Sia Cooper is super-ripped — despite being 33 weeks pregnant. And she’s making no apologies. “We need to stop living in the old age and accept the fact that you can be fit and pregnant,” the fitness blogger tells Us Weekly. “Pregnancy is not a handicap.”
The former nurse, 26, and her husband, Grady, will welcome their second child, a baby girl, in May. With less than two months until her due date, Cooper works out five days a week for an hour while her son, Greyson, 2, is napping. A typical routine includes squat jumps, lunge kicks and lifting weights. “Lots of pregnant ladies are like, ‘I don’t have time or energy,’ or ‘I just don’t feel like it,’ and that is completely fine,” says the Destin, Florida, resident. “I am not judging you. That is your choice. But don’t bash me for mine.”
Cooper, who has been documenting her journey on her website, Diary of a Fit Mommy, also defended herself on Instagram. “Hell yeah I care about how I look,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself doing BOSU-ball exercises on Wednesday, March 30. “I love looking good and taking care of my body for not only my husband, but for also myself. When you look good, you feel even better. It’s an instant self-esteem boost. And as far as not caring about the health of my unborn baby, don’t you ever think that I workout FOR the health of my unborn baby?”
She continued: “Actuallyyyyy… working out during pregnancy results in a healthier labor, delivery, and baby AND I have my doctor’s approval.”
The social media star reveals that online bullies have accused her of “child abuse” and being irresponsible for her intense workouts. She has been called “self-obsessed” and in need of a psychologist. “One person wrote that I am going to give the baby Shaken Baby Syndrome,” Cooper tells Us. “Another wrote ‘Won’t keeping tight muscles hurt the baby inside?’”
“It seems as though it is more widely accepted for a pregnant woman to gain 50 pounds during her pregnancy and stay static than to see a pregnant woman who is still lifting weights at the gym or maintaining her shape,” says Cooper, “because once that happens, she is automatically deemed as ‘selfish’ and not only thinking about herself. Never once does anyone actually think, ‘Wow, maybe she is actually keeping fit to give birth to a healthier baby.'”
Cooper’s son, Greyson, was born at a healthy 8 pounds and 7 ounces. On February, 2, 2014, just 18 hours after giving birth, she showed off her stomach on Instagram.
“As soon as I pushed my son out, my husband said, ‘SIA!,’” says Cooper. “I looked down and my tummy was gone. I didn’t expect it. But I promise I would’ve been happy with a little postpartum belly as well.”
