Watching Jesinta Franklin’s pregnancy unfold has been a glorious breath of fresh air for women who are used to seeing their Instagram feeds filled with mothers-to-be only sharing the good parts of new motherhood.
The 28-year-old model, influencer and former Miss Universe Australia has chosen to be brutally honest with her fans about her difficult pregnancy so far, as well as just how hard it was for her and husband, AFL star Buddy Franklin, to fall pregnant in the first place.
When Jesinta announced her pregnancy in August, she revealed the fertility struggles she’d experienced while trying to have a baby.
“The journey to get here hasn’t been easy and this little life is the greatest gift and we feel truly blessed and grateful that we will have a little angel of our own,” she said in a statement at the time.
“We have both dreamt of this for a long time and whilst the last 2.5 years have been physically and emotionally challenging, there’s nothing we would change as it’s brought us to this beautiful moment.”
Jesinta first announced her pregnancy on her official app.
(Credit: Supplied)Jesinta said she chose to go public with her fertility battles because she hopes her honesty will help other women and couples experiencing similar issues feel less alone.
“Because I had struggled to fall pregnant and there had been losses along the way, as a woman who had been through that I felt like I was doing so many couples a disservice to come out and say, ‘Surprise, we are pregnant,’ because I know that would make me feel even worse about our pregnancy journey,” Jesinta told the Herald Sun, hinting at several miscarriages.
“I wanted other women to find comfort in the fact that this was not a surprise. It really was an effort and took us a long time.”
WATCH BELOW: Jesinta talks about her romance with Buddy Franklin. Story continues after video.
Gaining weight and stretch marks is an expected part of pregnancy, but for a model like Jesinta who makes a living out of being photographed, often in a bikini or her underwear, you might expect her to be slightly alarmed about the changes her body is currently undergoing.
But the Olay and Tiffany & Co ambassador, who has described her first trimester as “like the worst hangover times 1000 for 12 weeks straight”, says she couldn’t care less about gaining a few extra kilos, even joking that she has become quite “top-heavy”.
“There are lots of different stretch marks that I didn’t have before and I’ve noticed some cellulite and I’ve gone up a few sizes, but I could put on 100kg and have a body covered in stretch marks and it would not bother me at all,” she told the Herald Sun.
“My physical appearance and how I look means nothing to me in comparison to having a baby and starting a family.”
So in celebration of Jesinta Franklin’s refreshing honesty – and because we just can’t get enough of her chic pregnancy style – here are gorgeous photos of her adorable growing baby bump that are guaranteed to make you smile.
READ NEXT: Jesinta Franklin’s super refreshing stance on pregnancy weight gain
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Jesinta first debuted her bump during Myer’s Spring fashion show in August.
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“I’m not old by any means and I think there’s this misconception that it is only older people that struggle to fall pregnant but it is young women as well,” Jesinta has said about her struggle to fall pregnant.
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“My butt seems to be expanding by the day, haha,” she joked on Instagram.
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Jesinta, holding her beautiful bump, with her husband Buddy Franklin and his grandmother.
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Jesinta showed off her baby bump in the cheeky slide splits in this Dion Lee dress, during a date night out with Buddy.
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“Well it looks like the comfy undies won’t be coming out tonight #damn #it,” Jesinta joked on Instagram.
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She’s glowing! Wrap dresses like this are perfect for growing bumps.
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The Franklins went on a little baby-moon to Queensland with their friends – and Jesinta’s bump!
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The gorgeous mama-to-be looked stunning in their leopard-print one-piece.
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Jesinta wore this pretty Dion Lee dress to the Harper’s Bazaar Beauty Bazaar event, where she was a guest speaker.
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The bump is growing! Jesinta showed off her exanding bump during an ocean swim in Sydney.
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Pregnancy chic!
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Jesinta took her bump for a “slow and gentle” workout in her hotel gym before attending the Melbourne Cup.
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Jesinta shared this cute snap of her outfit before heading out for the day.
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Jesinta looked like a literal ray of sunshine in this custom Camilla and Marc dress in the Bumble marquee at Flemington.
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Jesinta told us “All I want is for this child to feel so loved”, and we couldn’t admire this mama-to-be more!
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In January, as she edged closer and closer to her due date, Jesinta put on her Sunday best to attend the Crown IMG Tennis Party at Melbourne’s Crown Hotel, to mark the start of the Australian Open.
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Jesinta’s chic black dress is by Camilla and Marc.
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The mama-to-be showed off her gorgeous pregnancy bod, and even strapped herself into a pair of heels! As any woman who has ever been pregnant knows, this is a massive feat in itself.
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As she inches closer and closer to her due date, Jesinta has been keeping her followers updated with how she is going in her final days of her third trimester. “Weekly physio session done,” Jesinta captioned this candid Insta story video, showing off her bump.
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