Bump in the limelight

The days of pregnant women hiding their bellies in unflattering smocks are over, writes Sue Leonard

Tori Spelling’s recent pregnancy proved a tad controversial. The American actress, who gave birth to her fourth child, Finn, on Aug 30, was more than happy to show the world her growing bump. She was photographed heavily pregnant in her bikini, and some commentators weren’t too happy.

But they’re surely used to pregnant bellies in America. It’s the land where they hold ‘Pregnant and Proud’ beauty pageants. Mums-to-be in Houston, Texas, not only got their kit off to pose in bikinis; they danced, gyrated and did the splits on the stage.

Such an event is unheard of in Ireland, but is it okay for the 75,600 women giving birth in Ireland each year to display their bump for all to see?

According to Lisa Dundon, owner of Beautiful Bumps in Cork, most women love showing their shape.

“Most of our clothes are fitted,” she says. “We sell tailored trousers, dresses and smart tops. People buy fitted clothes for weddings too. They’re happy to show off their bumps. And when it comes to swimwear the tankini is popular. That shows a bit of the bump,” she says.

While most women love wearing the jersey-type fitted clothes, there are a few who still want to hide their bump.

“And we do sell some styles to suit them. But most women are proud to be pregnant,” she says. “And they want the world to know it.”

We talk to five mums-to-be who are proud of their bumps.

Sarah Walsh, 28, an assistant bank manager whose baby is due next month, thinks it’s fine to show a bump. But she doesn’t like baring her skin in Ireland.

“I wouldn’t go out here with a belly top,” she says. “But I went to Portugal at five months pregnant, and I wore bikinis. I wasn’t shy. My mum worried a bit though. But only because she thought the bump might burn.”

Miranda Hunter-Nolan, 35, a PA in Dublin, is expecting her second baby next month. Her husband, Arthur, is a pilot in the Air Corps.

Miranda thinks it’s natural for a pregnant woman to show off her bump.

“Plenty of men with beer guts proudly display them, so why wouldn’t a pregnant woman take pride in her belly?

“I find pregnancy awesome,” she says. “I love my bump, but with my job, and with looking after Henry, 22 months, I don’t have time to think much about it. That makes me guilty, because the first time I thought about my bump every day.

“We went to France in June.

It was hot. I wore a tiny bikini on the beach. They’re obsessed with pregnant women in the Mediterranean. They embrace your changing shape.

“I think we’re more prudish in Ireland. With our climate we’re not used to seeing bare skin, pregnant or not. I’ve worn a tankini here. And I wear tight-fitting tops. It’s amazing growing a baby in your tummy. I’m proud of it, and I want to show it off.

“I like being pregnant,” she says. “I don’t feel sexier because I’m tired all the time. But it’s nice having bigger boobs, and being curvier than normal. I feel more feminine. And blessed. Because there’s so much luck in getting pregnant, regardless of age.

“Arthur loves my bump too. Lots of our friends are having babies, and he assumes it’s normal for women to be pregnant. He loves this baby. He helped make it, and he’s proud of it.

“My mum is deceased. Arthur’s mum would probably prefer if I wore looser clothes, but she’s so excited that another grandchild is on the way.”

Alannah de Faoíte, 26, is expecting her first baby on Oct 31. From Sutton, Co Dublin, Alannah works for an online travel company, and her husband Andi is a primary school teacher.

Alannah has loved every moment of her pregnancy. “I’m proud of my bump,” she says. “I stick it out there. It’s so nice and neat. I wear tight-fitting clothes at home and at work.”

Would she bare her bump like Tori Spelling? “I would if I’d been abroad on holidays, or if we had hot weather in Ireland. Then I’d wear a bikini, no problem. But we went to Dingle and it rained all the time.”

What do the older generation think? “My mother had five of us, and she wore fitted clothes when it wasn’t done by anyone else. But Andi’s mother is more conventional. She wore smocks, and she has remarked that the clothes now are different. ”

As for Andi, he tells her the bump is beautiful.

“He loves it. He loves the kicking, and he’s always talking to it. He tells it ‘good morning,’ and he hugs it ‘hello’ when he comes home from work.

“This is an IVF baby, so being pregnant is so very special to us. IVF is so clinical. It can leave you detached about the whole process. Now that I’m pregnant, the bump is a tangible sign. It’s helps us both bond with what is going on.”

Gillian O’Shaughnessy, 31, a healthcare worker from Swords, is engaged to Patrick, a primary school teacher and musician. Their first baby is due on Dec 14.

At the start of her pregnancy, Gillian was willing the bump to come out, because she wanted people to know she was pregnant. But when, at almost five months it seemed to grow overnight, it was a bit of a shock. “I felt like my stomach was massive,” she says. “I kept trying to wear my clothes from before, but there was no way they fitted. But now I love to show off my bump. I wear tight shirts over maternity jeans, and dresses I’ve bought from Haute Mama in Naas.

“My favourite outfit is a pair of black maternity jeans, and a silk strappy top that I’ve worn all the way through.

“I think other pregnant women look beautiful. They look great in tight clothes with their skin and hair glowing, but I think I look tired and sick.”

Patrick doesn’t agree. “He’s always telling me I’m beautiful, but I fob him off,” she says. “Pregnancy is the most natural thing in the world. I’d definitely wear a bikini. I would not be embarrassed in the slightest, but we went on holidays in Ireland this year, in West Kerry and in Ennis.

“In pregnancy you are hostage to your body. You rent it out for nine months to the baby you are incubating. It’s not your own anymore. It belongs to this little person you haven’t yet met.”

Dervla Sugrue, 35, and her husband Nev, both solicitors, are expecting their first baby on Nov 9.

Naturally slim, Dervla was worried that pregnancy would make her huge and fat. But for the first months she didn’t put on any weight.

“I’d look at people in my Pilates class, and I’d feel a fraud. Nev got fed up with me asking, ‘Have I got a bump?’ He’d say, ‘yeah,’ even though he couldn’t see one. Now we both love it. He rubs it and kisses it, and says hello to it. I don’t think the pregnancy felt real to him before.

“I wear mainly skinny jeans and tight tops. My mum thinks it’s great. She’ll touch my bump and say I look well.

“The only negative comment came from a friend. And that was when I was relaxing in a loose top. She said, ‘You should wear tighter clothes to show off your bump’.”

Dervla is off on holidays soon. Will she wear a bikini? “I’m taking one,” she says. “But I’m taking my maternity swimming togs as well. It’s nice, in theory, to show off a bump. But I’m not sure how comfortable I’ll be with that. I’ll wait and see.”