Just a few weeks after announcing they were expecting their first child, Turia Pitt and her fiance Michael Hoskin have shared a touching moment with Namibian villagers during a safari getaway.
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The couple, who've been travelling in Africa since June, have both taken to Instagram to share the first images of Pitt's growing baby bump.
When the 29-year-old athlete and author met a local pregnant villager, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture a special bonding moment as expectant mothers to share with her Instagram followers.
"Pregnant bellies... some things cross all cultural boundaries!" she wrote.
"Whenever I meet new people, the first thing I do is find something in common with them. This remote Himba tribe was easy once I lifted up my shirt."
In earlier posts the couple revealed that their African safari was their first long trip in years, and they had been taking the time to switch off and immerse themselves in the culture.
"As you can probably tell by our sick hats, Michael and I are about to head off on an epic safari through Namibia! We're taking this time to just switch off and enjoy the company of each other, and I suppose, a lion or two as well," she wrote on Instagram.
Pitt revealed to 60 Minutes in early June that she found out about her pregnancy just three days before she was to embark on a climb to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, a trek she has since decided to cancel due to risk factors. The trek was part of her work as an Interplast ambassador, an organisation which provides life-changing plastic surgery and medical training across the Asia-Pacific.
Pitt said that her disbelief in discovering she was pregnant meant that she took another six pregnancy tests before sharing the news with her partner.
She also revealed to 60 Minutes that she is confident Hoskins will make a brilliant father, "he had to look after me for years, and he was so patient, so caring. I think those qualities, especially in a parent, are really desirable."
Pitt spoke candidly with the Australian Women's Weekly about children not being a "deal breaker" in her relationship with Hoskin following her 2011 accident.
"We talked a lot about it. Some couples split up if they cannot have kids, but we would have found something else," she told the publication.
"We might have adopted or pushed our energy in another direction."
