“Displaying Your Baby Bump…Not in Africa?!” Check Out Celeb Baby Bumps from Mercy Johnson & Shakira to Ufuoma Ejenobor & Beyonce
Posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2013 at 8:40 AMBy Nolita
Just a few days ago, a friend who had just arrived in the US to give birth to her baby visited and was lamenting about what someone “did to her“. Naturally, I was curious. So here is the story…she is pregnant with her first child and recently celebrated her baby shower before she left Nigeria. After her baby shower, a few friends put up the photos which showed her baby bump as their BlackBerry display photo and she was really upset. Basically, she was boiling mad!
In her own words, “we don’t display baby bump in Africa until after the baby is born“. When probed for an explanation, she could not come up with anything. Another friend mentioned that she leaves the country once her bump starts showing and only returns after the baby is born. I asked one of my aunts and unsurprisingly, she like “No O! Better tell your friends not to put it on the Facebook, evil people are watching even on the internet“. I sought a male opinion and my married friend told me (though I think he is wrong), “most African men do not find baby bumps sexy unlike men in other countries…especially with our first child, my wife was so ill and uncomfortable that we did not make love for months…talk less of to start snapping pictures“
International celebrities tend to be more open with their pregnancies. For example, despite previously going through a miscarriage, Amber Rose has pretty much tweeted photos of her baby bump everyday. Just yesterday, Shakira uploaded official photos of her, her bump and her Spanish footballer beau Gerard Piqué. On the other hand, majority of Nigerian celebrities keep out of the public space while pregnant. Actress Ufuoma Ejenobor released photos a few months after her baby was born. The major exception is Mercy Johnson who publicly confirmed her pregnancy before the 12 week mark and then continued taking on acting roles while in the later stages of her pregnancy while in South Africa, most of the photos of media personality Nonhle Thema‘s baby bump were released very late in her pregnancy.
My opinion, baby bumps are beautiful, even sexy, why not flaunt it! Check out celeb baby pumps for inspiration!
So what are your thoughts on this?
Shakira
Amber Rose
Adaeze Yobo
Beyonce
Nonhle
Mercy Johnson
Stephanie Kalu-Uche
Photo Credit: BellaNaija.com | TMZ | Twitter | XXL | Facebook | Reze Bonna | Jaume de Laiguana
Tags: Amber Rose, mercy johnson, Nonhle Thema, Shakira, Ufuoma Ejenobor
Awww… the wonders of God. How amazing it is knowing that life is growing inside of you. Shows that we women with the right kind of love, bring life and I mean this in all ‘philosphical sense’.
I Love what you said hun, we rock.
Superstitions will not let us enjoy life in Africa. So babalawo’s, witches and wizards can now jazz their victims through facebook? .na wa o!
Lmao. The babalawos, witches and wizards u speak of had their own ‘facebook’ before zuckerberg’s facebook came in.
HAHHAHAHAHAA!!! Flesh and blood didn’t reveal that to you hunnie!! They had their own facebook!! EVERY EVIL MIRROW SHOWING MY FACE BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES EVERY EVIL CALABASH SHOWING MY FACE BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES BREAK TO PIECES in Jesus name. AMEN
hahahahahahhaha @ xoxo comment LOL say that again
Africans are way too superstitious
That’s why they don’t prescribe to the baby bump exhibition idea
God forbid something bad happens at any stage of pregnancy we are convinced it is one aunty’s brother’s sister that jazzed her via twitter.
All the women Looks Gud with their BaBy bumps..Most especially Adaeze yobo and Amber Rose
I don’t know care what anybody thinks o but me omo naija will definitely take pictures of my baby bump frm week one to week 36 and display the picture wn my baby is born. by the way the pictures are lovely.
someone even told me one time like that, that pregnant women should not walk about in the night that the spirit blablablabla all those rubbish
But in Nigeria when people are pregnant they tend to hide it because of the mindset of the wicked supernatural world which we have been made to believe is real
wow…beautiful pics
They are all looking lovely, hmmmm! I don’t see anything wrong with displaying your baby bump!
Where is mercy Johnson naked baby bump?
Happy for these people. I don’t want a bump sha, I would outsource the job if I could.
Love the way Shakira’s fine boy is possessing his possession sha
God bless you!
i had begun to think that i was a loonie!
The wrk of God
what that tosin girl said
to each his own, nice pics though.
I personally don’t agree with showing off to the world your bumps in nude when you are pregnant,even majority of the white people we are copying dont like it.
Let’s ask our selves these questions;Why do we see the need to take a nude picture and post to the whole world to see? don’t get me wrong,you could take your nude pix and send to your husband or may be friends… but to the world?
