Celebrity Pregnancy Is Big Business

Elizabeth Cordero, a Los Angeles hairdresser who has had multiple miscarriages and lost her baby seven days after birth, said there is no “safe” date after which to announce. She is halfway through a pregnancy and said that “this time around, we’ve decided that we’re just going to celebrate every damn day.”

In situations where there are birth complications, difficulties breastfeeding, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, or bladder leakage, celebrities now seem more inclined to share this too, with the hope that their openness may help someone else.

“If they are doing a public service, or they believe that they are, in talking about a product, there are women who will benefit from that message, whether or not it’s paid,” Dr. Cramer said.

It is assumed that the sharing also benefits the author, something Ms. Mollen has begun to question. “The more of ourselves we give away, the more the more we’re sort of rewarded for it, and that’s a slippery slope,” she said. “It’s all performance, even the stuff that you’re saying: ‘This is real. This is my real life.’”

In April, Ms. Lawrence welcomed her baby with her partner, Philip Payne, who is a music executive. When her followers wanted to know about her at-home water birth, she shared a video of that. It seemed important, she said.

Now, she’s not as sure about putting it all on Instagram. “The aim is to be more in control of my life and future and career,” she said. “Having it so much reliant on social media feels unstable.”