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12[[quoteright:266:[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ootskazumi.gif]]]]
13[[caption-width-right:266:[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0587.html She's kicking ass for two.]]]]
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15->''"You stupid pieces of @#!%, I was in the army too, and I didn't forget four years of training the moment my egg's perimeter was breached! You think just because I can't see my feet right now that I can't put one of them up your cowardly ninja asses?"''
16-->-- '''Kazumi Kato''', ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''
17
18In RealLife, pregnancy is just a natural part of the cycle of life. Mothers often manage to work until they go into labor and resume normal activity a few days after giving birth. However, it is also damned inconvenient, with possible drawbacks including tenderness of various body parts, [[MorningSickness nausea and vomiting]], painful strain on joints and ligaments, [[{{Gasshole}} burping and farting loudly]], and skin irritation. A pregnant body must endure some [[TemporaryBulkChange awkward changes]] in size, shape and weight as it stretches to accommodate a growing fetus. Undue stress can sometimes provoke a miscarriage. Particularly troublesome pregnancies can even be incapacitating.
19
20In fiction, pregnancy will more likely tend toward dramatic extremes. Either it is a debilitating condition that takes former {{Action Girl}}s out of commission for the duration -- rendering them physically and emotionally fragile or even bedridden -- or exactly the opposite. Whether it's due to [[PregnancyMakesYouCrazy surging hormones]] or newfound parental instincts, pregnancy can cause someone to [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] -- sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently in preparation for becoming a MamaBear or ActionMom, or in the case of [[MisterSeahorse a man]], PapaWolf or ActionDad.
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22Sometimes allies or others close to the mother object to this, even when they otherwise respect her ActionGirl prowess and do not think WomenAreDelicate: they worry she is at a disadvantage, or that extreme stress could endanger her or the baby. Sometimes the mother ''agrees'', which makes the character even more formidable -- she only fights when [[MartialPacifist no other option]] is left, with the raw fury of a CorneredRattlesnake.
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24In milder danger, a pregnant character proves herself a BadassBystander or competent ActionSurvivor. In extreme circumstances, this badass runs into a major battle nine months pregnant, [[MaternityCrisis goes into labor]] while fighting, harnesses the pain of a ScreamingBirth to become a ScreamingWarrior, retires just long enough to deliver the baby, then picks up a weapon with one hand and returns to the fray ''while [[BadassAndBaby cradling the newborn]]'' in the other. In situations where magic is involved, the unborn child can PowerUp its mother in some way, lending support in what is usually a terrible strain on their mind or soul.
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26Compare and contrast ImperiledInPregnancy and PregnantHostage: the character may reveal a HiddenBadass nature in response to such peril and make any foe [[MuggingTheMonster regret underestimating]] them. And they may not be alone in the fight: the parents might be a BattleCouple, and maybe they are expecting the newest member of the BadassFamily.
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28Note that in order to qualify for this trope, the pregnancy should have some noticeable physical effect on the badass, whether the general malaise of the early stages or the TemporaryBulkChange that happens later. If they are huge and heavy but still manage to move with grace and swiftness, compare {{Acrofatic}}. If they are significantly hindered, compare HandicappedBadass.
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30----
31!!Examples
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33[[foldercontrol]]
34
35[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
36* A rare [[MisterSeahorse male]] example is Yuuji from ''Manga/AnimalX'', who takes on a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' with a chainsaw, takes out four men with a fire extinguisher, and [[spoiler:breaks out of a secure medical facility, liberating at gunpoint the repressed vaccine for a deadly man-made virus,]] all the while pregnant.
37* ''Anime/BlueGender'': [[spoiler:Marlene is pregnant with Yuji's child during the last two episodes]]. She was only in the first few weeks, so it in no way affected her status as an ActionGirl.
38* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has Freyja, a girl with powers based on her namesake, the Norse Goddess of Fertility. Despite being heavily pregnant, she can do feats like sprinting and then jumping onto a moving train, and puts up a hell of a fight against Touma. [[spoiler:However, it turns out that the girl is an innocent and her ''unborn baby'' is controlling her like a puppet to protect her mother, making for a very strange inversion of MamaBear.]]
39* Played straight then cruelly subverted in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' [[spoiler:as Guts got ActionGirl Casca pregnant when they made love for the first time (there’s no contraceptive in medieval times) so doing the math concludes that Casca was carrying for 43 chapters or a few weeks in InUniverse, in that time she was kicking plenty of ass and only felt ill towards the end of the Golden Age. The horrific and tragic subversion is that due to being raped by Griffith, Casca’s child was mutated in her womb by his demon seed thus Casca miscarried the baby and it become a FetusTerrible that followed its parents around like a shadow]].
40* [[spoiler:Viletta Nu]] from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' [[spoiler:avoided capture when Lelouch takes over the world with Cornelia's rebellious group while pregnant with hers and Ohgi's kid.]] Yeah, she ''was'' on the early stages, but she ''did'' have a notorious baby bump by the time [[spoiler:Zero Requiem had its climax -- and right then she was seen with a gun in her hands alongside Cornelia and Guilford.]]
41* [[spoiler:Videl]] is a downplayed example in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. Although she doesn't do any fighting, she does talk down an angry [[TheDreaded god of destruction]], then [[spoiler:becomes the first and only known full-blooded human to turn Super-Saiyan]] by channeling her unborn daughter's power.
42* [[Anime/EurekaSeven Eureka]] doesn't let being six months pregnant stop her from kicking ass in ''Anime/EurekaSevenAo''.
43* The ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' manga adaptation by Mitsuki Oosawa has several cases of this:
44** As a part of her AdaptationalBadass makeover of sorts, [[spoiler:Deirdre]] takes the trope. The infamous [[spoiler:"let's bring King Clement down to normal with a Silence staff so his Mackily castle can be taken without spilling any blood"]] gig happened when she was in the first stages of her pregnancy with [[spoiler:Seliph]].
45** There is also [[spoiler:Ira and Adean]] giving birth during the Silessa arc. [[spoiler:Adean only has her eldest son Lester (with Jamke, in this continuity), while Ira has ''twins'' (Ulster and Larcei, with Lex).]] The same arc also has [[spoiler:Ethlyn]] pregnant with [[spoiler:her ''second'' child Leif]], but she doesn't give birth until few later.
46** Similarly, another chapter reveals that few months after this [[spoiler:Princess Raquesis is pregnant with her eldest son Delmud (Finn's child, in this particular media).]]
47* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'': When Funny Valentine and his lackeys realize that Lucy Steel has become [[ItMakesSenseInContext pregnant with the Head of the Holy Corpse]] through virginal conception, they attempt to keep her prisoner until it can be 'born'. Unfortunately they forgot that Corpse Parts [[TookALevelInBadass grant Stands to anyone they choose as hosts]], and Lucy uses her new Stand Ticket to Ride (which allows her to turn her tears into blades that create a nexus of intensifying bad luck wherever they touch human flesh) to kill Valentine's [[TheDragon two main henchmen]] and finally manage to save herself without help from any other Stand user. [[spoiler:Well, almost. Valentine recaptures her near the dock, and his mere presence causes the Saint's Corpse to start consuming her energy to reforge itself.]]
48* ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'' has an example of this with [[spoiler:Sheba]] as she goes into the final battle for Alma Torran pregnant with [[spoiler:Aladdin]].
49* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': The mother of [[spoiler:the Liebert twins]] escapes by crawling through some vents while heavily pregnant. She goes into labour just as she gets out of the building. So close...
50* ''Most Fruitful Yuki'':
51** The titular heroine is a gloriously {{Exaggerated}} exemplar. Yuki is eager to start a family with her husband Kenji, a student at a prestigious NinjaSchool. Her hopes are dashed when Kenji and the other students are captured and magically-imprisoned by the wizard Gorou. Daichi, a sorcerer who escaped capture, discovers a {{Loophole|Abuse}}: Yuki can defy Gorou's magic as long as she is pregnant with Kenji's child. But training to defeat Gorou's minions in combat will take years, and the loophole closes when she gives birth. Yuki, willing to endure anything to save her beloved, convinces Daichi to cast a spell that will keep her pregnant while she fights the evil wizard. Her pregnancy is effectively a magical PowerUp and, thanks to her finesse, Yuki's large belly barely gets in the way of her {{Ninja}} moves.
52** This heroine is inspired by, modeled on, and named after the creator's sister. The real Yuki, on bed rest for pregnancy complications, told her brother that she felt "bored, frustrated and scared." To lift her spirit, Hayato Saito [[InkSuitActor illustrated her]] as a badass pregnant ninja and showed her the manga in progress -- a PowerFantasy antidote to the helplessness she felt. By the time Yuki gave birth, the first volume was complete and Saito gave it as a gift to his newborn niece.
53** The manga was later published, earning modest success and a cult following in Japan. It gained [[{{Pun}} a bump]] in popularity after filmmakers asked to include it in ''Film/{{Juno}}'', realizing it would be of interest to the geeky pregnant protagonist. It has since been translated and released internationally.
54* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': Despite her power and being the most prominent demon mother in the story, Lorem is ''not'' an example as her time while pregnant was peaceful and she never saw any action. Instead, the pregnant badass of the story is [[spoiler:the Gothic Lolita BloodKnight, Nightmare]]. She can fight the final arc's BigBad Crown on relatively even footing and, as she does so, Crown notices that she's very clearly taking care to not let her stomach be hit. He confirms she's pregnant by attacking her in such a way that she willingly takes a blow to the face over her stomach. When Crown calls her out on fighting in her condition, her response is to say the fight would be boring without a handicap and fake complications to trick Crown into a bad position.
55* Takeo Goda's mother in ''Manga/MyLoveStory'' is a physical powerhouse at all times, and was able to carry another woman to the hospital while in the middle of labor with him. When she has her second child later in the series, she repeats the feat.
56* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
57** Subverted, since [[spoiler:MamaBear Kushina Uzumaki restrained the Kyuubi ''after'' giving birth to Naruto]]. This is still impressive considering that this was [[spoiler:hours after the birth.]]
58** Zigzagged with Kurenai Yuhi. As her specialty is genjutsu, illusions which typically requires a minimum of physical effort, she'd likely only be partially hampered by being pregnant. [[spoiler:But since it's Asuma's child, her long term on-again-off-again lover who just died in battle, she chooses to stay out of going on missions while carrying. Not to mention Shikamaru constantly looking out for her, as the last promise he made to his dying sensei.]]
59* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Big Mom was already abnormaly strong when she was 5 years old. She gave birth to 85 children in 42 years, starting from being 18 years old to being 60 years old. And now she's 68, which means she spent most of her life time being pregnant and became one of the most powerful pirates while getting pregnant year after year.
60* A slightly more plausible example than many, but Shogun Yoshimune from ''Manga/OokuTheInnerChambers'' refuses to call off a meeting with her advisors just because her labour pains have started, and continues to debate economic policy with them even during the climactic stages.
61* Two of these show up in ''Manga/RedRiver1995''. The first is [[spoiler:Yuri during the Beida subarc and shortly before, leading the royal army. (Though she didn't know it at first)]] Later, we have [[spoiler:Yuri's NinjaMaid Schala, who fought with the rebellious Egyptians to overthrow their regime and rescue Ramses.]]
62* It's [[DidTheyOrDidntThey heavily implied]] during ''Manga/ShamanKing'' that before Yoh and the gang left for America, he and [[SlapSlapKiss his]] [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther fiancée]], [[{{Tsundere}} Anna]], [[TheirFirstTime they... well... you know]]. Six years later in the epilogue we see their five year old son Hana... which means yes, in those few months of the last chapters, Anna would have been in those early stages of pregnancy.... and she ''still'' kicked all kinds of butt as usual.
63* In ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'', there was Anna's mentor, Umimi Habara, a pro-duelist and half of a BattleCouple with her husband Tobio; in truth, she was planning to retire from the pro-circuit for this reason, but wanted to duel one last time at a public event to announce it - at which point Anna confronted her about it as her opponent, dragging Yuma into it. Unfortunately, she became the latest BrainwashedAndCrazy Barian victim in the process and then fit this Trope to a T. Fortunately, she got better.
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Ballads]]
67* In the Literature/{{Child Ballad|s}} ''Literature/FauseFoodrage'', the queen knows her baby will be killed if a boy, and so goes to escape in advanced pregnancy, just before she goes into labor.
68-->''"O narrow, narrow is this window,\
69And big, big am I grown!"\
70Yet thro the might of Our Ladie\
71Out at it she has won.\
72\
73She wanderd up, she wanderd down,\
74She wanderd out and in,\
75And at last, into the very swines' stye,\
76The Queen brought forth a son.''
77* In ''Literature/TamLin'', Janet rescues her lover Tam Lin from the Fairies and breaks their spell on him while pregnant.
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:Comic Books]]
81* In ''[[ComicBook/LutherArkwright The Adventures of Luther Arkwright]]'', the heavily pregnant Princess Anne leads her armies into battle against the Cromwellian regime dominating an [[AlternateHistory alternative Britain]] while just about ready to drop, goes into labour during the battle, gives birth (to twins!), and then gets right back up again and, bare-naked, leads the final climactic charge. The Boudicea-like imagery is not lost or wasted on her or her followers.
82* Taz from ''ComicBook/AtariForce'', with the surprising bit being that [[SamusIsAGirl nobody knew that Taz was female until Morphea found that out from a telepathic scan]].
83* ''ComicBook/ForgottenRealms'': An assassin caught the very pregnant lady Shaerl Amcathra and proclaimed she was his hostage. That is, he found a mid-level Cormyrean [[ClassyCatBurglar thief]] in the mood of a hungover cobra, then gave her a target less than an arm's length away and a surprise round to vent it. Before his next articulate word he was lying on the ground separated from his sword, and hurt in at least three places.
