On Sunday, May 14, model Emily Ratajkowski celebrated Mother’s Day with some throwback pics to her pregnancy with her son Sylvester “Sly” Apollo, who she shares with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard. Sly was born in March of 2021, and Ratajkowski wrote about how much her life changed after his birth in the caption of the naked photos.
“These pics are from right before my identity and life changed forever,” she wrote. “Being a mama means doing a lot of quiet, hard work that often no one witnesses. I’m proud of all you mamas—your love and dedication might just be the most beautiful thing in this world.”
The model has shared a few shots of her belly and no clothes before, posting some mirror selfies shortly before her son’s birth in February 2021.
“Sometimes I feel like Winnie the Pooh in human form, other times like a fertility goddess with a juicy butt. I took this on a day where I was feeling the latter. Either way I know I’m going to miss this bump and those kicks very soon,” she wrote at the time.
Later, she shared the image again in her her Stories to celebrate International Women’s Day, writing over the image, “HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE.”
For Sly’s second birthday, Ratajkowski posted a montage of life with her son and from her pregnancy, explaining, “My beautiful baby turns 2 this week and the time has gone by as quickly as this video. What a two years it’s been, Sly. So much joy, so much pain. So many lessons. I’ll do anything to keep you safe and make sure your life is a wonderful one. Being your mama is magical. I love you more than you could ever know.”
In a cover story with Harper’s BAZAAR in November of 2022, she talked about how becoming a mother changed her life.
“I’ve never had such clear priorities before in my life,” Ratajkowski said. “Number one is Sly, and that’s that. [Motherhood] made me re-evaluate what’s important to me, like, what do I want to teach my son?”
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.
