MyKayla Skinner is celebrating a pregnancy that hasn’t always been easy. Here’s the complete article on People Magazine.

Sharing her maternity photos with PEOPLE exclusively, the mom-to-be opens up about the opportunity to “capture the beauty in the journey and appreciate the hard work and sacrifice that it has taken” to welcome her first baby into the world.

“We are so excited to finally have this little girl as a part of our family,” the mom-to-be tells PEOPLE.

“Pregnancy has been super rough, which I was not prepared for! Sometimes I feel like pregnancy is harder than being an Olympian,” Skinner says, noting she’s developed “so much respect for all the moms and soon-to-be moms out there.”

“The one positive about having popped is we were able to take the coolest maternity photos ever,” she says of the photos shared exclusively with PEOPLE. “Our photographer Beka Price did magic with her camera, capturing my ‘pregnancy glow’ and making me look a lot better than I feel. I connected with Beka around 24 weeks and we met together at her studio to start planning the sessions. The maternity session happened around 28-29 weeks which was perfect timing.”

More images from her session:

Beka Price is known for her artistic style often described as classic, sophisticated and timeless.
Many Celebrities, NFL players, Olympic athletes and high profile clients have entrusted beka to photograph their babies and families.

Expecting this year? Let’s schedule your dream maternity and newborn portraits!