84* ''ComicBook/GalactaDaughterOfGalactus'': Galacta currently qualifies, technically, although she isn't pregnant in the same way humans are. (It's similar, however.) When her hunger for life energy was increasing to the point that the temptation to consume the Earth became harder than ever to resist, she thought some evil parasite had infected her, and tried to steal the Ultimate Nullifier from her father's ship in an effort to purge it from her (even though the risk of destroying herself in the process was great). When ComicBook/{{Galactus}} stopped her from doing so, she found out that the "parasite" was actually a child she had conceived in [[TrulySingleParent the same method that he had conceived her.]] (She was, in effect, pregnant; the reason for her incredible hunger was simply, she had to eat for two.)
85* Mother of Champions from ''ComicBook/GreatTen''. Perpetually pregnant, and perpetually a badass, too.
86* The ''ComicBook/GreenLantern Amnee'' almost defeats the baby-stealing villain Kryb in single combat while heavily pregnant. At one point, she uses her Green Lantern Ring to create a huge construct in the form of a newborn baby, complete with umbilical cord, and makes it beat Kryb up for her.
87** The only reason Amnee didn't win? She was ''in labor'' whilst fighting Kryb, which distracted her sufficiently that Kryb held out until she could summon backup: four {{Mind Control}}led Green Lanterns, one of them Amnee's husband, who overpowered Amnee.
88* ''Franchise/IndianaJones and the Golden Fleece'', which has Indy on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and stop a mad cult using it to summon Hecate features Omphale, also has him encountering an eight-months pregnant Grecian woman who attacks mad cultists with a rifle blazing, sneaks up on a Nazi and knocks him out with a tree branch just in time to stop him shooting Indy, pilots a Nazi plane from Greece to Turkey, insists on trekking at Indy's side all the way from Istanbul to Colchis to retrieve the Fleece, gives birth in the middle of a magically created blizzard, allows Hecate to be turned against the cult by presenting her with her newborn son, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking repeatedly insults Indiana's name]].
89* ''Creator/MarvelComics''' ComicBook/JessicaJones. Highlights include beating up the Green Goblin with his own glider when she thinks something has happened to her baby, and disarming Kang the Conqueror and pointing his own {{BFG}} at him when he tries to threaten her in ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers''.
90* ''ComicBook/MsTree'': Michael is impregnated by an old flame who is manipulating her to kill his wife. She decides to keep the baby, creating a unique series of adventures of this homicidal PI fighting off criminals even while dealing with a full term pregnancy while the mob family she hates moves to protect her in their own way.
91-->'''Ms. Tree:''' ''[on the phone]'' I just shot two idiots and my water just broke.
92* In the ComicBook/{{New 52}} ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013'' series, [[spoiler:Superwoman, the EvilCounterpart to ComicBook/WonderWoman in the Crime Syndicate of Amerika, has been revealed to be pregnant. This hasn't stopped her superhuman rampages in the slightest.]]
93* Parodied in ''ComicBook/PowerGirl''. While at the movies, PG and Terra are watching a trailer for a comedy/action movie about a fat geek who has a drunken one-night stand with a gorgeous supermodel/international super-spy and winds up getting her pregnant. The model's firing uzis in battle when she complains that her water just broke, as the guy is trying to not throw up at the information in a book about birth. The movie is called ''Fat Guy and the Hot Chick''.
94* ''ComicBook/{{Revival}}'' has [[spoiler:Martha Cypress]], who racks up multiple melee kills across the series including a Passenger.
95* ComicBook/ScarletWitch effortlessly took out The Toad, her StalkerWithACrush, when he stormed the house in a battle-suit to profess his love. (It didn't help that his first reaction on seeing her hugely-pregnant self was "Yuck!")
96* ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'': Jessica Drew manages to take down a room full of Skrulls in the the galactic maternity ward after they invade and she is taken as a PregnantHostage. This leads to what may be the most grueling and difficult situation in her career. Her water breaks about halfway through the fight, she is given a a C-section while the invaders try to break into the operating room, tells the doctors ''not'' to use any anesthesia (because she intends to fight the Skrulls once they breach the door) and is ''still'' able to beat them up after giving birth. (She collapses from exhaustion and pain immediately after.) The newborn boy is safe.
97--> '''Jessica:''' I just want to keep you safe. ''[the [[FeelingTheBabyKick baby kicks]]]'' You know momma would do anything to keep you-- ''[baby kicks harder]'' Okay. You're right. It's time for momma to shut her mouth. ''[draws weapons]'' And go save the damned day. \
98'''Klundirk:''' What? No! What are you ''doing?!'' You can't take on all those Skrulls! \
99'''Jessica:''' Sure I can. I'm a {{Superhero}}, remember? \
100'''Klundirk:''' You're also pregnant! ''Remember?!''
101* ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'': Atom Eve gets pregnant (for the second time) with the titular hero Mark’s child but unfortunately she can’t use her nuclear ImaginationBasedSuperpower to kick ass since she risks damaging her baby as a side effect thus she refuses to use her power. It’s only when InvincibleVillain Robot endangers her, Mark and their baby (as well as taking off her leg) that Eve uses her powers to fight Robot off. Thankfully the baby (Terra) is born safe and healthy afterwards.
102** [[spoiler:Dark example as Anissa [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale rapes Mark]] in order to further the Viltrimite species and gets pregnant as intended, meaning everything she did as a DarkActionGirl before giving birth counts as this. This includes harassing a trauma-ridden and angry Mark]].
103* In ''ComicBook/XForce'', [[spoiler:Wolfsbane]]. She was already a [[spoiler:pregnant mutant werewolf]], which would be badass enough in its own right, but the strain of the pregnancy was killing her until Elixir altered her DNA to be more like her unborn baby's, resulting in super strength, bulletproof (at least) skin, and a significant enough upgrade to her already heightened senses that they're now more acute than Wolverine or X-23's. And ''why'' did Elixir have to do this? The father of her child is an [[spoiler:Asgardian wolf-god]].
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
107* In some versions of ''Literature/{{Rapunzel}}'', the titular character is pregnant when she's thrown out from her tower by the Witch. Living alone in the desert isn't easy at the best of times, especially for a pregnant teenage girl who has no survival skills ''and'' has been isolated from the world by her ParentalSubstitute. ''She still does it''.
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Fan Works]]
111* ''Fanfic/TheMythOfLinkAndZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', as its name implies, adapts the events and content of the game ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and this includes Urbosa of the Champions. Unlike the game, she explicitly has a biological daughter. However, her daughter wasn't yet born when Urbosa was recruited as Champion. She was pregnant with her daughter during the re-creation of "Champion Urbosa's Song" in which she wipes the floor with two Yiga Clan members. She's still pregnant during the coronation of the Champions, meaning she gained mastery of Naboris while she was still pregnant.
112* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': Asuka was pregnant as she fought during the war to free her world from a blood-thirsty dictator. Justified because she was a mecha pilot.
113* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': The plot starts out when Asuka finds out she is pregnant. Throughout the story she takes on an EldritchAbomination and wins, and devises a plan to destroy another.
114* In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', [[EvilCounterpart Satan Girl]] is impregnated by Mordru. It doesn't stop her from fighting the heroes viciously or boasting that she can fight to the death as pregnant.
115-->'''Supergirl:''' ''[gasping]'' What do you mean, you lost your baby? Did you have a miscarriage? Remember, you were the one who wanted that fight.\
116'''Satan Girl:''' ''[shrieking]'' Miscarriage! You pathetic lightling. I could bear children even if I were fighting to the death. They took my baby.
117* In the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' fan fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13130117/1/Superman-Starts-Family Superman Starts family]]'', Superman is [[AdaptationalGenderIdentity a trans man]] who [[MisterSeahorse gets pregnant]] after [[ChildByRape being sexually assaulted by Lex Luthor]]. [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13130117/3/Superman-Starts-Family Superman looks through the rubble of a destroyed building for survivors and then battles Darkseid while twenty-seven weeks pregnant]]. What makes Superman extra ferocious when fighting Darkseid is that Darkseid had children as hostages.
118** [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13130117/4/Superman-Starts-Family Twelve weeks later]], Superman prevents a plane crash and then has to fight Toyman to prevent him from taking hostages. During that battle, Superman goes into labor. Superman keeps fighting Toyman ''despite'' being in labor, and manages to subdue Toyman before giving birth.
119* ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': Asuka [[spoiler:was pregnant with Shinji's child]] during the last battle. Even so, she fought and helped to save the world.
120* ''Fanfic/TheOneILoveIs'': [[spoiler:Misato]] was pregnant during the final part of the Angel War. She still [[spoiler:commanded her troops in battle and shot down an entire squad of soldiers that was about to execute Shinji.]]
121* The [[MisterSeahorse Omegaverse]] ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13455720/chapters/30844416 There Is No Sweeter Innocence Than Our Gentle Sin]] focuses on a pregnant-by-Karma [[TeenPregnancy Nagisa]]. The first dozen chapters focus on Karma learning to trust that Nagisa can take care of himself after his fight with Takaoka -- which plays out almost exactly like it did in canon -- and not be so overprotective. Afterwards, Nagisa still does minor exercises during training and also [[spoiler:goes on the mission to save Irina (though the latter didn't play out as well).]]
122* [=ComicsNix=] fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5674909/1/Bella_Swan_Pregnant_and_Furious Bella Swan Pregnant and Furious]]'': Bella is pregnant -- obviously -- yet she is still able to kick the shit out of ninjas, pirates, zombies, and even Satan himself. And the funny thing is, it's all because the baby clothes she found were all very ugly.
123* Madeline Pairis-Frost on ''Roleplay/HonorableHogwarts''.
124* [[spoiler:As in post-series canon, Zoe]] in the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Forward}}''.
125* In the ''Fanfic/ElementalChessTrilogy'', the pregnant Riza initially subverts the trope by submitting meekly to being placed under "protective custody" (read: house arrest) while [[spoiler:her husband is on trial for high treason]]. When she finds out that [[spoiler:he's being rescued from his wrongful execution and she herself has a chance to escape, she takes it and reaches the allied forces in time to help stop TheDragon from having her TrueCompanions killed.]] [[Tropers/LadyNorbert The author]] admits to having made her pregnant just to be able to add it to the trope page.
126* ''Film/{{Tron}}'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/ThroughADiamondSky'': The Iso scout Kanna is carrying a new "spark" [[spoiler:and gives birth on a Recognizer as the crew's making a run for it]]. This does not slow her down at all. She still holds her own with the rest of the cast in fighting off the Resource Hog Gang, including a chase on light-cycles and wielding a BFG. [[spoiler:The last line of the story indicates her daughter turned out pretty badass herself]].
127* In ''Fanfic/{{Game Theory|LyricalNanoha}}'', Megane is eight months pregnant and capable of calling forth her most powerful [[SummonMagic summons]] [[spoiler:but the strain of using that much magic induces labor, which makes it a deconstruction.]]
128* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': A fanfic from the "Anything and Everything" series portrays Rose as such.
129* Lind in the ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' series was about as strong as they come, able to hold her own against Hild while she has an angel missing. However, in the story ''Fanfic/AhArchfall'', pregnancy actually ''triples'' her strength, making her the only one who can match Papa Jupiter in a one-on-one showdown.
130* In the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' fanfic ''Lovely Dream'', Reimu is forced to carry a child due to the importance of her bloodline. When Remilia finds out she doesn't take it lightly cause she knows what it will entail as well as causing her more inmature side to surface. In her fury she decides to attack Reimu along with the entire Scarlet Devil crew. What follows is perhaps the most [[CurbStompBattle one sided buttkicking]] Reimu has ever delivered.
131* In ''Fanfic/WrittenInTheStars'', Fem!Kirk's Prime counterpart remained on duty as Captain throughout her pregnancy, and then ''gave birth in the middle of a '''battle against the Klingons'''.'' '''''Damn'''''.
132* Non-combat example: In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12160468/1/Kirk-Starts-A-Family-Aboard-The-Enterprise Kirk Starts A Family Aboard The Enterprise]]'', Captain Kirk, [[AdaptationalGenderIdentity a trans man]], undergoes a routine physical in the ''Enterprise's'' Sick Bay, during which he has [=McCoy=] investigate why Kirk appears to be gaining weight. [[SurprisePregnancy Kirk soon learns]] that [[MisterSeahorse he's pregnant]]. He continues to serve on the starship, ''while'' he's pregnant, all the way until he goes into labor. Said labor only lasts ''three hours'', and then ''six hours'' after he gives birth, Kirk returns to duty.
133* [[http://n7gvlvr.deviantart.com/art/Growing-Pains-354327086?q=gallery%3An7gvlvr%2F42510867&qo=4 This]] [[PortmanteauCoupleName Shakarian]] [[Franchise/MassEffect short fic]] features a pregnant Fem Shep ''demolishing'' a team of turian terrorists. Garrus later chastises her for threatening their unborn son in the process.
134* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fic, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11350114/1/Ready Ready]]'' Buffy is still patrolling while pregnant (helps that she's not that far along). If anything, the pregnancy is helping her slay ''better'' due to MamaBear tendencies. It ties into one of the main sources of conflict in the fic; Riley, the baby's father, wants Buffy to stop slaying period, which she can't do.
135** Giles also tells Buffy about Nikki Wood, who killed a vampire whilst pregnant and without her powers simply because she didn't want it to hurt her unborn child.
136* ''Fanfic/ToFillTheVoid'' has VillainProtagonist [[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor Hebert]] get pregnant when she [[SexForSolace has grief sex]] after losing her father to another supervillain (and losing her boss and arch-nemesis to an Endbringer). The premise of the fic is her having to balance being a supervillain with [[TeenPregnancy being a teen mom]], though she is still more than capable of joining in a gang war while pregnant.
137* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' at one point has [[spoiler:Princess Cadence]] fighting a resurrected King Sombra alongside Xenilla and doing her equal share of damage. Several chapters later, it's discovered that she's pregnant, and judging by how far along she is, this was the case during this fight.
