Peta Murgatroyd Proudly Shares Post-Baby Body Pic: ‘DWTS’ Pro Keeps Things Real With Belly Selfie

Peta Murgatroyd is not afraid to show off her post-baby body just one week after giving birth to her first child. Murgatroyd, who recently welcomed her first baby with fiancé and fellow Dancing With the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, took to Instagram to proudly share a photo of her post-baby body eight days after giving birth to the couple’s son, Shai Aleksander. Peta captioned the selfie of her still swollen post-baby belly with a real life reminder that most women have to work hard to get back to their pre-maternity weight.

“Real life,” Murgatroyd captioned the pic.

“I took this photo 8 days post birth. I left the hospital looking 5 months pregnant. Many people think a woman should shrink right back to her pre-birth weight immediately. That is just not the truth for most. The female body is incredible and resilient, but healing and strengthening take time. Now it’s time for patience and hard work. Lots of love to all the new mamas out there on the journey.”

Murgatroyd ended her post with several hashtags, writing that baby Shai is “worth every pound.

Peta Murgatroyd shared several belly shots with fans throughout her pregnancy, so it’s not surprising that she posted a post-baby pic of her body. In fact, Peta has been vocal about all of her pregnancy milestones.

Murgatroyd previously told Hollywood Life that she began gaining water weight early in her pregnancy, which caused her some problems during her mirrorball winning season with DWTS partner Nyle DiMarco. Peta hid her water weight by wearing more conservative costumes and lowering the hemlines on her outfits.

Peta Murgatroyd showed off her baby bump at several stages throughout her pregnancy. Early on, Peta posed in a cheetah-print swimsuit to show off a tiny baby bump, and later in the pregnancy she posted a close-up of her upper body and joked that she wasn’t sure how much more she can “lug around” up front, teasing that she was going to need a “harness” for her breasts soon. In another post, Peta pointed out her “expanding rear.”

Even though the baby weight gain was inevitable, it didn’t stop Murgatroyd from working out. In fact, during her pregnancy, Peta posted to Instagram to reveal that she loved working out more than ever when she was pregnant, and she encouraged other women to stay active during pregnancy.

“I’m 20 weeks and although I could sit on the couch watching TV all day, I have to get up and keep moving!” Murgatroyd wrote.

“To me, it’s imperative for women to have an active pregnancy. It’s better for your well being and it’s great for your baby (within the limits your doctor has given you of course) Everyone will have an opinion about this, and that’s ok, but until I’m too big that I can’t move, I will be doing some sort of exercise each day. Believe me, it’s not easy, I’m not used to this body I have at the moment, and I’m heavier than I have ever been.”

As Peta documented her ever-changing body, her fiancé remained fascinated by the prenatal process. In an interview with People, Chmerkovskiy revealed that he was by Peta’s side for all of her prenatal visits.

“I’m fascinated with what is happening with the body. Going to the ultrasounds and seeing everything is incredible,” Maksim told the magazine before baby Shai’s birth.

In addition to Peta Murgatroyd’s post-baby belly shot, Maks also shared a post-baby photo of his lady love. The DWTS pro posted a snap of Peta out with him on their first date night since becoming parents, and the caption makes it clear that breastfeeding is Peta’s priority right now. Maks captioned the pic with a funny exchange about asking his lady if she wanted some dessert. Peta’s response?

“My boobs are filling up. We gotta go.”

[Featured Image by Mike Windle/Getty Images for People ]