Ashley Graham admits that 'bounce back' culture affected her first pregnancy

Ashley Graham admits that ‘bounce back’ culture affected her first pregnancy

But the soon-to-be mama of two says she's relinquishing control of those worries this time around.

In addition to the million and one things that expecting moms worry about, having to navigate and accept the changes to your physical body is a big one. And while you can love your body and marvel at the fact that it homes and sustains your baby before and after it arrives, you can still worry about how it looks. That doesn’t make you shallow; it makes you human. Ashley Graham , arguably one of the most beautiful women on the planet who just happens to be a model (and one of our favorite moms), is opening up about how “bounce back” culture affected her the first time she was pregnant.

Graham is expecting baby number two any day now, and she talks about how differently she feels about her body this time around.

“I think being in control [of your body] when you’re pregnant, it just gets thrown out the window,” she tells PEOPLE during an interview about her new partnership with popular activewear brand Knix . “And I learned that the hard way when I tried to control everything when I was pregnant with Isaac and I told myself that I was going to bounce right back because I was breastfeeding and everybody told me, ‘Oh, if you breastfeed you’re going to lose all the weight,'” Graham admits. “And I had a few honest women tell me you will never feel the same. So they were just blunt with me and sure enough, I haven’t felt the same. It’s so hard acknowledging and accepting the loss of control of your body when you’re pregnant. And like Graham notes, unsolicited opinions from moms who have forged that path before us can be a blessing and a curse. “And then boom. I was like, ‘Well, I just got pregnant again so maybe I’ll never feel the same and I don’t even know what I felt like before I was pregnant with Isaac anyways,’ ” she says.

It’s refreshingly honest to hear things like this from celebrity moms, especially Ashley Graham. She’s always been a beacon for body positivity and acceptance, but that also means it takes work to get there. Particularly amid toxic diet culture and societal expectations for women’s bodies post-birth (something that is super heightened for celebrities). Her experience likely influenced her decision to join Knix as a brand ambassador, because their activewear brand is not just for everybody—it’s for every body . Sizes in their activewear range from XS to XXXXL and they carry wireless bras up to 42G. “I started off as a customer. Then I kept wearing the same clothes after Isaac and that doesn’t normally happen,” Graham explains. “I just went down a size and that’s the beauty of it. It’s clothes that are made for every type of person at every stage of their life and here I am pregnant again, still wearing everything.” We love to see body positivity in our favorite celebrity moms and the brands they support!