Please let us come off been vain,Vanity is another way of idolising our selves.What I am saying might not be what people like;But as an individual I choose to have a standard so I don’t fall to anything.
This is my opinion.I am a Young mum between and Yummy as well.
I agree with you dear. As much as it is very unreasonable and immoral to share one’s nude picture so it is also wrong for a baby bump. A woman’s body is suppose to be God’s temple and a special place for her and her husband. Africans need to stop following the wrong crowd, especially Nigerians. Copy-kata makes no sense! It will only make you sin to God more…
hmm please let’s hear word. What wrong crowd now? It is because technology hit Africa last that people can say all sorts. If we had discovered the internet first, the kain things we’d display ehn….psssh
maybe i’m on the wrong page, but which of the pictures above is a nude picture? taking a picture of your belly is = taking a nude pic? please have 10 seats with your sanctimonious self. \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__
I don’t think this is such a big deal. I also do not think its worth the debate. Its up to the woman to display her bump or not. Its really really up to her.
Personally I wont even display my flat tummy on a good day and then you expect me to display a bump??? Ha! My very precious and private belle…no way. Nicely airbrushed bumps up there though. Finally, i wish to salute Nonhle for that picture…such courage.
I know my comment will not be moderated,why? because I am not joining the crowd.Thanks.
Haha! Please don’t flatter yourself.
Nonhle(the south african girl )own is …….i comment my reserve
Most of the other bumps were most def brushed up with makeup.
I am currently expecting and i think for memory sake keep pictures, pregnancy is a strange,stressful but wonderful and beautiful feeling.
Tosin im sure you re joking about contracting that part of motherhood out cos i tell you, you would be missing.
I pray every woman will be given the opportunity to taste this wonderful feeling SHIKENA.
Is it only dark skinned women that have that vertical line that runs down the bump? (I dont know the medical term so dont chew me) Or do they photo shop it out?
Not only Africans, whites do have it too buh the darker your skin, the darker the lines that is why black people linea nigra is more obvious.
Africans are just too supersticious, i see nothing wrong with exhibiting baby bump, is so beautiful.
baby bump or whatever they call it…………africans can copy but they would not have the same fate as those in the western world…………………..if you are a celebrity …..then it is fine cos that i think looks like a celebrity culture all over the world………and with the growing nigeria celebrity culture growing nothing comes as a surprise…………………..
but africans should know that where they are from …spiritual evil is also part of the culture…….most people who will do that may be attacked spiritually and they may loose their lives along the line
DADDY GOD, Thank you for your good work. it can only be you, because thousand are looking for these miracle……….. i mean alot… But those u have bless , belssed be ur holy name , Amen
Actually i also would not mind outsourcing it and its not about keeping my shape or whatever (who dash me shape..lol). I guess contrary to popular opinion, not all women have the urge to have a bump.
Please how old are you? sounds like a teenager
@It’s me
Why can’t you just respect her opinion? So many women die due to pregnancy complications. Others go through so much labor pain. Others have to have their birth canal cut wider because the baby is too big. Pregnancy is not a joke and it is a serious risk. Not every woman wants to go through that especially if you have lost a loved one who died of pregnancy complications.
This collectivist culture we have in Africa sadly hinders us from realizing that not all people reason the same way as we do or see things from our point of view. Let’s just respect each other’s opinions and keep it moving. Shikena!
This is a matter of to each his own. The journey of pregnancy is a private and wonderous one. Oyinbo no get jazz, their own version of jazz is worrying about a person sending bad energy their way via thoughts and dees. We African know better than that so if a person decides not to post their baby bumps because they believe that someone can use juju to cause them to miscarry etc I believe that they are well within their rights. Even the bible clearly states “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” As long as Good exist, evil will exist right along side it. Light vs Dark will always be the bane of human existence until the end of time so for those who think it’s nonsense to believe that juju exists and can be used effectively to cause ill, well go ahead with those thoughts but don’t judge those who want to protect what is precious to them. Should people be walking around declaring evil around every corner, no but should one be aware and cautious, of course!
Personally, I kept my bump private and only shared my pictures with my immediate family – husband, parents and in-laws. Any pictures of my children shared on the internet via FB is only open to family and select friends.
pregnant and i love fluncting my baby bump ( i wont wear overly flowing gowns cos am pregnant) but i dont find it funny wen pple gasps… like u shld have had this baby already… arrrghhh… make bad belle pple no allow baby come b4 it’s time…our mind is soo twisted in d wrong direction in Africa…
My concern about sharing someone else’s baby bump as your bbm dp, is more privacy related than superstitious. I can easily see how someone displaying a pic of my baby bump would be an invasion of my privacy/ preference
The whole world does not need to know i’m pregnant. I send pics and all to my friends and it is only for thier eyes! its as simple as that the way i want it. Thats my tummy and it not for every tom dick and harry.. So you are right it is more abour privacy.
