Mom who lifted weights during pregnancy claims her daughter has muscles: 'Babe, she’s got muscles'

Pregnancy is different for every woman. However, staying healthy is something that every doctor suggests. Yoana Banda, a youth sports coach, took it to another level and did weight lifting throughout her pregnancy, because of which, she claims in a TikTok video that her child came out of the womb with muscles. In the video, she is seen pregnant and doing a number of strength training exercises like cable bicep curls then it cuts to her daughter, who literally has well-defined muscles in her arms. The video is captioned, "She really came out and said ‘where them weights at’ 🙂" Banda told TODAY, "The first time we bathed her, I looked at my husband and I was like, “Babe, she’s got muscles. She’s got big, big muscles."

Many on TikTok were amazed at seeing the baby's muscles. @its.taixx commented, "That baby’s stronger than I am." @maga9276 commented, "Working out during pregnancy was probably the best thing I did for myself. Gained about 11 lbs and labor was quick!" @maribelrochagarci wrote, "I can’t wait to do this working out thru a pregnancy is definitely my goal 🥰"

Banda said that Ariah also has good neck strength and that she held her head up when she was two weeks old. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this milestone usually happens between one to two months of age. 

However, doctors do not really agree with what Banda is stating. Dr. Lisa Thiel, a maternal-fetal medicine at Corewell Health in Michigan, said, “There is no link between a mom and her exercise regime and how fit she is during pregnancy with her baby's muscle mass." But it could have to do with Banda's healthy, protein-filled pregnancy diet, which played a big role in Ariah's development, according to TODAY.

She explained, “There is a role for epigenetics in pregnancy and the best example would be nutrition. A healthy diet in pregnancy can have great health benefits for a child.” The doctor added that an active baby in the womb will not turn out looking like Hercules. She said, "They are extending and flexing their arms and their fingers and getting that nervous system activated for movement," she said. "But (in the uterus) they're not having the resistance force needed to increase muscle mass."

Moms always have their children's backing. In another video, an adorable toddler stood up for her mother when her elder sibling wanted to eat at Mcdonald's. She said to him, “Why do you want McDonald’s when she didn’t even get paid yet?” He responded, "Ya I want. I was gonna starve." She straight away told him, "Starve on that's what you can do and that's what you can do." He said, "You starve on." She got upset and told him in an angry tone, "Because my ma doesn't have the money yet." Her expressions were just like an adult in the video and it was hilarious to watch it. The video has about 55,000 upvotes and was captioned, "Sticking up for her mum because she hadn't been paid yet."