"We all carry babies differently"

Meet the super-fit model who’s just FOUR WEEKS less pregnant than her pal in this photo.

Former Miss Universe finalist and fitness model Chontel Duncan is due to give birth this month, but still has toned muscles and a lean frame.

Chontel works as a high intensity interval training instructor in Queensland, Australia, and has shocked the public as her pregnancy is barely even noticeable.

Even though Chontel still trains a few times a week, she’s always careful to avoid putting too much pressure on her back, knees and bump.

chontel 36 wks

She hopes that keeping up a high level of fitness will help her prepare for the pregnancy.

The super fit expecting mum said: “Labour & the delivery is a MARATHON.

“Would you rock up to the day of your marathon unprepared? NO.

“I’m rocking up to my marathon feeling strong, healthy, fit & mentally prepared…. All these things I believe will help bring out confidence in a first time experience called Labour.”

Fitness inspiration Chontel shares pregnancy updates on social media to her followers.

chontel 26 wks

She hopes to change people’s opinions on what a normal pregnancy looks like and encourage other expecting mums not to worry about their progress.

Chontel posted an incredible bump comparison photo to her Facebook page at 21 weeks.

Posing bump-to-bump with her friend Nat, who is just four weeks ahead in her pregnancy, showed just how differently women can carry their babies.

chontel 21wks

Chontel explained: “This is Nat’s 3rd pregnancy so she had a lot of great advice to share. It’s very clear in this photo just how tall I am, I mean my chin sits above Nat’s head lol

We worked out that we are 4 weeks apart, so our little ones will be the same age, same grade at school and potential best buds hehehehe….. Nat due start of March & I due end of March.

Each women carries different and this most certainly doesn’t mean one is doing something wrong or not healthy etc. We both have healthy growing babies & we both have had incredible pregnancies so far, feeling amazing & full of energy. “

“I couldn’t care less how my body is affected.

“I respect my body, I’m disciplined, I look after my health and it was MOST CERTAINLY not to be a silly size 0…

“I’m feeling very much in tune with my body, every squishy bit, every wider part & of course with my incredible blessing ‘my baby bump’, I love all the changes & could not feel happier.”

She said she would share her story to ‘shed some light on the journey of my active pregnancy’ and ‘not frighten women to conceive, because they are worried about all those ridiculous views.’

‘I’ve started a few extra supplements, I ran it all by Dr McBeth (my OB) & he gave me the big smile of approval. He’s amazing & couldn’t be more encouraging, have us leaving each appt feeling more confident & support my fit pregnancy anymore [sic].’

‘My energy is still the same as if I wasn’t pregnant, sleeping like normal, not waking up to pee or I’m not peeing constantly, training is still full on BUT my body is definitely heavier 7.4kg increase so far, my pelvis is shifty & I’m finding my tummy getting super tight/hard [sic].’

Her obstetrician was completely fine with her ‘physical lifestyle’ and that she was being ‘super cautious’ on her back.

At 36 weeks pregnant Chontel has said “Boy do I feel pregnant, this tummy is massive, heavy, makes sitting up so difficult, rolling over in bed a funny task, trying my sneakers hard work & my back has its moments where it throbs. It’s exciting because these are all NEW signs & signs that mean Little D is almost here. “

She revealed her plans for the birth and the techniques she has been “instructed” to use to bring on labour which include having sex daily, stimulating her nipples each time she uses the bathroom and increasing her raspberry leaf tablets to six per day.

She also plans on using the shower and exercise ball, will only have an epidural as ‘an absolute last resort’ and hopes to pull her baby out like Kourtney Kardashian.

‘I’m feeling very much in tune with my body, every squishy bit, every wider part & of course with my incredible blessing “my baby bump”, I love all the changes & could not feel happier,’ she said.

Share your comments below.

26 Comments

- - ella12 said
  - 06 Sep 2016
    3:07 pm
An interesting article, thanks for sharing.

- - mom87251 said
  - 20 Apr 2016
    10:40 am
I do believe we all carry babies differently. It has nothing to do with sport or healthy living etc. I carried my daughters out in front and my son all the way round. This is my way of telling what the baby will be and I have never missed yet

- - Naomi said
  - 09 Mar 2016
    9:51 pm
Lucky lady sleeping and feeling the same before pregnancy! I love seeing pregnant women, they both have gorgeous glows

- - mom71809 said
  - 07 Mar 2016
    10:53 pm
I’ve heard tall women show less as the baby has more room than in a short woman’s body? I’m short and didn’t show in 2 pregnancies until the 3rd tri. I hope thay I can get as fit as this super mummy to be sometime in this lifetime!

