Personal trainer shares shocking photos to show the reality of pregnancy

Instagram fitness guru Chontel Duncan recently shared a photo that shows the ways the human body reacts to pregnancy.

'Glowing' and 'radiant' are the terms typically used to describe a pregnant woman, but these ignore the perfectly natural, albeit less than glamorous, aspects of what happens to the body of a mother to be.

Duncan shared this side by side photo of how her body reacted to two pregnancies.

Writing in the caption, she explained how during her first pregnancy her feet retained loads of fluid.

During her second pregnancy, despite doing 'nothing different', her feet barely swelled at all.

Creating foot phobias all around the world with this post...but this is the raw truth on how bad my fluid got towards the end of my first pregnancy. Second time round I have done nothing different but have absolutely no fluid retention.

According to Metro, Duncan thinks the only possible reason for the lack of welling was she did pilates during this pregnancy - but she notes that this 'didn't have anything to do with supporting fluid retention.

The image also showed that even super human fitness folk can experience swelling and other unpleasant parts of pregnancy.

She told Metro

I once again have a pain at the bottom of my right rib, almost like a muscular/nerve pinch sensation that absolutely kills,

As soon as a sit down at the office desk or in the car in the same position for too long it comes on and doesn’t usually go away for the remainder of that day. So I try to stand and lay down as much as I can to prevent it.

Duncan is the director of HIIT Australia, (High Intensity Interval Training), an organisation of trainers and health classes.

Duncan's pregnancies and her first child have consistently been a part of her Instagram and work out lifestyle.

Recently she shared videos of herself exercising while pregnant.

Duncan, we're pleased to report, gave birth to a very healthy son named Swayde Noel.

HT Metro

More: This fitness Instagram blogger is challenging what's acceptable to wear at the gym​