On Friday, Hailey Bieber shared a throwback photo from her recent pregnancy in her Instagram Stories. She and husband Justin Bieber welcomed their son Jack in August after announcing they were expecting in May.
The black-and-white picture showed a glowing Hailey wearing tall rubber boots, a white crop top that showed off her growing pregnancy, and a pair of matching underwear. She is leaning against a wooden fence outside and looking off into the sunshine with a smile. Over the image, she wrote, “When Jack was in my belly.”
The couple first shared they were going to have a child on Instagram, posting a carousel of images and videos from their vow renewal ceremony in Hawaii. In the series of shots, it was clear that Hailey was pregnant in her tight white dress and lace wrap veil.
On August 23, Justin shared a shot of Hailey’s manicured hand touching their new baby’s small foot, writing in the caption, “WELCOME HOME JACK BLUES BIEBER.”
In an interview with W Magazine in June, Hailey talked about keeping her early pregnancy private.
“I was honestly able to keep it quiet because I stayed small for a long time,” she explained. “I didn’t have a belly, really, until I was six months pregnant, which was when I announced it. I was able to wear big jackets and stuff. I probably could have hid it until the end. But I didn’t enjoy the stress of not being able to enjoy my pregnancy outwardly. I felt like I was hiding this big secret, and it didn’t feel good. I wanted the freedom to go out and live my life.”
She was also reluctant to hear people’s opinions after experiencing the comments about her relationship with Justin.
“People have made me feel so bad about my relationship since day one. ‘Oh, they’re falling apart. They hate each other. They’re getting divorced.’ It’s like people don’t want to believe that we’re happy,” she said. “I used to try to act like it hurts less and less. I’ve tried to think that you get used to it at a certain point, that this is what’s going to be said and this is how people are going to be. But I realize that it doesn’t actually ever hurt any less.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.