What It’s Like Being Pregnant with 1.1 Million People Watching on Instagram

She may be the most fashionable mama on Instagram. Whether she’s travelling the world or at home in L.A., digital entrepreneur Chriselle Lim, of The Chriselle Factor, is living life in front of her 1.1 million followers — and still managing to keep it 100 percent real for her fans. On top of being a world traveller and fashion icon who works nonstop, Chriselle is mom to a toddler and now pregnant with another baby girl; and we are fangirling over her even harder!

Being in the public eye isn’t always easy. But Chriselle makes it look like a walk in the park, and she faces every stage of pregnancy with such grace. We were able to steal a few moments from her while she was in Paris for Fashion Week to find out how she deals with living life in front of so many viewers — and how those connections have helped her in some of her darkest times.

Here’s what it’s like for Chriselle Lim to be pregnant when everyone is watching.

How are you feeling this pregnancy?

This pregnancy was a little different than my first. I’m feeling great now, but I was nauseous and extremely tired throughout my first and second trimester! I do have to say that although this pregnancy was a bit more difficult, it seems to have flown by a lot faster.

So many mamas find pregnancy to be such a vulnerable time: gaining weight, your skin goes crazy and, like, nothing fits. How do you deal with all of this in the public eye?

I am so blessed to have the platform that I have, but the bigger the opportunity, the bigger the responsibility. I have a responsibility to my followers not only to show them my picture perfect best moments, but also the vulnerable unglamorous moments. The more you put out there, the more you get back in return. I really have no filter when it comes to sharing what I’m going through during pregnancy, and my followers appreciate that. It’s nice to know the people you are following are human too.

You’ve been through pregnancy in the public eye before… do you plan to do anything differently this time around?

Yes! I’m a lot more raw and real this time around. I share with my followers all the unglamorous and unfiltered moments. I recently wrote a blog post of everything I was going through and posted a bunch of unfiltered and not-so flattering photos from my camera roll. I want to normalize what women go through during pregnancy.

What are your best tips for coping with pregnancy as a public persona?

It’s ok to not feel and look your best all the time. If you want or need to check out from social media for a few days or even a few weeks to even a few months… I say go for it!! There’s no better time to do so.

Let’s talk about parenting… because everyone has an opinion! How do you cope with being a mom while so many people are watching?

I do what feels best for me and my family. I’ve learned that it’s good to get advice from other moms, but at the end of the day, everyone has a different opinion on how to parent and you have to navigate through all the noise to do what’s best for you. Before I would get super hurt and sensitive to certain comments and opinions from others, but I’ve learned to tune out the negativity and only focus on the positive.

You’ve opened up about both miscarriages on your blog. Were those private details hard for you to share?

The first time I had my miscarriage, I wasn’t planning to share with my followers. We actually turned on the camera to film my birth announcement video, and all of a sudden my heart felt so heavy and I just started crying on camera. It was not planned and I was unsure about even uploading the video at first. But I’m so glad I did, because I was able to connect with my community on a whole different level, and there were so many women who were opening up to me about their own miscarriage stories. Some women never even came out with their own news until I shared mine. There’s beauty in being vulnerable and sharing your struggles.

Do you find strength in the community you’ve built?

Absolutely. My community has been following me since I was fresh out of college, and they have seen me through all my life stages. From my college days, working days, to meeting Allen, getting engaged, married, having kids, to miscarriages, and so on. They are my extended family.

And let’s talk about fashion: what’s your favorite stage to dress your bump?

Actually now! I love that I’m showing so much! I’ve been wearing a lot more bodycon form-fitting dresses for that reason!

What are some of your favorite brands or pieces to rock this pregnancy?

Hatch is definitely a must for pregnancy, and I love Helmut Lang for his amazing slip dresses and stretchy one-pieces that you can grow into.