Iskra Lawrence explains why she won't be having a gender reveal for her unborn child

Iskra Lawrence has revealed that she will not be announcing whether her unborn baby is a boy or girl because the gender may not reflect “who my child decides to be”.

The model shared her decision on Instagram, where she has been documenting her pregnancy with her first child to her more than 4.5m followers.

Captioning photos of her baby bump, the 29-year-old said that she thought she’d feel “so ready” to do a gender reveal and that she is happy that she found out the sex of the baby - but that she does not think she wants to share it with the public.

Explaining that she’s already told family and close friends, Lawrence wrote: “But that’s it, I haven’t been able to just text anyone the ‘news’ and certainly don’t feel like I can tell the world.”

According to the model, although she has been open with her fans and followers in the past about her own experiences, she does not want to share this update because this “isn’t about me”.

“I might be carrying baby P and until now it’s been about my pregnancy experience but this is their life and even though right now I know what gender the professionals have announced that may not be who my child decides to be and it doesn’t feel right to make a big deal about something so personal to them,” Lawrence said.

The body-positive activist added that she does not want her and boyfriend Philip Payne’s child to question why she shared personal information about their life online.

“I’m gonna be a party pooper because I never want my child turning around and saying ‘why did you decide to share my life online’ or make it seem like a public service announcement,” the model wrote. “And of course I support all my loved ones and peers who have gone and shared with the world [but] I just can’t.”

While Lawrence won’t be sharing the baby’s sex with the public, she said that she plans to continue sharing pregnancy updates about her “experience on this journey into motherhood”.

The model’s announcement has been met with support from her fans, who praised her decision.

“You’re amazing,” one person wrote. “I am sure little baby P will appreciate this when they’re old enough. This child’s life is none of our business, until you and they are ready to share. You owe no apologies.”

Another said: “I think this is a beautiful and generous decision you’re making for your baby.”

The couple shared the news that they are expecting their first child in November, captioning a photo of themselves holding a positive pregnancy test: “It’s not just the two of us anymore, we're soon to be a family of three.”