- - rovermum said
  - 07 Mar 2016
    4:10 pm
We’re all different all the time so why would pregnancy be any different.

- - meedee said
  - 07 Mar 2016
    3:49 pm
I remember when I was pregnant with my first and I went to an exercise class for pregnant woman. I couldnt work out why this one woman was there. One day one of the other ladies asked her and she blushed madly and informed us that she was 7 months pregnant. Seriously she went to the class in a leotard and had a killer figure. I was so wishing that I looked as fantastic as she did.

- - mum4107 said
  - 06 Mar 2016
    10:09 pm
Everyone’s body is different and so is everybody

- - runofffeetmum said
  - 06 Mar 2016
    7:15 am
Amazing wish I was that confident with my first

- - robyn_smithwick said
  - 05 Mar 2016
    5:21 pm
I am sincerely hoping her muscles aren’t over tight as it could make her have a very difficult labour. Our muscles have to become more relaxed and supple to give birth in some respects.

- - mom101628 said
  - 05 Mar 2016
    3:54 pm
True – everyone carries their baby differently and each baby will be carried differently too. No one knew when I was eight months pregnant that I was pregnant with my first, but at three months everyone thought I was about to give birth with my last.

- - mom134803 said
  - 05 Mar 2016
    1:17 pm
We are indeed all different and carry different, love it !

- - rick said
  - 05 Mar 2016
    6:32 am
Hi Chontel. It’s interesting that I’m reading your article. When I was young I worked for the Physios at our local hospital. One of them fell pregnant, and like yourself, she did heaps of exercise, walking etc and keep your tummy muscles trim, tight and was expecting an easy labour.

Oh was she wrong. She had the worst labour as her tummy muscles were so tight that when she went into labour she couldn’t push the baby out. Had a long hard labour, forceps, the whole shebang. When she came back to work she told me that when I was to have children not to do what she did as it was long and painful. I took this advice on board. I worked up to 36 weeks and would get moderate exercise. My labour was easy. Once they broke my water, 28 minutes and my daughter was born. I have always remembered this story and was only telling a work colleague about it this week. I do hope your labour is ok and you and your baby are both well following his/her arrival into the world. Enjoy being a mum.

- - lizgh said
  - 05 Mar 2016
    2:02 am
What a dream put on 7.4kg! She looks fantastic! I wish I was like her. My first baby I put on 20kg and second baby 15kg. It is so hard to go back to my normal weight afterwards. I was just trying to to have a routine to my 8 weeks old baby that I go back to the gym.

- - mom87666 said
  - 05 Mar 2016
    1:14 am
We do carry differently, I do hope with the exercise she does doesn’t affect the baby good luck to them both

- - Lori-Anne said
  - 04 Mar 2016
    11:55 pm
We all definitely carry differently. I am a little sceptical about how healthy it actually is to be so fit and exercising so much during pregnancy. Simply because of the potential tummy muscle tears that can occur when the muscle in that area is to tight when the tummy expands to accommodate the pregnancy. Will be interesting to see how healthy the baby and mother are after delivery.

- - june11 said
  - 04 Mar 2016
    9:59 pm
Apparently when my Mum was pregnant with me she was small and some including a locum didn’t realise she was pregnant even at 7 months. Mind you I was premature. A lot of people didn’t believe she was pregnant until they saw me in the pram. At 16 I couldn’t fit into slacks that Mum had worn during the middle stage of her 2nd pregnancy. She wasn’t very big then as she was sick almost 24 /7 and was rushed to hospital at least twice. I don’t know why she kept them. The style was back in fashion when I tried them on. lol.

- - mom93821 said
  - 04 Mar 2016
    9:37 pm
Women do carry their babies differently – love the differences and variety.
- mom93821 replied
  
  05 Mar 2016 , 6:34 am
  Hope the birth plan goes well – the actual labour and birth can be quite different to the plan!
- - mom165081 said
  - 04 Mar 2016
    7:49 pm
Each to their own. You don’t need to do these things to have a very healthy pregnancy.

- - mom90758 said
  - 04 Mar 2016
    5:19 pm
Oh my! That’s good on her. She put on just 7.4 kg so far. I’ve got some Japanese friends who say that in Japan is common to advice women not to put more than 8 kg during the entire pregnancy. And a lot of women are able to do that. I think it’s fantastic. I wish I was able to do that too. While I put on 16 kg! 🙂

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 04 Mar 2016
    5:06 pm
Hopes to pull her baby out like Kourtney Kardashian LOL ooooooooooh dear