Exclusive | We’re models and expecting mamas — our growing bellies won’t stop us from walking the catwalk



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Andrea Konovalske’s modeling journey to New York Fashion Week came with a small bump in the road. 

Her baby bump. 

“I was extremely excited to be chosen to walk during NYFW, [but] I was accepted prior to finding out I was pregnant with baby No. 3,” Konovalske, 34, an expecting mom of two and a rising runway model, told The Post. 

She and her incoming infant made their fashion week debut for ethereal label Homespun Heart in September. 

“Having a baby in my belly was, honestly, the most comforting part of the experience,” said Konovalske. 

A newbie to the city’s most stylish soiree, the married millennial is in the growing number of modeling mommies-to-be to crush the catwalk and work the camera during pregnancy. 

But hot mamas like Konovalske aren’t doing it in maternity duds. They’re taking the floor in haute couture. 

Andrea Konovalske was tapped to strut her stuff during New York Fashion Week in September — before she learned of her pregnancy with baby No. 3. Courtesy Andrea Konovalske
An expecting Konovalske said she felt supported and confident walking the runway during the Big Apple’s annual celebration of fashion. Courtesy Andrea Konovalske

Stomping their 6-inch heels into antiquated notions that a woman’s lot is to be “barefoot and pregnant” in the kitchen, pro pinups are proving that motherhood is not the end of a model’s career — the widening changes to their physiques notwithstanding. 

Instead, it’s the beginning of a new era of inclusivity in high fashion. 

Bulging bellies and newborn babies have dominated designer spaces since the dawn of the year. 

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“Having a baby in my belly was, honestly, the most comforting part of the experience,” said Konovalske.  Courtesy Andrea Konovalske

Maddie Moon hit Collina Strada’s ready-to-wear runway at 32 weeks pregnant during NYFW in February. 

Turning heads tummy-first, the model — who welcomed a baby girl, Ocean, in March — lauded the avant-garde experience as “surreal.”

“How beautiful is it that I will get to show my daughter this one day. We did this together,” Moon, 32, an NYC couturier, told The Post. “It was empowering.”

Maddie Moon hit Collina Strada’s ready-to-wear runway at 32 weeks pregnant during NYFW in February.  Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

“If being a mother isn’t strong, then I don’t know what is.”

Maddie Moon, model

The knockout, who inked a deal with Ford Models in 2001 at age 9, went on to praise Hillary Taymour, founder and creative director of Collina Strada, for spotlighting belles with buns in the oven. 

“Hillary and [photographer Charlie Engman] set the theme [for the show] as ‘Stronger,’ which completely resonated with me,” said Moon. “If being a mother isn’t strong, then I don’t know what is.”

Taymour told The Post, “We always love to celebrate the profound ability of motherhood through casting.”

And the enceinte are fast becoming en vogue across the globe. 

“If being a mother isn’t strong, then I don’t know what is,” Moon added. Getty Images
Carmen Kass walked the runway during the Vetements show at Paris fashion week on Sept. 27, 2024. Getty Images

Carmen Kass, 46, sent eyes popping at Paris fashion week when she premiered her protruding pouch in luxe looks from Christopher Esber and Vetements. 

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Veteran Victoria’s Secret model Gisele Bünchchen, 44, even posed for a few posh projects before buzz about her latest pregnancy leaked last month. 

The industry icon, a mother of two teens who she had with ex-husband Tom Brady, is expecting her first bundle of joy with new beau Joaquim Valente. 

Gisele Bünchchen, 44, announced she’s pregnant last month. Gisele Bundchen / Instagram
Kass, who grew up in Estonia, has modeled for the likes of Calvin Klein, Chanel, Donna Karan, Givenchy, Fendi and Michael Kors. Getty Images

Kara Bieber, a rising beauty model in Southern California, is grateful to the fashion greats who’ve paved the way for prenatal glamour girls like herself. 

“They’re showing the world that women are badass who can do it all,” said Bieber, 26, currently in her second trimester with a baby boy. “Us being pregnant and having kids doesn’t mean our careers are over.

“We’re just becoming greater, badder and better.”

“They’re showing the world that women are badass who can do it all.”

Kara Bieber, model

Kara Bieber is thankful that pregnant bellies and bodies are becoming the norm in high-fashion studios. Michael Franco
The Gen Z mom-to-be said her passion for modeling has intensified since becoming pregnant with her first child. Courtesy Kara Bieber
Bieber said that since becoming pregnant, she often has to break for rest and snacks during shoots. Michael Franco

But the blond bombshell, a small business owner and the wife of MLB pitcher Shane Bieber, admitted modeling while housing a little human has its challenges. 

“I get nauseous at shoots — the nausea is real,” said Bieber, who’s stunned in RMS Beauty campaigns and hopes to soon do the same for Skims and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. 

“I need to break for snacks like every 30 minutes,” she continued with a laugh, adding that fruits and bagels are her go-to bites. “I get tired and my body aches. But I love what I do, and that I’m pursuing my dreams for myself and my baby.”

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“I get tired and my body aches,” Bieber said. “But I love what I do, and that I’m pursuing my dreams for myself and my baby.” Michael Franco

Maisie Lay, a commercial model who’s gearing up to welcome a baby boy, agreed. 

“I hope my passion for modeling while pregnant teaches him to appreciate women, and to be optimistic about his dreams,” said Lay, 26, from Utah. 

Although she conceded that striking a pose for photographers is “not easy” at six months pregnant — owing to her distended middle, constant calls for bathroom breaks and lingering bouts of morning sickness — Lay said she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Pregnant bodies are beautiful bodies, too.”

Maisie Lay, model

Commercial model Maisie Lay is gearing up to welcome a baby boy. Maya Fraser Photo
“I will never stop modeling as long as I am able,” she said. Maya Fraser Photo
“Pregnant bodies are beautiful bodies, too,” Lay said.

“I will never stop modeling as long as I am able,” vowed the soon-to-be mommy, who’s wowed in campaigns for Kizik shoes, Poppy & Pout lip balm and DIME Beauty for Ulta. 

“Pregnant bodies are beautiful bodies, too.”



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