138* The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' AU fic, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11848637/1/Destiny-Interrupted-Days-of-Change Destiny Interrupted: Days of Change]]'' revolves Samus Aran's pregnancy after [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9542552/1/Destiny-Interrupted-The-Bottleship-Incident the BOTTLESHIP incident]]. At first, Samus's pregnancy didn't affect her mission in Bryyo, until a few months that she is forced to withdraw from her mission. In the near end of the story, Samus and Adam quickly escaped and survived an assassination attempt and fled to Aether, where she gave birth to her child with Adam, Alexander.
139* Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' tale ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11536013/1/Hyperemesis-gravidarum Hyperemesis Gravidarum]]'' features no less than ''three''. all three mothers-to-be are Assassins. And one in particular has a pressing reason to be badass while pregnant - informal assassins are out to kill ''her'', her unborn child, and family members. She takes the ringleader on while very pregnant indeed.
140* Subverted in ''Fanfic/AGemAHumanAndABaby'' - It's stated in Chapter 5 that Blue Diamond didn't find out the Crystal Gems were still alive until a few months before giving birth, and that the only reason she didn't pull a TotalPartyKill on them is because of Greg talking her out of it for the child's sake.
141* ''Fanfic/AnEmpireOfIceAndFire'' has [[spoiler:Arya Stark]] partaking in both the Battle of Last Hearth and the [[FinalBattle Battle of Winterfell]] while in the early stages of pregnancy, and is still [[ActionGirl just as strong a fighter]] as always.
142* ''Fanfic/{{SAPR}}'': Raven was part of the assassination team sent to kill Salem years ago while pregnant with Yang.
143* The first chapter of ''Fanfic/{{Valerie}}'' reveals that Sophia Hess, also known as the vigilante-turned-superheroine Shadow Stalker, was one- [[MySecretPregnancy having kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone]] to protect her baby-daddy from retaliation, she donned her costume and went out on patrol ''while full-term pregnant'' and then went into labor after returning to the PRT building.
144* Averted for the most part in ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin''. No less that five different women give birth over the course of the series, and while all of them go on to be full blown {{Action Mom}}s, none of them take part in battle while pregnant. The closest the series gets to playing this straight is Shizune, who spent the Sound Invasion at the hospital, having been put in charge of dealing with the casualties while Tsunade went to face her ressurected grandfather.[[note]]She might have been in the very early stages of pregnancy with her second child while she was assisting the rebels during the Kirigakure Civil War (in fact, it's entirely possible that she got pregnant during the mission since her husband was with her), but she definitely didn't know it at the time if she was.[[/note]]
145* The ''Fanfic/ForeverCaptain'' series: Peggy keeps going out on missions even when she’s pregnant, with both Elizabeth and James.
146* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'':
147** Cadance. She's a powerful Sternritter skilled enough to fight an Espada one on one, which is rare for Quincy. Granted, her pregnancy is still in the early stage, and the only reason she knows about it is that Sapphire used her powers on her. She's worried that she won't be able to do her duties once [[PapaWolf Shining]] finds out.
148** We hadn't seen her figt, yet but just the fact she holds a high rank in military organization ([[spoiler:both of them]]), it's safe to assume that Radiant Hope is pretty badass. [[spoiler: She was strong enough to [[TearJerker save herself or her unborn child]].]]
149[[/folder]]
150
151[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
152* According to WordOfGod, in the future, Maria from ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'' will face off against Chela the Bandit Princess while pregnant.
153* Pacha's wife Chicha in ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' is pregnant throughout the movie (and shown realistically), but with the help of her young children is more than a match for the villain Yzma. Even Pacha was confident his family could handle themselves just fine with Yzma and Kronk.
154* Nala in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''. It is gently implied that her and Simba's cub was conceived in the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" sequence, meaning Nala was pregnant when she was beating up hyenas in the final battle.
155* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf - Animation/MoonCastleTheSpaceAdventure'': Despite being pregnant for most of the movie, Wolnie teaches the others how to use [[FryingPanOfDoom frying pans]] with no problem and is still able to hold her own in combat during the fight with the Bitter Gourd King and his minions.
156* Fiona becomes pregnant in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''. Her pregnancy doesn't slow her down in the slightest when Charming takes over Far Far Away. Her mom breaks them out of prison and they rally together to save Shrek.
157* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'': Like her [[ComicBook/SpiderWoman2014 comic counterpart]], Jess Drew is [[CompositeCharacter a version of]] Spider-Woman who stays active while pregnant. She is also a BadassBiker who uses her motorcycle for speed and combat. Upon meeting her, [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen Gwen]] is [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee impressed]].
158[[/folder]]
159
160[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
161* ''Film/AngerOfTheDead'': [[TheProtagonist Alice]] is a woman who's four months pregnant at most, and is quite capable of handling herself against any enemy, whether human or zombie.
162* Conan's mother in ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian2011''. A LadyOfWar, she is mortally wounded and wants to see her son before her death. Her husband then helps her, carving a caesarean section with his sword, and she gives birth to Conan ''on the battlefield''.
163* In ''Film/DrunkenMaster II'', Wong Fei-hung's pregnant stepmother ''wants'' to fight, but nobody will let her, though it's shown she has the ability to kick just about anybody's ass. Subverted in that [[spoiler:she's not really pregnant and was just faking it so her husband wouldn't punish Fei-hung too harshly for being out of bounds and getting smashed to fully exploit the power of the Drunken Fist style while in the middle of a street brawl. Then it turns out she ''is'' pregnant]].
164* Angela Bayer in the direct-to-video thriller ''Film/ExceptionToTheRule''. Despite being several months pregnant, she puts up a fight - and ultimately defeats - the murderous villainess Carla Rainer.
165* Marge Gunderson in ''Film/{{Fargo}}'' is a police officer investigating a kidnapping. She is seven months pregnant and realistically slower than usual, but brave and tough enough to face dangerous criminals. Arguably the TropeCodifier in modern Western media and certainly one of the most famous examples.
166* The titular character in ''[[Film/{{Godzilla1998}} Godzilla (1998)]]'' is pregnant during the first act of the film and still capable of destroying helicopters with ease.
167* Katniss Everdeen in ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire''... or so Peeta would have you believe.
168* Marie, the hotel owner from ''Film/InBruges''.
169* ''Film/{{Juno}}'' features the manga ''Most Fruitful Yuki'' and its pregnant {{Ninja}} heroine. See the "Anime & Manga" folder above.
170* Anita Mui's character in Stephen Chow's ''Justice My Foot.'' Keeps fighting right until she goes into labor, and even for a brief while afterwards.
171* ''Film/KillBill'':
172** The Bride, although she'd literally ''just'' found out she was pregnant (test still in hand). Also, she and her attacker decided to just walk away instead of fight. Otherwise an aversion, which led to the plot occurring.
173--->'''The Bride:''' Before that strip turned blue, I was a woman. I was your woman. I was a killer who killed for you. Before that strip turned blue, I would have jumped a motorcycle onto a speeding train... for you. But once that strip turned blue, I could no longer do any of those things. Not anymore. Because I was going to be a mother. Can you understand that?
174** Also, Vernita Green was a villainous example. If you do the math, she would have been at least three months pregnant at the time of the Wedding Chapel massacre, due to the fact that the event took place four and a half years before the Bride confronted and killed her, and that her daughter Nikki was four at the time of Vernita's death.
175* Rene Russo's character in ''Film/LethalWeapon4''.
176* In ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', at least two of the Wives are pregnant, especially Splendid who is over eight months into her pregnancy. However, this does nothing to hinder them from helping Furiosa and Max around the speeding War Rig, and Splendid even uses herself as a HumanShield to prevent Joe from shooting Furiosa. Sadly, it also results in [[spoiler:her death]] when she can't regain her footing and falls from the War Rig, [[spoiler:killing both her and the unborn child.]]
177* Oak, the heroine of ''Film/{{Mohawk}}'', is two months pregnant when she embarks on her RoaringRampageOfRevenge and wipes out the patrol of American soldiers who killed her two lovers.
178* ''Film/MonsterParty'': Iris is two months pregnant, but does a good job of grappling with and escaping from most of the homicidal party guests.
179* [[spoiler:The Kaiju Otachi]] from ''Film/PacificRim'' is revealed to be pregnant during the Hong Kong attack. This doesn't stop her from [[spoiler:fighting three HumongousMecha, decapitating the Crimson Typhoon, crippling Cherno Alpha, and almost destroying Gipsy Danger]].
180* In ''Film/ScarecrowSlayer'', Deputy Rachel goes out to hunt down the undead scarecrow SerialKiller despite being seven months pregnant, and makes the best showing of any of the law enforcement personnel in the movie.
181* Contestant Dawn in ''Film/Series7TheContenders'', who also has a streak of SociopathicHero.
182* Mina from ''Film/SheShootsStraight'', a policewoman who discovers she's pregnant... days after her husband's death. She then goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge while carrying her baby, killing the entire gang of gunrunners responsible for killing her husband. TheDragon of the gunrunners (an AmazonianBeauty herself) took advantage of Mina's weakness in the final fight by kicking her ''stomach'', but Mina still wins by way of BreastAttack.
183* ''Film/ShootEmUp'': A {{Downplayed}} example with Oliver's mother who manages to evade her attempted killer reasonably well considering she's in active labour and likely almost fully dilated. She also tries to shoot him but misses, but still, points for attempting.
184* ''Film/SpyKidsAllTheTimeInTheWorld'' opens with a heavily pregnant Marissa taking down several mooks and catching the Timekeeper. Right after ''her waters have broken''.
185* Averted with Padmé from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequels in a case of BadassDecay. In the second film, she is running around with bared midriff and [[BattleCouple firing a blaster at enemy droids]]. In the third film however, once she becomes pregnant, she is very much a DamselInDistress, more emotionally than in the literal sense, but justified in that she's pregnant with twins and could easily injure herself or the children at that point in the pregnancy, and in fact suffers what's essentially DeathByChildbirth and DeathByDespair after she delivers them.
186* Non-combat example: In ''Film/SummerSchool'', Rhonda goes into labor while taking her Remedial English final exam. She conceals this until she completes her test, and still scores significantly better than her previous English grade.
187* Kate Connor in ''Film/TerminatorSalvation''. John wants her off the front lines where she’s in less danger but she fights him on it and fights pretty hard in the climax of the film while John is in danger rescuing Kyle from Skynet.
188* ''Underworld'' films:
189** Although her knowledge of it is never confirmed, it is highly likely that Selene is pregnant in the opening sequence of ''Film/UnderworldAwakening'', jumping off buildings and dodging flamethrowers, before she is taken hostage and put into frozen stasis for more than a decade, waking up to find a pubescent daughter.
190** Sonja is consistently a badass in ''Film/UnderworldRiseOfTheLycans'', and is revealed to have been pregnant for the entire movie towards the end.
191* In ''Film/VampireDiary'', Vicki continues to act as a SerialKiller while pregnant.
192* ''Film/VengefulBeauty'': The titular heroine, named "Bloody Hibiscus", is an assassin, killer of corrupt officials and expert fighter who can take names with ease... and she is three months pregnant right in her very first action scene! [[spoiler: Sadly after being double-crossed by her close ally who turns out to be TheMole halfway through the film, she ends up suffering a TragicStillbirth]].
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Literature]]
196* The climax of Eric Flint's ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'' has not one, not two, but ''three'' pregnant badasses shooting up an army of Croats that attack their town. Promptly {{lampshaded}} when another character comments, "Boy, did they pick the wrong time to piss off pregnant women."
197* ''Literature/AcidRow'': At six months pregnant, Melanie rips off her jacket, jumps on [[ManOnFire Kevin]], wraps him in the jacket and rolls him around on the ground to put out the flames when he accidentally sets himself alight, nearly setting fire to herself in the process. She's also one of the first to stand up to Wesley and shout down his attempt to burn down Humbert Street, holding her ground even when he and his friends threaten her.
198* [[spoiler:Kitai]] is pregnant during the entire last book of the ''Literature/CodexAlera''. This doesn't stop her from being very, very badass.
199* An honorable mention must go to the unnamed mother of [[Literature/ConanTheBarbarian Conan the Cimmerian]], who it is explicitly stated gave birth to him on a battlefield.
200* ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'': Susannah Dean was [[HandicappedBadass scary enough already]] ''without'' [[spoiler:a demonspawn FetusTerrible]] bringing out her terrifying MamaBear side.
201* ''Literature/TheDiademSaga'': As Aleytys herself later describes, in ''Diadem from the Stars'' she walks halfway across a planet barefoot and pregnant, surviving by her wits and her PsychicPowers. A somewhat more realistic example than most in that she lives out the final months of her pregnancy in relative safety after being adopted into a clan of witches.
202* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': [[spoiler:Low King Rhys Rhysson/Low Queen Blodwyn]] is a pretty tough customer in ''Literature/RaisingSteam''.
203%%** [[spoiler:Sybil] in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant''.
204* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
205** Charity Carpenter is first introduced in ''Literature/GravePeril'' as [[ChurchMilitant Michael]]'s very pregnant wife. [[spoiler:She is later kidnapped by the baddie wanting to get back at Michael, while she isn't able to escape herself she is able to put a very impressive fight. Needless to say, her status as an ActionMom in later books didn't come as a surprise.]]
206** In ''Literature/SkinGame'', it's revealed [[spoiler:''[[MisterSeahorse Harry himself]]'' is pregnant with a spirit daughter as a result of Lash's sacrifice in ''Literature/WhiteNight''. This retroactively qualifies him, as you can't get much more badass than completely genociding the things that took your other child.]]
207* The Lady Jessica, in ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', quickly forces Stilgar (the leader of his sietch and therefore its mightiest warrior) to submit and keep the other Fremen at bay. She does this while not heavily pregnant but pregnant nonetheless.
208* In ''Dies the Fire'', the first volume of Creator/SMStirling's ''Literature/{{Emberverse}}'' series, nine-months-pregnant Juniper Mackenzie leads the Clan Mackenzie in battle against a group of Eaters (crazed cannibals), goes into a holy berserker-trance in which she invokes the Blood-Crow aspect of the Goddess, and opens the battle by killing the first Eater with an arrow. The Mackenzies win. The moment the battle is over, Juniper goes into labor and delivers Rudi Mackenzie.
209* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': By the time Rielle joins the angels, she's pregnant with Eliana. She doesn't let her prgnancy get in the way of aiding Corien with his resurrection plan.
210* In ''[[Literature/TheFirebringerTrilogy Dark Moon]]'', [[spoiler:[[ActionMom Tek]]]] tosses one of [[spoiler:[[TyrantTakesTheHelm Korr]]'s]] thugs off a cliff and fatally injures him while carrying [[spoiler:[[OracularUrchin the twins]]]].
211* Invoked and averted in ''Literature/FrostflowerAndThorn'' when [[spoiler:Frostflower, questioned about Starwind's real parents, says (truthfully) Thorn is his mother only for Maldron to reject the confession out of hand as a lie: Thorn was nowhere pregnant enough just weeks ago to have given birth to the newborn Starwind.]]
212* Anna from ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheMiraclesDistrict'' is a heavily pregnant {{muggle}} woman in an urban fantasy WorldOfBadass, yet when assassins come to her house, she takes down half of them with a shotgun.
213* [[spoiler:Peeta]] from ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' claimed that [[spoiler:Katniss was pregnant, likely making some people think she was this. It was just a lie to get sympathy so likely averted. Finnick used this a lot in the Quarter Quell when Katniss freaked out.]]
214* ''Literature/{{Inkmistress}}'': Ina is a formidable DarkActionGirl capable of [[PlayingWithFire hurling fire]] and [[VoluntaryShapeshifting transforming into a dragon]] who it turns out is also pregnant. This doesn't ever slow her down until right when she goes into labor.
215* The story-within-a-story of Tadeusz Borowski's "The January Offensive" features a pregnant woman who joins the Russian march on Berlin in WWII, stopping for only a day to give birth to her child before carrying it along with her on the march. The story's listeners consider this implausible.
216* ''Literature/TheLastDaysOfKrypton:'' A pregnant Lara doesn't flinch when confronted about her unflattering writings about Zod.
217--> '''Lara:''' Was my grammar incorrect? The spelling? Maybe you didn't like my descriptions. Too many adverbs? Or perhaps I should have taken more creative license in describing Zod. But you did want this to be a ''history'' instead of a fantasy, right? Or did I misunderstand you? I particularly like my account of the annihilation of Borga City. Quite vivid prose. I wanted to add interviews with all those dissidents who cheerfully changed their minds and conveniently retired, but I couldn't find any of them. Not a one! [[SarcasmMode Do you suppose something terrible happened to them?' Maybe we should tell the General. He'll get to the bottom of it.]]
218--> '''Aethyr:''' Silence! I won't hear you speak of him that way.
219--> '''Lara:''' Oh, his actions speak well enough for themselves.
220* in ''The Last Orc'' (sequel to ''Literature/TheLastDragon''), Juna's hardassery and MamaBear attitude (she already has one child) seem directly proportional to how far she's gone. [[spoiler:She relaxes somewhat after the twins are born]], but this woman has led a sortie against [[TheHorde the orks]] while heavily pregnant, not to mention organising the defense of a besieged city pretty much single-handedly.
221* ''Literature/LegacyOfTheDragokin'': A flashback reveals Daniar was this at one point. [[spoiler:Deconstructed as a belly wound killed the fetus.]]
222* In Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Lord Demon'' several female demons go into the most recent grand battle pregnant, and at least one of the young demons has been born during this battle.
223* Liara from ''Literature/LoyalEnemies'' is pregnant with her second child and an asskicking battle mage. Her husband tries to make her stay at home at least until the child is born but she insists on fighting, and the fact that she's expecting doesn't slow her down in the slightest. [[spoiler:Deconstructed when she dies in the final battle, buried under the ruined wall. The child, obviously, dies with her, and her grieving husband promises to himself that his living daughter will not become a mage under any circumstances.]]
224* [[spoiler:Top Speed]] in ''Literature/MagicalGirlRaisingProject'' is in the killing game while being three months pregnant; her magical girl form hid the fact she was pregnant at all. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Swim Swim kills her after a difficult battle against Calamity Mary.]]
225* [[Literature/MegLangslowMysteries Meg Langslow]] in ''Stork Raving Mad'' just as she's about to give birth to twins.
226* In ''[[Literature/TheOtherworld Broken]]'', Elena's mate's and father-in-law's overprotectiveness drives her directly into adventure. And despite her newfound caution and her center of gravity being thrown off balance, she still manages to kick large amounts of ass. [[spoiler:And then she learns she's the equivalent of nine months pregnant [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent for her race]] and she's having twins.]]
227* [[spoiler:Alexia Tarabotti]] in Gail Carriger's ''Literature/TheParasolProtectorate'' series. Most notably she manages to [[spoiler:fight with and then rescue an entire vampire hive from a mechanical octopus machine, deal with a freed pack of moon-crazy werewolves and manage to get control of the situation and protect everyone, all of this minutes before giving birth.]]
228* In Eric Nylund's ''Pawn's Dream'', the antagonist is given a huge power boost in the final battle because of her pregnancy, as magic is powered by dualities. Having two beings (well, three, she's pregnant with twins) in one body is a major one.
229* In ''Literature/RiverOfTeeth'', Adelia Reyes is very pregnant when she kills a large, feral hippo with a knife. She is also not beyond working as a [[ProfessionalKiller contract killer]] despite her advanced pregnancy, or swimming through a lake infested with feral hippos to get away from pursuers.
230* Reiko from the ''Literature/SanoIchiro'' mysteries. Being pregnant doesn't stop her from getting involved in dangerous detective investigations, or getting into knife fights with crazy villains and winning.
231* Lisanne Norman's ''Literature/SholanAlliance'' series features Carrie Hamilton-Aldatan, a lady who fights a DuelToTheDeath while pregnant. During a subsequent pregnancy, she goes off [[TimeTravel time travelling]].
232* ''Literature/TheSilerianTrilogy'': Mirabar isn't slowed down as a fighter even when heavily pregnant (it's helped by the fact she does this with magic). In fact, she even gets stronger, since her unborn baby daughter starts helping her with magic she's inherited that Mirabar lacks.
233* Mary Doria Russell, author of ''Literature/TheSparrow'', is exceptionally fond of this trope. Pregnancy will make tough women even tougher ([[spoiler:Sofia Mendes in ''The Sparrow'', Ha'anala in ''Children of God'', Mirella in ''Literature/AThreadOfGrace'']]). A standout example is [[spoiler:Claudette/Claudia from ''Literature/AThreadOfGrace''.]] [[spoiler:Gradual character development caused by being on the run from the Nazis turned her from a bratty teenager into a serious girl wise beyond her years. However, being married, knocked up and widowed all within a few days causes her to [[TakeALevelInBadass take several levels in badass]].]] [[spoiler:While pregnant, she's running dangerous missions for the Italian Resistance. By the last days of the war, she's mowing down ambushing Nazis with a machine gun.]]
234* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': In general, any Force-Sensitive woman from a species that gestates their offspring internally can be expected to become even more powerful when pregnant because Force-Sensitivity is hereditary, allowing the mother to directly call on the baby's power to enhance her own.
235** Mara Jade in the ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' books, compounded by her also having a debilitating ''disease'' for part of the series yet still managing to kick massive amounts of ass.
236** ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'': Leia Organa Solo, pregnant with twins, being accepted as the Mal'ary'ush by the Nohgri and showing them how the Empire has only contributed to their problems. When she's pregnant with her third child in ''ComicBook/DarkEmpire'', she shows herself capable of matching Luke in a lightsaber duel.
237* ''Literature/TalesOfTheBranionRealm'': Averted a couple ways in ''The Stone Prince''. Isolde [=DeKathrine=] is [[ArrangedMarriage betrothed]] to the eponymous Prince, and unknowingly a couple weeks pregnant with his child, when she helps fight off an attack on the royal party (due to GenderIsNoObject, she's a fully fledged knight and lord). Months later, after they're married, she is forbidden to come with her husband to war once it's discovered she's carrying the next heir to the throne. She is absolutely furious with him, even though he's her ''monarch'' by this point, and all their servants and guards are [[PassThePopcorn quite aware of it.]]
238* Literature/ThursdayNext in Creator/JasperFforde's ''The Well of Lost Plots''. Initially averted in that she's hiding out in the [=BookWorld=] because her assorted enemies mean it wouldn't be safe for her to stay in the Outworld during her pregnancy. Still, she ends up saving the day in the [=BookWorld=].
239* In the ''Literature/TimeScout'' series, Ann Vin Mulhaney (resident gun expert) is pregnant as of the last two books.
240* Tanya von Shrakenburg in ''Under the Yoke'' by S.M. Stirling is attacked by guerrillas while heavily pregnant and directs the fight against them. She's a villain, but definitely a badass.
241* In the first ''Literature/WarriorCats'' book, Brindleface is noted as being very close to having her kits, but still fighting as hard as she can to defend the Clan when their camp is attacked.
242* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', the nine-months-pregnant Shaiel, a Maiden of the Spear (woman warrior), walked with a massive army hundreds of miles to a foreign land to hunt down a king, climbed a mountain to fight the decisive battle, and then gave birth in the middle of that battle to TheHero. Also [[spoiler:Elayne, and very possibly Aviendha]], in later books.
243* ''Woman Warrior'' by Maxine Hong Kingston retells the Chinese legend of Fa Mu Lan in Chapter 2, including the heroine becoming pregnant during war and giving birth during battle. She even wore specially-made armor during her pregnancy that would fit around her enlarged stomach.
244* In ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'', Queen Irene's talent over plant growth is enhanced to Sorceress (aka Magician) level while she is pregnant with Princess Ivy, who even before birth was evidently demonstrating her Magician level talent of enhancement. Irene's power level remains that way even after Ivy is born.
245[[/folder]]
246
247[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
248* ''Series/{{Alias}}'': When Sidney Bristow was pregnant with Vaughn's child and he was [[spoiler:not really]] dead, she used her hormones as an excuse to ''kick his murderer out a window''. Note he was tied to a chair and five stories up. And despite her pregnancy, she remained an active agent and was able to do [[LadyOfWar all that]] [[ActionGirl it required]].
249* Invoked by George on ''Series/AlienNation'' when, having had his machismo belittled by Sykes all episode [[MisterSeahorse for being pregnant]], he absolutely ''creams'' a thug who threatens both cops, then explains that he was [[PapaWolf protecting his baby]].
250* Darla, the only vampire who ever got pregnant in ''Series/{{Angel}}''. She still had all of her extra vampire strength, leading to some violence when she went into labor... and all that extra hunger can rack up a huge kill count.
251** Earlier on in Season 1 Cordelia gets demonically pregnant which boosts her strength as she effortlessly knocks out Wesley when he’s trying to get rid the hell spawn. [[spoiler:Later in Season 4 poor Cordy gets demonically pregnant ''again'' and is very violent and villainous due to her child (Jasmine) controlling Cordelia’s actions.]]
252* As of the ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' season two finale, [[spoiler:Lyla]].
253* ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'': Jackie Queen headbutts a pornographer while vastly pregnant, and insists on tagging along on the team's investigation. And she's not even a ''copper''. Then again, [[ViolentGlaswegian she's from Glasgow]].
254* In the Hallmark Channel's ''An Aurora Teagarden Mystery: A Bone to Pick'', Lynn Liggett-Smith is a heavily pregnant police detective who resents AmateurSleuth Aurora horning in on her case. When Aurora is cornered by the killers, Lynn arrives in a BigDamnHeroes moment and points her gun at the bad guys, warning them "I'm pregnant and extremely cranky!" She then asks Aurora to cuff the suspects for her, since she's just gone into labor--but she still finishes the arrest.
255** By the time of the seventh Aurora Teagarden TV movie, ''Last Scene Alive'', Lynn is once again pregnant and is still a tough cop, although she has now been promoted to DaChief and doesn't take part in as much physical action during the investigation.
256* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': While it probably counts as a MamaBear moment, Sharon cracking a bulletproof window ''with her head'' during late pregnancy was certainly a feat of badassitude. When a group of marines arrive to take her away for a forced abortion she picks up a chair and successfully knocks one of them down before they overpower her. Then again, she is a RidiculouslyHumanRobot
257* Temperance Brennan on ''Series/{{Bones}}''. Heavily pregnant and still ran right into a fight with a perp despite Booth warning her not to. Briefly played for laughs when she falls into a narrow space and her stomach keeps her from getting up.
258%%* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Samantha in the spin-off novel ''Seven Crows''.
259* Piper from ''Series/Charmed1998''. She was made more dangerous because her unborn son protected her with a force field. Well, when it wasn't turning her explosions into bursts of flowers, or switching her powers with [[HealingHands Leo]]'s. Unfortunately, her second pregnancy is just the opposite and leaves Piper essentially bed-ridden (because Piper's actress was actually pregnant.)
260* Kim Burgess from ''Series/ChicagoPD'' became pregnant during the show's seventh season. She was put on lighter duty as a result and ended up working as a 911 operator. She received one call about a domestic violence case and became personally involved. She got into a fierce fight with a sexual predator while trying to save the victim. [[spoiler: [[DeconsructedTrope Deconsructed]], she succeeded in subduing him, [[TragicMiscarriage but lost the baby.]]]]
261* ''Series/ClassOf07'': Sandy, who's grown into a fighter, turns out to be pregnant. It doesn't stop her at all, and they don't even realize she's pregnant initially (it's early, her concealing clothes hiding the bump).
262* Faith is nine months along in the present day portion of ''Series/{{Curfew}}''. Motivated by getting her baby out of totalitarian England, she stops at nothing in an effort to win the race that will grant her and her baby passage to a safe place. She kills several people she deems a threat to the child [[spoiler:including the baby's father, "The General"]] and lays a trap for other entrants in the race, taking out several of them. [[spoiler:She goes into labor before she can finish and gives birth some distance from the finish line. However, she insists on going there anyway where she gives her baby to the winners to be taken to safety.]]
263* ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' has Lynette Scavo, who [[spoiler:[[BigDamnHero pushes a young girl out of the way of a crashed plane]] [[JustInTime barreling down the street while pregnant with twins.]] Unfortunately, the event causes her to miscarry one of those twins.]]
264** A later example finds her [[spoiler:convincing a serial killer, a very troubled boy she befriended, to help her deliver her baby, save said baby's life, and winds up convincing him to turn himself in.]]
265* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Amy Pond on two occasions:
266** While it was an alternate timeline, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]], she definitely counts. She was toward the end of her pregnancy, describing herself as "a boat". Despite this, she's able to keep both the Doctor and Rory at bay, and was mowing down aliens left and right.
267** The next series, the trope gets [[ZigZaggedTrope zigzagged]] to hell and gone. Amy is pregnant, then not pregnant, then the TARDIS can't tell if she's pregnant, then she turns out to [[spoiler:be a duplicate, while the real Amy is kept in a coma while pregnant, somewhere out of the Doctor's reach]]. And the baby? [[spoiler:She turns out to be River Song.]]
268* ''Series/{{Farscape}}''
269** During ''The Peacekeeper Wars'', Aeryn Sun fires on her enemies ''while in labor''.
270--->'''Aeryn:''' ''[teary, minutes from birth]'' Shooting makes me ''feel'' better!
271*** Earlier, Aeryn pointed out to John that she was "pregnant, not incapacitated." Clearly.
272** Commandant Grayza, who killed her lover (and commanding officer) because he considered surrendering to the Scarrans and then took over command despite the High Council's orders. When questioned:
273--->'''Grayza:''' Don't let the belly fool you, Lieutenant. You were aware of my status?\
274'''Lieutenant:''' Commandant, ma'am.\
275'''Grayza:''' And who in this battle group outranks me?\
276'''Lieutenant:''' No one.
277* [[spoiler:Jules]] from ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' in Season 5.
278* ''Literature/JoePickett'': Jeannie Keely is seven months pregnant, but when she finds out that [[spoiler:Wacey]] (who is threatening her at gunpoint) killed her husband, she punches him in the throat hard enough to incapacitate him for ten seconds as she runs off.
279* ''Series/{{Justified}}'': Downplayed, but [[spoiler:Ava]] gets some good ActionSurvivor moments in the last few episodes while she's unknowingly pregnant.
280* ''Series/KeepBreathing'': Liv, who's pregnant when she gets stranded out in the wilderness, proves herself very capable (partly due to having been a Girl Scout years before). [[spoiler:She even manages to get free from being trapped in a crevice through her sheer determination, survives falling down a mountain afterward (splinting her leg when it's sprained) then goes down a river on a log.]]
281* ''Series/TheLastOfUs2023'': In a flashback, the pregnant Anna is being pursued by Infected. She manages to escape through a forest to a remote farmhouse and actually kills a Stalker while in the middle of labor and delivering Ellie.
282* The possibility of dying along with her baby on the island takes ''Series/{{Lost}}'''s Sun from TheStoic to this trope in Season 4. Reaches its apex when a very pregnant Sun informs her {{Jerkass}} father that [[TookALevelInBadass she's bought out his corporation]] and now, ''he'' works for ''her.''
283* Late in season 4 of ''Series/{{Manifest}}'', it's shown [[spoiler:that [[FriendOnTheForce Drea Mikami]] has spent the first eight months of her pregnancy trying to break out the trapped Passengers from the detainment center after the government abandoned them to die]].
284* The final episode of ''Series/TheMentalist'' ends with [[spoiler:Lisbon and Jane's]] wedding, [[SurprisePregnancy immediately after which]] [[spoiler:Lisbon]] reveals that she's pregnant. Which makes the fact that she helped take down a serial killer ''while wearing her wedding dress'' earlier the same day all the more awesome.
285** It's very very subtly hinted she's known about the pregnancy for a few episodes before letting on in the finale, so basically everything she does in the final half-dozen or so episodes of the show count towards this trope in hindsight, as well.
286* The final episode of ''{{Series/Misfits}}'' ends with Jess deciding to have the baby she saw herself with in the bad-future the gang have just averted. While it's unclear whether she actually manages to conceive (the series ends just a couple of hours after the encounter with the man who she believed to be the baby's father), she's shown drinking [[OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby orange juice]] while the other four celebrate with cans of lager. The really "badass" part comes into effect, though, when Jess decides to rally her friends (who are initially reluctant) to join her in forming a superhero team that can make real use of their powers. They finally agree, just before the credits roll.
287* ''Series/TheNightManager'': The very pregnant Angela Burr is mostly a back-office intelligence officer, but she shows a definite if desperate badass side in episode 6, when she ambushes the villain's PsychoForHire, who has been sent to kill her and who is holding a hostage, shooting him in the leg.
288* Downplayed with Haley from ''Series/OneTreeHill'' slapped Rachel while pregnant with Jamie.
289-->'''Rachel:''' You're lucky you're pregnant...\
290'''Haley:''' [[BadassBoast No, honey,]] ''[[BadassBoast you're]]'' [[BadassBoast lucky I'm pregnant.]]
291** Played more straight before in the same season, she saved Nathan of a car attack and took the shock at his place. Pregnant and high school student don't prevent her to have a (tragic though) HeroicSacrifice.
292* Helena on ''Series/OrphanBlack'': [[spoiler:She escapes from a military prison... twice! Then she camps out in the wilderness for weeks or months, hunting her own food and building a shelter from the hides. She also engages in hand-to-hand combat with Rudy, and defeats him, and rescues Alison from Neolutionists... with a crossbow! She even manages to kill somebody while in labour.]]
293** Partly [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]], in that she got [[spoiler:stabbed in the womb during a fight, and most likely would have lost at least one of the twins if they hadn't turned out to have a supernatural HealingFactor]]. She tries to spend the rest of her pregnancy writing a book in a nunnery, after that.
294* In the last episode of Season 1 of ''{{Series/Outlander}}'' Claire breaks Jamie out of prison, performs an incredible difficult and gruesome surgery to repair his tortured hand, and then literally wrestles him back from nightmares and PTSD, only to reveal at the end of the episode that she is pregnant with their child.
295* Juma from Brazilian [[TheNineties 1990's]] soap ''Pantanal'' was heavily pregnant when she [[spoiler:killed the assassin who was threatening her and the whole family of her father-in-law]]. She gave birth a few days later.
296* In ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'', [[spoiler:Jane]] refuses to let her pregnancy keep her from doing her job. She is nearly shot pursuing a suspect and is later actually shot by a sniper but it hits her bullet proof vest. She also saves a teenage girl from a hitman, [[spoiler:but Jane later suffers a miscarriage after he hits her with a pipe.]]
297* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'':
298** When Mary Stuart Masterson hosted the show in 1992, she did a sketch called "Lisa Piongrasic, Very Pregnant Undercover Cop". She played the title role who was a hard-assed ''and'' pregnant police detective with Phil Hartman playing her superior and Chris Farley as her bumbling partner. The opening credits showed her with a baby bump climbing a chain-link fence, posing undercover as a prostitute, participating in a high-speed chase, throwing a bad guy over some garbage cans, and practicing self-defense training, getting hit head-on by a car, peeking out slowly from behind a wall on stakeout. The rest of the skit showed her and Farley trying to take down a drug dealer played by Dana Carvey doing a Film/{{Scarface|1983}} impression.
299** Also, Creator/AmyPoehler doing a PissTakeRap about UsefulNotes/SarahPalin (while the latter was present) on a ''Weekend Update'' sketch.
300* ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017'': As of the start of season 3, Kit Snicket is pregnant. But it doesn't make her any less badass than she was before.
301* An non-action example: Maxine Peake's character Martha Costello from the recent British courtroom drama ''Silk''. She's a barrister, she's pregnant, and she's such a darned {{determinator}} that even a [[spoiler:violent beating-induced miscarriage in the first season finale]] won't stop her from defending a client she believes to be innocent.
302* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': [[AdaptationalBadass Mary]] would qualify. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Don't mess with this lady]] or her husband.
303* Teyla in ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. In one episode, the bad guy made a comment about Lorne's men letting her doing the interrogation; she responded by tapping the guy's shoulders with the log she used to knock him out earlier, then threatening to frame him to the villagers as a Wraith worshipper. And that's after Sheppard took her off active duty when she confessed that she's pregnant. A Wraith Queen tried to attack her baby in utero and she used her psychic powers to fend her off with unprecedented strength. Her powers are genetic, and she could resonate with her son, giving her access to double the psychic powers she previously had for the duration of her pregnancy.
304** Similar to the above Farscape quote, Teyla has to tell Ronon "I'm pregnant, not ill" when he suggests that she shouldn't be exercising.
305* Not quite as action-oriented as other examples, but in ''Series/StargateSG1'', Vala was pretty badass during her pregnancy. Even if you ignore the whole "left outside for several days while pregnant" thing, she later risked her life to warn Earth of the impending war and then insisted on traveling into said war with her husband. Granted, she was probably hoping to get back to Earth (which she did) but that's still pretty badass, especially for a heavily pregnant woman.
306* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
307** Kira Nerys in the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E11TheDarknessAndTheLight The Darkness and the Light]]" beats the shit out of a ''serial killer'' while the equivalent of nine months pregnant.
308** In a Meta sense, in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Creator/GatesMcFadden (Dr. Crusher) shot one of her best episodes ("[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E5RememberMe Remember Me]]") while pregnant, including doing her own rather strenuous stunt (dangling from a wall-mounted chair and flailing as air was blasted at her, so it would look like she was being sucked into a vortex).
309** Lt. B'Elanna Torres in the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E17TheKillingGame The Killing Game]]" is a courier and spy for the [[LaResistance French Resistance]] while (sort of) pregnant. ([[ItMakesSenseInContext Her holodeck character is pregnant, with all the physical limitations]].) Later in the series, Torres becomes pregnant for real and is determined not to let it affect her job, although she eventually has to accept certain limitations, such as not beaming down to an irradiated planet (she also ends up missing the final battle due to being actively in labor at the time).
310* Played with in the ''Series/StudioC'' sketch, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRr1SGCfoxk "Lady Shadow,"]] where the titular character is trying to be her awesome spy self, but is having a bit of trouble...
311* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has an episode where Sam and Dean traveling back in time to the late 1970s save their parents from being killed. Their mom, Mary, is quite the badass hunter and assists them while pregnant with future badass Dean.
312* Gwen Cooper in ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth''. Although most of her badassery does occur when she's still in a fairly early stage of pregnancy.
313* In ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'' Season 4, [[spoiler:established badass ActionGirl Lila gets pregnant with Diego's child (after sleeping with him [[TimeTravel in Dallas during the 1960s]]), but since she's only a few weeks pregnant at most, she's still capable of kicking plenty of ass. However, this trope does get subverted, as upon learning that his love interest has become his baby mama, Diego immediately tries to keep her safely out of the action as much as possible (even locking Lila in a closet at one point). Lila hates this, but she does admit that she's genuinely nervous about putting her unborn in child in danger herself -- having never felt such vulnerability in her life before]].
314* In ''Series/TheOriginals'' Hayley Marshall is pregnancy through most of the first season and still manages to kick a ton of ass. A few hours after she gave birth and died, she was back on her feet, hunting down witches who stole her baby.
315* In ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'', Maggie runs a large part of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, negotiates trade contracts with other communities, kills walkers without issue, and actively participates in a massive assault against the Saviors' compound. When she and Carol are later captured, they [[DamselOutOfDistress rescue themselves]] from their kidnappers and then proceed to kill every last one of them, [[KillItWithFire including the reinforcements.]] She bluntly states that being pregnant isn't about to stop her from fighting to protect her friends and family, although she does agree to avoid direct conflicts from then on.
316* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': The ColdOpen of season 1, episode 7 shows a heavily pregnant Aiel woman ([[spoiler:who's Rand's mother, Tigraine]]) dispatching several fully armored Illian soldiers while fighting off labor pains.
317* Thanks to RealLifeWritesThePlot, the title character of ''Series/WynonnaEarp'' spent most of the second season visibly pregnant, while continuing to send Revenants back to hell, and even continuing her quite acrobatic hand-to-hand/sticks combat training. During the climactic episode of the season, she goes through all the action in several different outdoor locations while having increasingly frequent labour contractions. Though, curiously, they don't do the typical "water breaking" scene. (But the show does definitely not ignore some of the un-badass aspects of pregnancy. For example, when she gets close to term, she has to take pee breaks several times, and she really [[INeedADrink misses being able to drink alcohol.]] Though most of her pregnancy-related fragility comes in the form of psychological issues.)
318-->'''Wynonna:''' Pre-natal vitamins, Dolls - I feel like a mountain lion!\
319'''Wynonna:''' ''[with a baby bump considerably bigger than her head]'' ...''After'' we finish training, quitters! Come on. With great belly comes great responsibility.
320* Xena in ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. Pregnant, but still managed to backflip and whatnot. Xena once fought off a small army of soldiers sent by the gods to stop her from giving birth, ''while she was in labor''. As one fan noted, the woman must be made out of cast iron.
321* Scully on ''Series/TheXFiles'' in Season 8. Mulder is missing and the FBI isn't doing anything to find him. She's got a manhunt to head, a new partner to break in, and X-Files to solve, pregnancy be damned!
322[[/folder]]
323
324[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
325* Myth/ClassicalMythology has Psyche, who was heavily pregnant with Eros' child the entire time she was on her quest to get him back. Said quest involved ''going into the Underworld for a box of beauty cream''. To put it into perspective, only six heroes in Greek myth have ever done this successfully, and five of them were of divine ancestry. Psyche was the only woman, pregnant and completely mortal at the time, to pull this off successfully. In another part of the story, Psyche endures Aphrodite beating her up and having her whipped.
