend group to have a child, it was reassuring to see these pregnant women straight up crushing it. But these glamamom (glamazon plus mom) pics aren’t always great on the ol’ ego when your clothes stop fitting and everything hurts.

Glamamomism is a growing trend with celebrities and Instagram influencers alike. Sure, there are so many women sharing the very raw and real sides of motherhood, but for each one of them, there’s another mother sharing a snap that makes balancing career, motherhood and life in general look so easy. For reference, scope these pics of Rachel McAdams and Gisele Bundchen breastfeeding. They’re incredible both in that they depict a very real aspect of motherhood but also in that they’re exceptionally unattainable to normal women like myself. The chances of me breastfeeding in full hair and makeup while looking like a goddess are slim to none. That’s why when Graham shared a brand-new portrait of herself breastfeeding her newborn son, Isaac, it felt different.

I should note that Graham has been a breath of fresh air throughout her pregnancy. She’s been exceptionally candid about her weight gain, new stretch marks and sex life. Now that her son has arrived, her modus operandi seems not to have changed.

Don’t get me wrong. Her breastfeeding pic is stunning. The lighting is beautiful and the person behind the camera is definitely a professional. But still, it’s so real. She’s rocking a semi-messy mom bun, a natural face and a nursing bra and using a nursing pillow. No couture or professional hair and makeup here! She and her husband, Justin Ervin, are simply gazing at their son instead of making some stance about how incredible she is at juggling it all. In a sea of powerful glamour shots of women breastfeeding while crushing their careers in gorgeous locations wearing high-fashion clothes, it’s refreshingly normal. The experience she captured is one that any mother who makes the decision to breastfeed will experience.

In her caption, she also doesn’t posture to make some statement about how much more she’s achieved since becoming a mother. Instead she just opens up about what her journey has been.

“I remember holding Isaac for the first time and telling Justin, ‘Now we’re family forever,’” she wrote. “I have so many reasons to be grateful; all of the love and support from this amazing community, an incredible husband, and a beautiful baby who has opened my eyes to just how amazing this world really is. @mrjustinervin and Isaac, thank you for being my favorite @prettybigdealpod guests so far.”

So thanks, Ashley Graham, for showing motherhood in all its natural wonder. This pregnant lady is definitely grateful.

Ashley Graham’s Baby Bump Is on Full Display for New ‘Vogue’ Cover


Lex Goodman

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.
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