It’s funny how we Africans, especially Nigerians quickly deny the existence of the evil side of the supernatural aka “juju” just because of a little so-called “exposure,” when we all practically grew up with some sense of it either through direct contact or indirect contact.
Showing your baby bump is a beautiful thing however, do not be ignorant or feign ignorance about some of the consequences that might arise from it. Babalawo’s might not have facebook accounts (emphasis on might) but the babalawos don’t sit at home and look for who to cause trouble for, people come to them. Therefore, posting your baby bump pictures opens you to all sorts of people, including those who don’t want your progress, and might constitute danger for you and more importantly your unborn child.
So yes, you have a choice but think about the possible results before posting the pictures.
About the friend that got pissed off because her friends were unAfrican by using her pregnant pictures as DP on their BB….You want to know what else is not African?? #Baby Showers and of lesser importance BBM and Facebook so abeg “shift make I sleep”
You know what you’ l do? When it’s u’r turn and you’re pregnant pls distribute your nude pregnancy photos for everyone to put up as bbm, Facebook profile pics, laptop wall photos, even whatsapp profile pics!
I just hate it when ppl are being hypocritical. It’s easy to say when it’s not yours ……#mtshweew!!
I don’t have a problem with people who are scared of showing their “bump” to the world because of superstition and i don’t think superstitious people should have a problem with others who choose to show their bumps,period. Lets just live and let live abeg. The first time i was pregnant my husband and i were excited, we told family members and some co workers. At the 12th week the pregnancy had to be terminated due to complications and we had to break to break the news to our families which was very difficult. The second time we decided to keep it quiet until we were “out of the woods”which is usually after 12 weeks. I took studios pictures of my bump with my husband, we just wanted to celebrate that time in our lives. No we did not post them online but people are free to see them when they visit our home…it’s not a big deal. It a great time in a persons life, let them celebrate how they choose to.
I can’t wait to get pregy n. Display my baby bump…can’t wait!!!!
If your belly was growing bigger for any other reason, no one would think its attractive. Just cuz there is a baby in there, doens’t make it physically attractive. True, bring life into the world is beautiful, but westerners have started to sensationalize pregnancy. No one thinks a horse, cow or dog looks better with a big belly. So why would a human? The opposite is true for your growing breasts during pregrancy. Its not the fact that your breasts are producing milk for a child that your hubby finds them attractive, its because he likes bigger breast. he does not, as a rule tho, like big stomachs…
hahahahah true talk right there
I don’t care about anything else but that fake pic of beyonce n jayz always crack me up grrrrrrrrrr….. n what’s da point of showing ur stomach around anyway we want to copy everything good n bad but to each his/her own
To each his/her own. While sharing pics and telling the world early about baby bumps is not traditionally Nigerian, there are bigger issues we have and it really doesn’t matter one way or the other. There are more important reasons, excluding superstition, that I would choose not to publicly share my baby bump until well after my baby is born:
1. Pregnancy is such a delicate process and easy as Western medicine has made it all seem, it hasn’t changed the humbling nature of forming and carrying a being to full term – generally, the first 12weeks of a pregnancy are the most delicate and practitioners typically advise against sharing the news simply because it is so easy to miscarry at this stage that going around and explaining the absence of the pregnancy takes it’s toll on the parents-to-be and family.
2. Even when you’re out of the woods of the first 12 weeks, one could lose the pregnancy at any stage up until and after delivery, that it doesn’t hurt to be a little cautious. Caution notwithstanding, NO ONE has power over the birthing process …
3. Privacy – I prefer to be in control of what news I choose to share with the world or close friends/family and baby bump pictures fall into that category. I would also want friends and family to respect my wishes…
That said, I don’t believe that sharing the baby bump gives power to anyone to bring harm to the pregnancy – my God is bigger than any fear mongering so I wouldn’t go out of my way to announce or hide a baby bump. My cautious stance is borne out of my desire to continuously remember just how fragile the birthing process is – many carry to full term only to have a still born or a child with complications that passes away within the first few weeks or months of life. How one chooses to live their lives/announce their babies is purely their business!
Objection please! Beyonce’s pic should not be among, cos that is no baby bump. One day the truth will come out, she was never pregnant!