326* In some versions of the tragedy [[Literature/TheExileOfTheSonsOfUisnech Deirdre of the Sorrows]]. Deirdre has just reached marriageable age in Iron-Age Ireland (15 for women, 18 for men) when she falls in love with Naoise and they flee Ulster to Scotland with Naoise's brothers to escape the wrath of King Conchobhar of Ulster, who wants Deirdre all to himself; in some versions of the tale, Deirdre and Naoise have [[UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn a son, Gaiar, and a daughter, Aebgreine]], during their self-imposed exile. For a young couple on the run (with her sweetheart's two brothers) from a very wrathful king and minimal experience with children, Deirdre manages as a mother.
327* Myth/CelticMythology: When Macha, wife of Cruinniuc, was heavily pregnant, her husband foolishly boasted that his wife was faster than the king of Ulster's horses. Displeased, the king arrested him and threatened to execute him unless Macha could back up his boasts. Macha, despite being in severe pain from the ordeal, managed to beat the horses in a race, then went into labor as soon as she won. Afterwards, pissed off that nobody helped her, Macha cursed the men of Ulster that for nine generations, during the time of Ulster's greatest need, they would all experience the pain of labor for 5 days.
328[[/folder]]
329
330[[folder:Podcasts]]
331* The Gemini arc of ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' has [[spoiler:Post-Apocalypse!Hannah]].
332[[/folder]]
333
334[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
335* Saraya Knight unknowingly wrestled while seven months pregnant with her daughter, Wrestling/{{Paige}}.
336* Similarly, Wrestling/BeckyLynch successfully defended her championship against Wrestling/ShaynaBaszler in ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 36'' while oblivious that she's a few weeks pregnant with her and Wrestling/SethRollins's child.
337* Wrestling/LaceyEvans was abruptly taken-off from a feud and scheduled championship match during early 2021 when she discovered she was pregnant.
338[[/folder]]
339
340[[folder:Radio]]
341* ''Radio/ThePennyDreadfulsPresent The Brothers Faversham'' takes this to parody levels with the titular brothers' mother [[LadyOfAdventure Lady Alexandra Faversham]] ("UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire's greatest, sexiest and most pregnant spy"). As each episode is a mini-{{biopic}} of successive members of the BadassFamily, each one begins with [[AHeroIsBorn the dramatic circumstances of their birth]], usually while Lady Alexandra is right in the middle of one of her adventures, and often mid-battle (in one case actually using her newborn son to give her the numerical advantage in a fight).
342[[/folder]]
343
344[[folder:Theatre]]
345* The ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play series: Mrs. Hawking remarks that she continued her crimefighting while pregnant, only giving it up when she was "too damned fat" to maneuver anymore. In a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope that crosses over with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome, she fears that doing such strenuous work while carrying a child [[spoiler:might be, and indeed very likely ''is'', the reason for her stillbirth-- it could have been a bad fall, a blow from an opponent, or even just the stress she put her body through.]]
346[[/folder]]
347
348[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
349* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Being that they are immensely powerful demigods, Exalts are capable of pulling this off. Exalted women often don't even show outward signs of pregnancy for much longer than normal, and even when they do, superhuman stamina, pain resistance, and dexterity means it fails to get in the way much. Tepet Ejava's mother Ellora pulled the "gave birth in the middle of battle" variant.
350* In ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', the [[AmazonBrigade Matsu]] ''[[RankScalesWithAsskicking daimyo]]'' thwarted an assassination attempt while six months pregnant. She, her husband, and their [[LittleMissBadass twelve year-old daughter]] killed a dozen of the Phoenix Clan's most skilled samurai.
351* The ''Weapons of the Gods'' RPG has the "Xia Pregnancy" ability, which allows a woman to fight at (almost) full strength while pregnant. It also protects the foetus from any attack that does not kill the mother, and, during the third term, from attacks that ''do'' kill her.
352[[/folder]]
353
354[[folder:Video Games]]
355* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'': If the player is romancing Aerie, she becomes pregnant early on in the expansion. Her stats aren't affected in the slightest, and this is around the level range where Aerie grows into one of the most powerful characters in the party. Character-wise, she [[TookALevelInBadass Takes a Level in Badass]] in ''Throne of Bhaal'' anyway, so becoming pregnant is only incidental.
356** It gets better: take long enough and ''she'll give birth'', right near the end of your adventure (and likely smack dab in the middle of a dungeon). After taking a few moments of rest she patches herself up with a few healing spells, then jumps right back into the adventure like normal. Even better: her son is an inventory item. By that point in the game, you are invading dragon's lairs and hellish demiplanes, and she's charging in alongside you with an infant strapped into mommy's backpack.
357* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': Yharnam, The Pthumerian Queen, who was basically dressed as a bride and carrying Mergo inside her body during a boss fight with the player. You can even hear her baby crying. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VNiLPckzCI See it for yourself.]]
358* Ayla of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' is a BoisterousBruiser cavewoman who clobbers a world-ending EldritchAbomination with [[BareFistedMonk her bare hands]]. And depending on how you read some of her lines, she does all this while dealing with morning sickness. Or a hangover. Hopefully not both.
359** The ending adds evidence to this; when Marle ([[spoiler:Kino and Ayla's direct descendant]]) tells him to have strong kids, Kino remarks "Don't worry, Ayla strong! Ayla have MUCH energy!", and Ayla drags him away before he can say any more, heavily implying they've done the deed many times. While this isn't confirmation in itself, no contraception existed back then...
360* ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'': While it's never explicitly said that the yoga teacher is pregnant, she's visibly carrying a large belly and sometimes comments on having cravings for things like hamburgers. Despite this, she joins the Vice President's party in their quest.
361* In ''VideoGame/DarkDevotion'', the Mysterious Entity is a visibly pregnant giant of a woman. She is also the last boss of the Den of Corrupted Nature, and her pregnancy does not detract from her ability to kick your ass.
362* Played with in ''VideoGame/DeathStranding''. [[PlayerCharacter Sam]] is connected to a [[UterineReplicator pod that has a living, seven month old human fetus inside]], that he carries on his chest. He's connected to it by a cable that visually looks like an umbilical cord. The pod is connected to a scanner on his back that allows him to see the ghosts of the undead that roam the Earth. Sam traverses the ravaged United States with his mission of delivering life-saving cargo and connecting everyone to the Chiral Network, battling [[OurGhostsAreDifferent [=BTs=]]], [[CargoCult [=MULEs=]]] and [[ApocalypseCult Homo Demens]], all while having the pod strapped to his chest. With that being said, the trope is played with because Sam isn't [[MrSeahorse actually pregnant]]. He can unplug the cord at any moment with no ill effects to himself or the baby in it. Nevertheless, the visual metaphor is clearly there.
363* The happy-go-lucky yet very effective wavemaster Mistral in the ''Franchise/DotHack'' games is revealed in the LightNovel retelling to be Mayumi Kurokawa, a housewife pregnant with her first child.
364* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has [[spoiler:Morrigan]]. If [[spoiler:the Dark Ritual is done]], she is pregnant during the Battle of Denerim. If the PlayerCharacter sleeps with her but doesn't go through the ritual, she is still revealed to be with child during the epilogue.
365* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': The Hero's bride travels and fights alongside him while pregnant. She only leaves the party when she is about to deliver her babies.
366* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': Pregnancy doesn't affect creatures in any way, so you commonly have pregnant dwarves beating goblins to death with warhammers, sometimes giving birth in the process, sometimes using the newborn infant as a shield... Foals and puppies, if born during combat, may actually join in, as a memorable scene of ''Blog/{{Boatmurdered}}'' demonstrated:
367--> ''"A few more war dogs ran out and attacked. I have to say I'm slightly terrified by them. One of the bitches actually gave birth while she was attacking, and her puppies joined in on the carnage."''
368* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
369** If you apply some thought to the gap between ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears its sequel]] (and remember an early scene between her and Dark Knight Cecil), Rosa is implied to be one during most of the former, being that she manages to be 19 in the original game and 36 in the sequel with a 17-year-old kid. Perhaps unfortunately, though, the latest UpdatedRerelease of ''IV'' and ''TAY'' {{retcon}}s the kid's age to 15, thus removing the primary evidence for Rosa being a Pregnant Badass. Fandom disagrees over whether to accept this retcon, as some people find the idea of Rosa beating up Zeromus while pregnant just too good to give up. Even if the retcon is accepted, Rosa is playable in the interlude that takes place between the two games, where she later states that she is pregnant.
370** Even if the retcon is accepted, Sheila (Yang's wife) was likely already pregnant with Ursula when she was beating up mooks with her [[FryingPanOfDoom frying pan]].
371* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
372** The women in [[GenerationalSaga the first]] [[TimeSkip half]] of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' may qualify, if they get paired up; we never are given estimates of when most of their kids are born anyway. At least Lachesis is intended to be pregnant during The Battle of Belhalla.
373** [[spoiler:Louise]] in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Blazing Blade]]''. In her A Support with her husband, [[spoiler:Lord Pent]], she reveals to him that she's expecting her first baby; [[spoiler:said baby is the older of her two children from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Binding Blade]]'', Klein.]]
374** In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'' we are introduced to Ena, a young woman who is reunited with her betrothed at the end of the game, only for him to die in her arms. She then gives birth to his child at the end of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'', three years later. So this girl, [[OurDragonsAreDifferent who changes into a dragon]], fought in two wars over four years, and was pregnant the entire time!
375** While there are no explicit cases of this in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'', it's possible for a recruitable child's father to die the battle after reaching the necessary RelationshipValues with the mother, [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy leaving some easy assumptions to be made]].
376* The female player character in many ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon''/''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' games isn't slowed down whatsoever by being pregnant, and is capable of doing everything from devastatingly exhausting farm work to riding horses to mining with no ill effects. Some of the things [[LoveInterests the different husbands]] say during their pregnancy even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this, to the effect of "If working hard on the farm like this doesn't make you sick, ''nothing'' will."
377* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'': [[spoiler:Mel and Dina don't let pregnancy slow them down. On one hand there's a certain brutal pragmatism to pregnant women fighting - it's the ZombieApocalypse and everyone is a target, so everyone fights. On the other hand especially in Mel's case [[{{Narm}} this almost stretches incredulity]], as she volunteers to fight as a frontline soldier even though she clearly has a huge baby bulge ''and'' is a trained doctor (i.e a very valuable individual in what passes for post-apocalyptic society) and her friends all urge to stay in safety. This costs Mel her life when Ellie is forced to stab her to death in self-defence, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone and Ellie nearly has a sanity-shattering breakdown then and there]].]]
378* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'':
379** The Boss, toward the end of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', explains a lot of her {{backstory}} to her prized pupil Naked Snake. The woman was pregnant when she and her compatriots participated in D-Day during World War II. More than pregnant -- she gave birth by ''self-performing a Caesarean section '''while StormingTheBeaches at Normandy'''.'' Pregnant Badass taken to extremes, perhaps.
380** Olga Gurlukovich, from ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'', also qualifies. It turns out that she was pregnant with her daughter [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Sunny]] during the Tanker Chapter that serves as the game's prologue. Surprisingly, being on the receiving end of Snake's tranquilizer pistol appears to have no adverse effects on Sunny's development.
381* The Thunder Serpent Narwa of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' is an enormous Elder Dragon with what appears to be a pregnant, swollen belly. She actually just has the appearance of one, as it's actually an electrified organ she uses to generate magnetic fields to [[PowerFloats float.]] She's still capable of delivering quite the walloping nonetheless.
382* In ''VisualNovel/OurPersonalSpace'', your character has the option to become pregnant approximately halfway through the game. The daily routine of life rolls along as usual, though, and she's still perfectly free to go out on dangerous expeditions around the colony.
383* Potentially Frey and any of the Bachelorettes in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4''. Being pregnant with Luna or Noel doesn't get in the way of [[SarcasmMode silly things]] like farm work and knighthood in the slightest, and they remains every bit as capable of laying waste to the local monster population.
384* In [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse the third season]] of Telltale Games' ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]'' series, Sybil Pandemik is [[LongestPregnancyEver fifteen months pregnant]] when she volunteers to go inside the giant EldritchAbomination currently rampaging through the city and fill in the team roles of [[NewJobAsThePlotDemands psychologist, brain surgeon, veterinarian, scuba diver and dark wizard]].
385* ''VideoGame/SengokuRance'': [[spoiler:Isoroku]] is one when she [[spoiler:shoots an arrow to distract Xavier who retaliated by having her leg cut off! She even survived her pregnancy and delivered her son with Rance.]]
386* Heather Mason, the 17-year-old protagonist of ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' (and thus far the only female player character in the franchise) is revealed towards the end of the game to be pregnant [[spoiler:with the reincarnation of the Silent Hill cult's God. It's unclear how far along she is, since it's a MysticalPregnancy; one likely theory has it that she was actually ''born'' with the dormant fetus inside of her when Alessa creates her at the end of ''VideoGame/SilentHill1''.]] Whatever the reason, though, that waif-like teenage girl who you've just helped through several hours of monster smashing is a legitimate example of this trope.
387* ''VideoGame/TheSims'':
388** In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', a heavily pregnant super-spy can raid the [[TotallyNotACriminalFront "secret"]] criminal base.
389** Elsewhere in ''The Sims'', female characters in nine out of the ten hero classes in ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'' can continue to carry out nearly all of their professional tasks and quest actions while pregnant, unless they're actually in labor (with a few heavy-duty exceptions like dueling). This means that you can have a heavily pregnant lady spy, blacksmith, wizard, etc. who not only get on with their day jobs as usual, but will bravely run into the underground cave system to fight the dragon right up until the moment her waters break. There is one heavy [[AvertedTrope aversion]], however: a female knight who's visibly pregnant not only cannot complete quest objectives, but is unable to do most of her daily professional tasks, even ones a female monarch (for example) at the equivalent stage of pregnancy could do. She's basically limited to eating, reading, sleeping, and bathing until she gives birth. The discrepancy is presumably due to a glitch, since there seems to be no sensible reason why the knight alone is barred from working while pregnant.
