Nikki Bella is keeping it real about her pregnancy — the good, the bad and the ugly.
The retired wrestler and reality TV star — who's expecting her first child with her fiancée, former "Dancing With the Stars" pro Artem Chigvintsev, this summer — took to Instagram on April 12 to share not only a makeup-free selfie with her love but some real talk about weight gain, hyperpigmentation on her face caused by pregnancy hormones, excess body hair and much more.
"Time for that no filter post. Pregnancy has given me pigmentation on my cheeks and upper lip with a growing bump that makes me smile everyday," she began. "Quarantine has reminded me of the sparkles (grays) and wild eyebrows I have and the goals I have made throughout my life and want to focus more on. Oh and that I have an amazing chef as a fiancé! Who's trying to make me gain a lot more pounds than my thighs that are already touching and rubbing would like."
She went on to reveal how much she's looking forward to undergoing laser hair removal after she's done feeding her baby. "Can't wait for my Laser Away appointments after breast feeding bc I have realized there is no boundary to where, when and how much your hair wants to grow," she wrote, adding a nod to her twin sister, Brie Bella, "I'm officially becoming Brie lol!!"
Nikki, who's at the tail end of her second trimester, also explained that she's had to make some adjustments as her pregnancy progresses — and how those changes have led to new problems — yet she's kept a positive attitude. "Learning to sleep on my side this past month has been a challenge especially bc it has brought a lot of neck pain back and now my cheeks have some fun friends that have joined them (pimples lol)," she wrote. "Can't wait to get a facial again! Dreaming of that Sothys spa in Paris (dream big right lol) But goodness it's pretty amazing to start to see the real, natural you again right? Without all the beauty appointments and makeup everyday.
"I hope in this time we can start to love ourselves more. Appreciate the flaws, the changes, our age," she continued. "I'm going through a lot of course bc of pregnancy but goodness when I feel my baby kick or move, I don't care how many pounds I have gained, or skin changes I have, or pain that feeling is unlike anything I have ever experienced. It makes me smile so big every time. The love is already greater than any other! Excited for the rest of this journey called the miracle of life. ✨🦋 Hope to connect more with all you mommies on here. ❤️"
A few days before sharing the post, Nikki and Artem celebrated her pregnancy progressing into her fifth month "23 weeks today! We are definitely on cloud 9 knowing we are getting closer and closer to meeting our baby. ❤️," she captioned a sweet photo of Artem hugging her from behind as her growing bump sticks out.
Fans have been better getting to know Nikki and Artem as a couple in recent days following the debut of "Total Bellas" season 5 on E! on April 2. Artem took to Instagram to talk about what people will see now that he's joined his love's show, on which she stars with her twin sister, who's also pregnant right now. "[You'll see] all of my journey with Nicole to [our] engagement to her getting pregnant and things we're going through," he says. "There is lots of positive and there is some negative — like there's going to be one fight that I'm really not looking forward for you to see. But it's life."