She triggered a torrent of online debate when she was pictured weightlifting eight months pregnant.
But Los Angeles mother Lea-Ann Ellison has delivered a triumphant blow to her 'haters' by giving birth to a healthy baby boy.
Skyler
weighed seven pounds and three ounces - although if he is anything like
his mother, it won't be long before he is piling on the muscle.
Ms Ellison, who has declared she
wants to be a 'Hot Mom', gave birth to Skyler on November 7 in her home
using a birthing pool - and kept exercising until just three days
beforehand.
Since the birth
she has already returned to the gym and her CrossFit regime, a system
of exercises created 13 years ago and now used by thousands of gyms
worldwide.
Skyler was her second 'water baby'
and came into the world a day before his due date surrounded by
midwives, her husband Shane, her son and her daughter.
Her husband joked: 'Blair, my eight-year-old son, said the tub looked like a shark attack.'
He
added: 'Pregnancy is unmerited sacrifice. Only the strongest women can
do it with grace and I’ve had the privilege of seeing my wife do it
three times.'
Posting on Facebook, the body-builder
said: 'We welcomed our new son into the world yesterday! Skyler was
born at 3:44pm at home into my loving and welcoming hands.
'Skyler
is a very chill dude and super easy going. Looks a lot like his sister
too. Thank you for all of the support and I look forward to sharing this
chapter of my life with you!'
She added: 'Take that haters! Ha ha ha!'
While
some appeared to support her decision in September - including several
people who claimed to be doctors - others were horrified.
'This is actually sickening,' wrote Amanda Cinq-Mars. 'I hope pregnant [women] around the world do not do this kind of cr**.
'I
am a crossfit enthusiast but I DO NOT recommend this at all. Doctors
always strongly suggest to not lift heavy because you can sever your
placenta and cause major damage an early labour and miscarriage...
Posting this picture goes people the wrong message that this is OKAY
when it's not!'
Another, Josh Giannapolous, wrote: 'Cross fit? This goes way beyond a way of life, and right into an obsession.
'She is very selfish for endangering a life for her own personal gains and achievements. This is not a proud picture to post.
'That
amount of weight lifted above the head is extremely dangerous while
pregnant. Cross fit is a hobby, not a necessity to life. It's becoming
unconscious to the dangers of reality.'
Users
who sprang to her defence included Katy McNiff Nicholas, who wrote:
'You go girl! Looking great!!! Much better than a lot of obese pregnant
ladies with high blood pressure and diabetes who get short of breath
walking up a flight of steps.'
Ms Ellison is not the only workout-loving mother-to-be to make headlines after her pregnancy regime came to light.
Four
years ago Cambridgeshire fitness enthusiast Sarah-Jane Cousins hit the
front pages after being pictured lifting 15kg dumbbells with just 11
days to go before her due date.
Another mother criticised for
continuing a tough fitness regime throughout her pregnancy was model
Nell McAndrew, who was stunned at the backlash she received after
competing in a gruelling marathon while 20 weeks pregnant.
Speaking
to MailOnline after the marathon in November last year, McAndrew said:
'When I tell people I'm still exercising, they react as if I've told
them I've been smoking or drinking alcohol while pregnant.
'But what I'm doing is actually good for me and my baby.'
Nell's
belief that fitness aids labour is backed up by studies that have found
that babies of women who exercise are better off when it comes to their
birth because 'foetuses of exercising women may tolerate labour better
than those of non-exercisers,' according to The Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Along
with official NHS guidelines that recommend 30 minutes of moderate
exercise a day for expectant mothers, the RCOG also advocates exercise
where there are no complications in the pregnancy.
Precautions like not exercising at a high intensity or running when it is too hot should also be taken.
The
Royal College guidelines said: 'In most cases, exercise is safe for
both mother and fetus during pregnancy and women should therefore be
encouraged to initiate or continue exercise to derive the health
benefits associated with such activities.'
They add that it is untrue that exercise increases the risk of miscarriage or damage to an unborn baby.
The guidelines add: 'Additionally, active women experience less insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression.'
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