BABY EMMA BORN 7 LB, 1 OZ

My initial response to posing pregnant and nude was no, never, you've got the wrong person. I was always self-conscious about my body --- especially with the extra weight -- and yet I didn't think I'd pose nude even I looked like a super-model. It just wasn't my thing.

After talking to my husband, though, I decided it was time to get over the self-consciousness. And now, when I look at this photo, I smile because I'm not looking at a body, I'm looking at my child, the most precious thing in my life. I am so glad that I posed for this photo, not because I conquered a fear, but because it chronicles the most important time in my life. I didn't understand then the depth of love I would feel for my child or how special the picture would be because of what it represents -- the beginning of my life as a mom.