390* Similar to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', the timeline of the ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' series implies that Ilia Silvestri was pregnant with the hero of [[VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory the second game]] during the final stages of [[VideoGame/StarOcean1 the first]]. Even more impressive in Ilia's case since she's a very talented BareFistedMonk.
391* Anyone who gives any thought to the timeline of the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' games will realize that [[VideoGame/SuikodenII Lucia]] was pregnant with [[VideoGame/SuikodenIII Hugo]] during the final part of Dunan Unification War.
392* ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' Lucia acts as a general in a war at one point sneaking into enemy territory to kill their comander. We find out later she became pregnat at some point.
393* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'' series: [[spoiler:Despite carrying Gadlight's child, Annalotta's supreme dedication to his cause means that she's willing to pilot a giant robot and destroy anyone that opposes Geminis.]]
394* [[LadyOfWar Jun Kazama]], Jin's MissingMom from the ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' series. After the climax of the second game, Devil--having lost half of himself when Heihachi dropped Kazuya's [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown battered body]] into ''[[NoOneCouldSurviveThat an erupting volcano]]''--tried to enter her womb and possess her unborn son. [[MamaBear In response]], Jun '''''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu utterly stomped the bejeezus out of him]]'''''.
395* At the end of ''VideoGame/{{Turok}} 3'', [[spoiler:if you're playing as Danielle,]] you find out she's been pregnant the entire time, thus securing the Turok lineage for another generation.
396* In ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadTelltale The Walking Dead: The Game]]'', Christa is predicted to be around 2–5 months pregnant, and she is amazingly skilled when it comes to zombie fighting (and possibly jumping on trains, depending on who you help onto Chuck's train). [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo Season two]] confirms her pregnancy, showing her with a more visible bump, and proves that she hasn't lost any edge when she [[spoiler:kills the girl who shot Omid in a moment of panic when he walked in on her trying to rob Clementine]]. Sadly, after the time skip, she's shown without her baby, leaving the players to only theorise on what exactly has happened.
397** Season two also introduces [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Rebecca]], who is in her last trimester from the start of the game. While she doesn't get to fight many walkers or humans, she is more than capable of protecting herself and of keeping up with the rest of her group. [[spoiler:She also takes an active part in the group's escape from Howe's]]. She's also very strong-willed and doesn't let anyone mess with her or her family.
398* The alpha female in ''VideoGame/WolfDOS'' is every bit as capable during her pregnancy as she was before mating season. Join an elk hunt the day before cubs are due? Sure!
399* In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'', B.J's lover Anya from the previous game is now heavily pregnant with twins due to the TimeSkip between the two games. This does not stop her from shooting or stabbing Nazis alongside her lover.
400** There aren't many games where you get to see a heavily pregnant, shirtless, blood-soaked screaming woman with assault rifles akimbo unleash MoreDakka against a giant fire-breathing Nazi robot dog. [[note]]Yes, you just read that. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyhbBZV-TGY No, this isn't a joke.]] (NSFW due to NippleAndDimed.)[[/note]]
401* In ''VideoGame/WorldNeverland,'' being pregnant doesn't slow female characters down in any way. They can still take on dungeons and fight monsters. If a female Knight, Scholar, or Mountain Corps member is pregnant during the game's [[TournamentArc White Night Tournament,]] she's even capable of becoming the Dragoon--the most powerful warrior in the kingdom--while pregnant!
402[[/folder]]
403
404[[folder:Web Animation]]
405* ''WebAnimation/TheCyanideAndHappinessShow'': "Pharmacy" is a grotesque parody of {{Fighting Game}}s. Two pregnant women, irritated over [[RightOnQueue waiting at the pharmacy]], attack one another by aggressively [[{{Acrofatic}} bashing their bellies]] together while the [[FeelingTheBabyKick babies strike and jab]] from inside. The "losing" baby is "[[VisualPun knocked-out]]" -- of ''its mother's womb''.
406* ''[[WebAnimation/ExtraCredits Extra History]]'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SITsfX15jw0 "Viking Expansion: Wine Land"]] relates the story of a heavily pregnant Viking woman named Freydis, who almost singlehandedly defends her settlement from a Native American raiding party. She kills several attackers, and her bravado terrifies the survivors into a retreat.
407[[/folder]]
408
409[[folder:Webcomics]]
410* In the comic strip series ''The Adventures of Fifine'', Beautiful Darkness takes down a cybernetic freak by poisoning him. Despite being in her first trimester.
411* The title character of the now-defunct MagicalGirl webcomic ''Brigadier Swirl'' becomes a badass as direct result of becoming pregnant. Her unborn twins were actually the ones with all the powers. But since they are, ya know, inside her, their mother gets access to said powers by proxy. She and her four similarly powered-up friends (who were also pregnant, btw) go on to save the world from evil repeatedly... or would have, had the strip not ended after just two issues.
412* ''Webcomic/DemonseedRedux'': Dee is pregnant with Chico's child and often doesn't feel well, but she can still pull up a fight.
413* The hyena mythology in ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}'' has a sharp deconstruction. When the male hyena god He-Is was corrupted into attacking his pregnant mate She-Is, the latter defeated him and was henceforth known as She-Is-Fiercer. However, the stress of being attacked and forced to fight so hard caused She-Is-Fiercer to miscarry. [[JustSoStory And this is why hyena females are stronger and fiercer than males, but first pregnancies have a high risk of miscarriage]].
414* ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'': Miranda Deegan saved the world from the Storm of Souls while heavily pregnant with her first child, Jacob.
415* ''Webcomic/DragonBallMultiverse'': When Vegetto displays a lack of sensitivity over Bulma being tired after giving birth, he explains [[http://www.dragonball-multiverse.com/en/page-293.html#h_read that Saiyan women were not as affected by the strain as human ones]].
416* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'':
417** Oiloss'lin Xyrrai'zestu Sharen, a cameo character, is three months pregnant according to [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/?p=5063 the concept art.]] When she shows up in the story she has a BigDamnHeroes moment and saves her daughter from being captured.
418** Zala'ess Vel'Sharen also [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=10417 unflinchingly stares down]] (or more accurately ''up'') Quain'tana, who has been called [[TheDreaded The Big Bad Wolf]] in universe, while being visibly pregnant. [[spoiler:Only it turns out she actually wasn't, and was actually exploiting this trope in-universe, as drow value motherhood immensely and it's implied she did this to throw off Quain, who is actually infertile and is rather sore about this fact]].
419* In the [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary blog]] to ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'', Lindesfarne notes that female bear hunting athletes actually ''try'' to become pregnant, since motherhood and impending motherhood makes them more aggressive (to the point that fertility drugs are classified as a performance-enhancing drug in their case). In the early 1995 strips being pregnant didn't affect Kell's performance as a hunter. And when she had cravings, she left windows open at night and ate would-be robbers. [[spoiler:Lindesfarne herself survived two attacks by a carnivore supremacy terrorist group trying to kill her unborn daughter.]]
420* In the ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'' spinoff "NPC", Elosha (who appears to be the name of Tah'vraay's mother) can [[http://www.lfgcomic.com/npc/tale/4-14/ throw axes with lethal effect]] despite being in what looks to be late pregnancy.
421* All of the female leads in ''[[https://www.olympicdames.com/?comic=08312004 Olympic Dames]]'' gain abilities due to their pregnancy, but Kasumi and Catherin in particular seem to revel in their new found powers.
422* Kazumi Kato in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0587.html #586]], defending herself and her husband from a team of ninja assassins. This is also a quiet parody of the fact that there are no pregnancy rules in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' (there's really no need for them), so there's nothing stopping her from fighting at full capacity. Or ''more'', if your campaign happens to have MamaBear house rules.
423-->'''Kazumi:''' Why should I care how many people I have to kill? I can just make MORE in my TUMMY!\
424[...]\
425'''Ninja:''' Please, don't hurt me! [[IHaveAFamily I have children too!]]\
426'''Kazumi:''' Yeah? Did you go through half a year of hemorrhoids to get them? Turn around, and [[AssShove I'll show you exactly what that feels like.]]
427* While we never see Miranda from ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' fight ''while'' pregnant, we do get to see her [[https://www.sdamned.com/comic/678 German Suplex a Demon]] less than 24 hours after she gave birth.
428* ''Webcomic/VampireCheerleaders'': In the comic's final vol., Stephanie became the newly appointed [[spoiler:Moth Queen]] and was helping them [[OnlyYouCanRepopulateMyRace replenish]] [[DyingRace their race.]] Which was during the time the Reptilians were hellbent on wiping them out, so she [[http://www.vampirecheerleaders.net/strips-vc/stand_our_ground personally lead the charge]] against the Reptilians... until she started [[http://www.vampirecheerleaders.net/strips-vc/pickles_and_ice_cream having contractions.]] She withdrew from the battlefield long enough to [[spoiler:[[http://www.vampirecheerleaders.net/strips-vc/egg_laying_made_easy lay her next egg,]]]] and resumed fighting moments later.
429[[/folder]]
430
431[[folder:Western Animation]]
432* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'':
433** [[spoiler:Lady Rainicorn]], as revealed in the episode "Lady and Peebles".
434** And in "Joshua and Margaret Investigations", we get to meet Jake's mom, who doesn't let her pregnancy interfere with her job as a monster hunting detective.
435--->'''Margaret:''' Come now, Joshua, even with this ankle-biter I'm as quick as ever. Sure, my waist is bigger, but that just means more bullets in my ammo belt.
436* [[spoiler:Lana]] as of the season four finale of ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''. It gets more extreme the following season when [[spoiler:ISIS is shut down by the government for performing unauthorized espionage and the cast forms a drug cartel.]]
437* Mudflap in the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' season three premiere Earsy Rider. Also doubles as a BadassBiker.
438* Sypha Belnades in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' Netflix series committed feats of combat and [[BlackMagicianGirl magic]] against nightcreatures and super vampires while a little over one-month pregnant.
439* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': At the beginning of "Petarded", Bonnie jumps while shooting.
440* [[DarkActionGirl Fox Xanatos]] of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' -- Granted, it's before she's far enough along to be impeded, but she still announces her pregnancy to her father while dangling from the rope ladder of a helicopter, after having nearly staged a hostile takeover of his company (ForTheEvulz, of course). Given that he's [[HandicappedBadass pretty badass from his wheelchair]], [[ItRunsInTheFamily this may be genetic]]. She was also having a karate match with her husband right before she got the doctor's call. FridgeLogic leads one to assume PapaWolf David made her give those up, however. Mere hours after giving birth, she shoots a PhysicalGod with a laser gun. There is a reason she is Badass, people.
441* ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'': Fang is pregnant from her late boyfriend Red, and she's still able to help Spear save Mira and other slaves from the Vikings. Then she lays her eggs, but she's still protective of them, even refusing to help Spear fight the remaining Vikings.
442* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': [[spoiler:Hera Syndulla]] is revealed in the DistantFinale to have been pregnant [[spoiler:with [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy the son of Kanan Jarrus]] for the second half of season 4 (and likely a bit before then). During this time she led an aerial attack on an Imperial factory, survived an X-wing crash, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a trained assassin, was captured and tortured, lost the love of her life, and participated in the liberation of Lothal. Depending on the timeline, it is also highly likely she was heavily pregnant (or had at least recently given birth) during the [[Film/RogueOne Battle of Scarif]].]] Hardcore, indeed.
443* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', it is not outright stated but heavily suggested that [[spoiler:Evangelyne]] is one at the end of Season 2. The manga confirms it, though when the action picks up again in the [=OVAs=] she's already had her kids. Comes back in force in Season 3, however, where she's in late-stage pregnancy and still capable of handing a ''demigod'' her ass in direct combat plus helping her husband against another one. [[spoiler:The only reason she struggles with said demigod in the rematch is because she's ''literally'' about to give birth.]]
444* Queen Mera in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' has no trouble joining her people to defend her home by using her magic to fight off the invaders attacking her home.
445[[/folder]]
446
447[[folder:Real Life]]
448* This is the primary basis behind the evolution of live birth in orders of animals not limited to mammals (some sharks, snakes, frogs, and other oviparous animals have evolved pregnancy and live birth). Eggs can only defend themselves passively and either have to be guarded (like what alligators and birds do) or hidden and left to their chances (like what sea turtles do). If an egg is an embryo guarded by a wall, then pregnancy is an embryo inside of a tank.
449** Little known fact - the early stages of pregnancy actually make your body stronger and more efficient at using oxygen, in preparation for the more strenuous part of the whole ordeal later on. Has been [[{{Squick}} used as a form of doping]] by sportswomen.
450* Pregnant athletes in general. Physicians generally advise mothers to "take it easy" by doing only moderate exercise. This means moderate ''relative to'' what the mother could usually handle. If she is already highly trained and conditioned, a pregnant woman can "take it easy" and still perform incredible feats beyond the ability of most.
451* Freydís Eiríksdóttir, daughter of Erik the Red, was mentioned in two Norse epics involving early exploration of the Americas. She battled several Native Americans while pregnant and bare-chested, when the male warriors were running away.
452* Mary Ann Patten, portrayed in ''Literature/TheCaptainsWife''. She was the wife of the captain of the clipper ship ''Neptune's Car''. [[TheNavigator She had also studied navigation]] as (so she thought) a way to pass the time. When her husband was seriously ill (perhaps with meningitis), she took over the ship and sailed it round Cape Horn, while at the same time being TheCaretaker to her husband. All the time being pregnant. She was one Pregnant Badass.
453* A legend knows to tell that the two infamous lady pirates, UsefulNotes/AnneBonny and Mary Read, of Captain "Calico Jack" Rackham's crew upon the capture of their ship were the only ones willing and able to defend the ship -- since everyone else apparently was drunk as skunks. Bonney and Read, on the other hand? Both claimed pregnancy at trial, which called for evaluation by midwives. They were granted a stay of execution until after the births. Unfortunately, Mary Read died of an infection, but Anne Bonny disappeared from history.
