THERE’S always debate around babies and breastfeeding, but model Sarah Stage set the media into meltdown when she shared shots of her seemingly small belly in the last stages of her pregnancy earlier this month.

Experts and parents around the world have clamoured to compare themselves to her and share their thoughts about her size. Some have even gone so far as to express strong concerns about the health of her baby, and bizarrely, even Sarah’s ability to produce breast milk!

“These days it’s seems like everyone has something to say, especially on social media. Most are very positive and I try to ignore any negative comments. My doctor says the baby is healthy and that’s all that matters to us,” she said at the time.

I never thought I’d compare myself to a supermodel, but I have some idea of how Sarah feels as I’ve experienced similar reactions myself since announcing two weeks ago that I’m expecting twins.

After many requests, I was excited to share my first ‘side’ pregnancy shot on social media, a few weeks into my second trimester.

I had some supportive and lovely responses from people. I also had hundreds of comments expressing surprise and concern I’m not showing more, given I’m now in my fourteenth week. Some have been quite hurtful and not the sort of thing you’d want to read in the earlier stages of your pregnancy. I’ve had everything from “It can’t be healthy not showing yet with twins” to “You’re putting your babies’ lives at risk by training during your pregnancy”.

I’m the first to admit I was at least twice this size at the same stage of my first and second pregnancies. The difference is that I’m eating more healthily and exercising three times a week this time around — including weight training now that I’ve had clearance from my doctor to resume my previous program. My doctor says the babies and I are both healthy and that is good enough for me.

I expect it will take longer for me to ‘pop’ this time around because of the work I’ve done on my abdominal muscles. Am I concerned? Not at all! The only thing on my mind is two healthy babies. That’s why I want to stay as active as I can to have the most positive delivery and recovery possible. I’m going to work hard to make it a very different experience to my first pregnancies where I gained 28 kilograms and felt so weak during the delivery I was hardly able to actively participate.

We know women who stay in their healthy weight range recover more quickly after delivery. The babies themselves also benefit, with studies showing they cope with labour better than those with mothers who remained inactive through their pregnancy.

Research has also shown active pregnant women experience less swelling, insomnia, anxiety, depression and gestational diabetes.

When I saw Sarah’s pictures I thought they were beautiful, and I loved seeing such a high profile female stay so active during her pregnancy. Rather than pull expecting mothers down, why don’t we celebrate them for promoting a healthy lifestyle throughout their pregnancy? A healthy pregnancy will look different for every woman. Let’s not compare ourselves to others, but find our own version of healthy.

Sophie Guidolin is a personal trainer, nutritionist, fitness model and author. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram or visit her website.