Photo: Hunter McGrady/Instagram

Hunter McGrady

Hunter McGradyis reflecting on the misconceptions surrounding pregnancy as a plus-size woman.

McGrady says that before her pregnancy, she was nervous visiting the doctors because “society” told her that her “body was unhealthy” and she would have difficulty getting and staying pregnant.

“As someone who came from disordered eating, I’ve worked too long and hard to care about what that number is,” McGrady adds. “My doctor was on board with it, and I had a healthy pregnancy until the end, when I got preeclampsia.”

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Hunter McGrady

TheSports Illustratedswimsuit model shares that she had to “meet myself again” during her pregnancy and appreciate her body “in a different way.”

“Maybe it’s because of the way society treats pregnant women. All of a sudden, people say you’re glowing and fabulous,” McGrady says in the interview. “And then postpartum happens, and everyone asks when you’re going to lose weight — there’s that whole bounce-back culture.”

“You’re not sleeping, you don’t even know your name — you can’t think about bouncing back. It made me realize that throughout life, you have to meet yourself over and over again, because your body does change—and that’s what’s beautiful about it,” she says, adding that she’s grown to “love being called plus size.”

Hunter McGrady/Instagram

Hunter McGrady/Instagram

During the course of her pregnancy, the star opened up about the lack of representation for plus-size pregnant women in a powerfulInstagram postback in April.

“Being plus size the representation already falls incredibly short, but being plus size AND pregnant? Forget it,” McGrady wrote alongside a pair of mirror selfies showing off her bump. “When I embarked on this journey I was excitedly googling pregnancy, plus size pregnancy, bump pictures, updates, all the things! However, I never saw myself represented.”

Concluded McGrady, “Wherever you are on your journey just remember how wildly worthy you are to experience this and enjoy every moment of it just as anyone else.”

source: people.com