454* According to another legend, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_o%27malley Gráinne Ní Mháille]] (more commonly known as Grace O'Malley) actually ''gave birth'' in the middle of a sea battle.
455* Patti Graham, who married [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Lee_Graham Robin Graham]] along his voyage around the world and returned from the voyage pregnant.
456* In his autobiographical book ''Literature/AllSouls'', [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Patrick_MacDonald Michael MacDonald]] tells a story of his mother (who was eight months pregnant) [[MamaBear beating up a drunk neighbor who was harassing their family.]]
457* Empress UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa of Austria had ''sixteen'' children. She did this while administrating an empire and waging continent-wide wars. While in labour with UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette, she was ''reading and signing documents'', pausing only to bring the archduchess into the world. After which she immediately resumed the paper signing. During another one of her labors, she called for a dentist--to remove a bad tooth, figuring that the pain of childbirth would overwhelm the pain of the extraction. At the outbreak of the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheAustrianSuccession, she rallied the initially hostile Hungarian nobility with a speech to the Diet, delivered while cradling her newborn son--prompting a famous and resounding cry, ''Moriamur pro nostro Rege, Maria Teresa!'' ("Let us die for our [[SheIsTheKing King]], Maria Theresa!"). This woman ''breathed'' badass.
458* UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa's ancestor, Isabella I of Castile, commanded the combined troops of Castile and Aragon together with her husband Ferdinand in battle during the Reconquista ''while pregnant''.
459* According to ''Women Warriors: A History'' by David E. Jones, "Phung Thi Chinh went into battle pregnant, gave birth on the battlefield, strapped the baby to her back, and fought her way back to safety." (She was one of 36 female generals chosen and trained by female revolutionary leaders fighting against the Chinese governance of Vietnam in AD 40.)
460* [[DoomedMoralVictor John Lilburne]] was a free-speech activist in England before and during the Civil War between the King and Parliament. He endured [[KangarooCourt kangaroo courts]], cruel punishments, and long prison sentences for his cause. But more relevant to this page is his wife, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Lilburne Elizabeth]]. During the UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar, [[DistressedDude John was captured by the King's forces]] and held at Oxford Castle pending a [[HangingJudge trial for treason]]. Elizabeth went to Parliament and talked them into proclaiming that, if John and two other prisoners were convicted, [[GreyAndGrayMorality Parliament would retaliate against the judge and court officials]]. With two days left until the trial, she carried a copy of the proclamation over fifty miles, across enemy lines, [[AllUpToYou alone]], overnight, on a galloping horse, in the dead of winter, ''while pregnant'', and [[JustInTime arrived in the nick of time]]. The trial was called off, and John was [[PrisonerExchange swapped for a Royalist prisoner]] five months later.
461* The praying mantis takes this trope to levels once thought impossible, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0kGlEVZH6k as demonstrated here.]]
462* Caterina Sforza was an Italian noblewoman in the Italian Renaissance who held the title of Countess of Forlì and had a reputation for being a badass even from her youth. The death of Pope Sixtus IV launched a firestorm of political battles and multiple sackings of Rome as the surrounding noble families made their bids to fill the void with their own puppet priest. In the face of all this, Caterina Sforza took to Rome on horseback with her band of mercenaries to stake her claim in the conflict. She occupied the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pope's massive fortress and residence, by sword and cannon fire for a three-month siege by the opposing militias of various noblemen, after telling them, some of the most powerful men in Italy, to get bent, with Rome burning around her, while seven months pregnant. The only stopping point was when her husband, Girolamo Riario, agreed to surrender the fort to the Cardinal's control, only on the terms that they consolidated their power in Roman politics.
463* An American history book had a whole chapter about [[SweetPollyOliver crossdressing girls in the American Revolution]], including an excerpt of a report in which "a soldier was promoted to corporal for repeated displays of courage on the battlefield... since which time the corporal has become mother of a child".
464* Similarly, in the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar, according to the book ''They Fought Like Demons:''
465-->The unidentified woman from [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]] was promoted to corporal prior to Fredericksburg. She was, apparently, a very good soldier. One of her comrades stated that not only was she "a young and good looking corporal,"but her "courtesy and military bearing...struck the officers very favorably." Furthermore, he proclaimed her to be "a real soldierly, thoroughly military fellow." She was also a valiant soldier. Although in her final trimester of pregnancy, she performed her duty at Fredericksburg, and she performed it well. On January 19, 1863 a shocked colonel with the Army of the Potomac wrote home that "a corporal was promoted to sergeant for gallant conduct at the battle of Fredericksburg--since which time the sergeant has become the mother of a child." Tongue-in-cheek he added, "What use have we for women, if soldiers in the army can give birth to children?"
466* On ''Series/MythBusters'', Kari handled guns and grenades as usual throughout her pregnancy, along with all the other usual stuff of myth-busting. She was more safety-conscious and cautious about body armor and such while pregnant, and it turns out they actually make bulletproof vests for pregnant women. Who knew?
467* [[http://mylifeisaverage.com/story/2867409/ This "My Life Is Average" story:]]
468-->''Today, I caught two guys trying to steal stuff out of my yard. Needless to say, by the time I was done with them they had put everything back where they got it, were promising to bring the other stuff back that they had stolen, and were apologizing every five seconds. I am one tough pregnant lady.''
469* [[http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/10/10/8256458-woman-gives-birth-7-hours-after-finishing-marathon This woman,]] who gave birth 7 hours after finishing a 26.2 mile marathon, which wasn't even the first marathon she ran while pregnant!
470* [[http://jezebel.com/5877844/rock+climbing-pregnant-woman-is-extremely-awesome This woman]] is a physical therapist who scaled the steep rocks at Joshua Tree National Park while eight months pregnant.
471** To give some perspective on what Pregnant Badasses are up against, the comment thread of the linked article is full of active, athletic women describing the physical agonies pregnancy put them through (loosening of pelvic ligaments is apparently one of the worst).
472* Malaysian shooting champion Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18970859 competed at the London 2012]] UsefulNotes/OlympicGames while eight months pregnant. [[OlderThanTheyThink She is at least the fifth pregnant woman to have competed at the Olympics, but most certainly the farthest along.]] It helps that her sport is not very physically demanding, but she did have to withdraw from one competition since it required lying on her stomach.
473** Kristie Moore was five months pregnant when she served as the alternate in the Canadian women's curling team in the 2010 games. The team won silver.
474** Kim Yunmi won two gold medals in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games for Korea while seven months pregnant.
475** Kerri Walsh Jennings was five weeks pregnant when she won her third gold in London 2012-which doesn't sound very impressive until you learn it's in the pretty physically demanding sport of beach volleyball.
476* All-time UsefulNotes/{{tennis}} great Serena Williams was a few weeks into pregnancy when she won the 2017 Australian Open, her 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
477* A Sept. 2012 story was of a woman serving in the British military as a bombardier in Afghanistan, all the while pregnant...[[SurprisePregnancy but not knowing of it until she gave birth]]. So she qualifies, even if she didn't realize it.
478* Creator/AmyJoJohnson found out she was pregnant before filming the show ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}.'' Despite this, she filmed the entire first season while pregnant (which couldn't have been easy; ''Flashpoint'' was a series about a SWAT Team). She then went on maternity leave and had her baby between the first and second seasons, and there are very few episodes of season 2 that omit her entirely.
479* Queen bees, who are responsible for laying all the hive's eggs and thus constantly pregnant, are the only type of social bees that can sting multiple times, in stark contrast to the defenseless and sessile queens of other hive insects such as ants or termites.
480** On the other hand, a queen bee's movements are often tightly controlled by her workers. The workers will defend her with their lives and do all the work for her, but otherwise her authority doesn't look like much.
481* Just about any female predator that lives a solitary life (and even some that don't) still needs to hunt while carrying. For example, female lions hunt while pregnant, and have evolved measures to make sure the fetus survives the term in the form of a network of suspending muscles around their uterus.
482** Little known fact: All mammals other than humans actually have MUCH easier pregnancies and births[[note]]Okay, there are some exceptions. Most famously hyenas, who have to give birth through a pseudo-penis structure, which is physically traumatic enough that about 30% of first-time mothers bleed to death. On the other hand, that pseudo-penis makes it impossible for male hyenas to penetrate and impregnate a female without her active cooperation, meaning the surviving females get to decide who gets to contribute genes to their offspring. This physical impossibility of male control over female reproduction choices also leads to a matriarchal social system, which is generally very rare among mammals.[[/note]], with no dangerous physiological side-effects like morning sickness, pregnancy diabetes or pre-enclampsia, much less risk of bleeding out due to birth complications or dying of childbed fever[[note]]Due to the combination of the big size of human babies' heads and the hip structure necessitated by the human upright walk, which is barely still suitable for live births, most mothers tear their perineum during the birth, sometimes all the way to the anus. This wound doesn't cause much blood-loss, but it takes some time to heal - especially in a time before stitches and wound sterilization - and it easily gets infected, which was often a death sentence before the invention of antibiotics.[[/note]], and most even have the ability to sacrifice the pregnancy 'at will' even in the late stages, if for example the weather that year is really bad and they're going hungry and thus couldn't raise healthy babies anyway. With humans, there's a kind of evolutionary arms race going on where the fetus needs more nutrients than other animals do to build that big brain, and thus gives off hormones to take control of the mother's metabolism and make the placenta grow into the mother's blood circulation so that it can't be ejected pre-term without major injury. While at the same time, human uteruses have evolved to be an extremely hostile environment to the eggs in the first few weeks, so that only (almost) absolutely perfect embryos get a chance to develop[[note]]75% of pregnancies are terminated by the body in the very early stage, before the mother even notices she was pregnant.[[/note]] - because the whole process is just such a huge energy investment / health risk for the mother, and she only has about 15-20 chances for surviving offspring, what with humans usually only having one baby per pregnancy, not two or a whole litter, like most other mammals. By the way, this is also the reason humans menstruate, while other mammals don't: Instead of evolving a triggered abortion mechanism if anything goes wrong with the embryo, the human uterus is set to automatically flush out its entire lining (and therefore, any possible eggs that might have started attaching themselves) every few weeks, unless a cascade of "Everything's developing a-OK!" signals is given by the embryo. Yes, it's a waste of nutrients, the pain can be debilitating, it opens the uterus to potential infections[[note]]because the jelly-like "plug" normally closing the cervix must dissolve for the duration of the bleeding[[/note]], and the blood may attract predators - but that just goes to show that evolution doesn't go for the most rational or ideal outcome, but for what it can achieve by just altering whatever hormonal/genetic control mechanisms had already evolved earlier.
483* Professional wrestler "Sweet Saraya" Knight, known best in the United States as part of Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}}, unknowingly wrestled for six-and-a-half months with daughter Britani (now Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s "Wrestling/{{Paige}}") in the womb.
484* [[https://www.facebook.com/omgfactsonline/photos/a.391437166027.168977.237061956027/10153130427501028/?type=1&theater This facebook post]] claims a woman swam a kilometer in a swollen river to give birth in a hospital.
485* While not a conventional badass, Tommitrise Collins [[http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/14/amazing-woman-completes-her-psychology-exam-during-the-active-phase-of-labour-5501898/ took her psychology exam]] while in the active stages of labor.
486* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandukhai_Khatun Queen Mandukhai the Wise]] was known to fight in battles on horseback while heavily pregnant, on one occasion while pregnant with ''twins'' and was injured in battle, but both she and the unborn children survived and she eventually united Mongolia with her husband, Dayan Khan.
487* Creator/GalGadot was five months in with her second child during reshoots for ''Film/WonderWoman2017''. She did much of the stuntwork still, in cold weather, like a champ. To deal with the conspicuous aspects of this, the SFX crew [[HideYourPregnancy wrapped her belly with chroma-key colored material]] to address in post work.
488* Similarly Creator/ScarlettJohansson was pregnant during '' Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' but still filmed many of her scenes (including action ones) earlier on, before her belly began to show. In the later months [[HideYourPregnancy CGI and stunt doubles were required]] for Scarlett.
489** It’s also [[FridgeBrilliance ironically hilarious]] if you remember her character makes a big deal about being unable to give birth in the movie.
490* Creator/CarrieCoon did all the motion capture and voice work for Proxima Midnight in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' while she was pregnant.
491* Olympic athlete [[http://people.com/bodies/itolympic-runner-alysia-montano-competes-5-months-pregnant/ Alysia Montaño]] competed in the USA Track & Field Championships while 5 months pregnant with her second child, claiming “My intention is to inform and to empower.”.
492* US Women’s National Team Forward Alex Morgan was in the very early stages of pregnancy when the side won the 2019 World Cup.
493* Music/{{Lights}} not only recorded the entire ''Little Machines'' album while pregnant, but ''went into labor'' while recording a song and finished the recording. {{Determinator}}, thy name is LIGHTS.
494* [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-australia-50400238 Kat Robertson Williams]], an Australian firefighter who battled the New South Wales bushfires while 13 weeks pregnant.
495* According to Vietnamese legends, [[https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Phung_Thi_Chinh this woman]] fought off against Han invaders while pregnant at the time when the Trung sisters ruled Vietnam during ancient China's attempt to conquer it (which they did, but barely). Unfortunately, she committed suicide along with her newborn child when she learned about the Trung sisters' death. How tragic and badass.
496* While snorkelling in Florida Keys, Andrew Dukes-Eddy was attacked by a shark. Bleeding severely and unable to climb back into their boat, his pregnant wife Margot jumped right into the water and pulled him to safety.
497* [=CrossFit=] athlete [[https://www.instagram.com/anniethorisdottir/ Annie Thorisdottir]] stuck to a modified version of her [[TrainingFromHell intensive training regimen]] [[https://www.instagram.com/p/B8b3utSnQQ9/ throughout]] [[https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zsvWsHmc7/ her]] [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CCTnq6VHCW2/ pregnancy]].
498[[/folder]]

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