Pregnant in Pictures

By Erica Ehm

When Demi Moore posed for the August 1991 cover of Vanity Fair with only her hands covering her nakedness, she broke the taboo that pregnant bods are best left covered. To me, that celebration opened the doors for yummy mummies to bare their baby bumps.

When my mom suggested I capture my blossoming body on film, I thought it was a great way to archive my physical journey to mummydom. And imagine how cool my grandchildren will think I was when they see me baring it all. My husband was all over it. But my mother in law was not impressed. "It's like watching my son making love. I dont need to see that" she remarked.

I contacted Helen Tansey, well known for her photogenic portraits, and booked a session. When I walked in to her studio I was greeted by her, a makeup artist and stylist, each of whom is absolutely stunning, and worse, thin and fit. I didn't feel intimidated for long as the three of them starting cooing over me, fascinated by my swollen breasts and belly. As they worked on my makeup and hair, I began to feel like a goddess - strong and powerful. I stripped off my clothes with wild abandon and faced the camera.

Although sexy isn't one of the words that comes to mind when I looked in the mirror, there is definitely an air of sensuality around a woman's ripening body. To capture that emotion, I was swathed in sheer chiffon and encouraged to ooze sensuality. It felt surreal with my big belly and butt hanging out, but the actual shots are surprisingly hot.

Then, I became Earth Mother, surrounding my hot husband with a series of protective embraces. And finally, to capture the strength required by all pregnant women to endure the extra weight and explosive hormonal changes, I was photographed in a stunning piece of heavy chain mail. I became the Pregnant Warrior.

A week later, looking at the contact sheets, I was able to step back and see just how sexy pregnancy can be. My husband radiated with pride, studying his new family in the making. Thanks to Helen Tansey's brilliant photographs, I began to understand that I was a very yummy mummy!