Hours before making her runway debut as a working mom, Hungarian model and actress Barbara Palvin opened up about her motherhood journey backstage.
Palvin and her husband, actor Dylan Sprouse, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Sylvie, on September 7, 2026, which coincided with Labor Day in the US. The couple had announced their pregnancy news while attending the 79th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2026, and shared news of their daughter’s arrival on September 28.
Palvin told Page Six that she was one day short of being six weeks postpartum. She said she had been telling people that returning to work at that stage was not unusual.
In the US, there is no federal law guaranteeing paid maternity leave to private-sector workers. Eligible employees may qualify for up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), while paid leave provisions vary by state and employer.
She will be six weeks postpartum, a day later so she felt like doing something that every mother is doing, and that, too she only had to walk down a runway.
However, maternity leave arrangements vary across the US, where federal law does not guarantee paid leave to all workers.
Palvin said she had not followed an intense routine to regain her pre-pregnancy physique. Instead, she focused on eating healthy, doing light exercises and allowing her body to heal on its own. Her main concern during the runway walk was falling because of the weight of her wings.
The 33-year-old described early motherhood as a roller coaster and acknowledged that every woman’s postpartum experience is different.
She credited her return to work to the support of her parents, who flew to Los Angeles to help her, and her friends, who had been dropping off food at her door. Palvin also acknowledged that her quick return was not a goal that made sense for every postpartum parent.
On the federal level, the US Family and Medical Leave Act grants up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. The rule includes the birth and care of the newborn.
The model’s speedy comeback to work sparked conversations about realities of postpartum life. Online discussions have focused on both positive and negative aspects of ‘bounce back’ culture.
“Bless her, she’s saying this is not something that is remarkable in any way, because she’s doing what other U.S. mothers do in this country,” said Melissa Goldstein, co-founder and co-editor of Mother Tongue, a biannual print magazine focused on modern motherhood. “But of course, it sort of begs the question of, like, why?”
Yahoo journalist Fortesa Latifi pointed out how having time for oneself, access to resources, and support can make a difference in returning to the runway in lingerie, noting that most women do not look like Barbara Palvin just 6 weeks postpartum.
Molly Bailey took to Instagram to highlight that every woman’s postpartum journey is different. She shared that, 6 weeks after childbirth, all she could manage was crying and applying lanolin to her nipples.
Barbara was not the only postpartum mother on the runway. Elsa Hosk, 37, is also postpartum. She gave birth to her second daughter, Flora Blue, in July. Hosk documented her 6-week postpartum progress on getting ready for the Victoria’s Secret runway and posted an Instagram video.
Hosk's workout regimen ahead of the runway show drew criticism from one commenter. Who argued that the video perpetuated the expectation that women quickly regain their pre-pregnancy bodies, despite extensive exercise not necessarily being appropriate for everyone during the postpartum period.
Others argued that focus should not be on how models look postpartum but on what their bodies go through during pregnancy and childbirth. One Instagram user said Palvin should be celebrated not for her postpartum appearance, but for everything her body endured during pregnancy and childbirth.
Returning to physical activity after childbirth depends on the individual's recovery, mode of delivery and any medical or surgical complications. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that exercise routines may be resumed gradually after pregnancy as soon as medically safe, depending on these factors. Palvin's runway appearance should not be interpreted as a benchmark for postpartum recovery.
Barbara hit the runway in Los Angeles in a romantic, sheer pink negligee covered in script writing. She completed her look with a bouncy blowout and rosy makeup. Later, she walked again in a bedazzling silver corset paired with a flowing skirt and large silver wings.
However, Palvin is not the only model to return to work during postpartum. In 2009, Heidi Klum famously walked the Victoria’s Secret runway just six weeks after giving birth. In 2012, Adriana Lima donned angel wings when she was around eight weeks postpartum. Several other models have taken mere months before they returned to runways, like Emily Ratajkowski, Karlie Kloss and Irina Shayk.
1. U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau. “Paid Leave.” Accessed October 21, 2026. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/featured-paid-leave.
2. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. “Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Frequently Asked Questions.” Accessed October 21, 2026. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/faq.
3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.” Obstetrics & Gynecology 135, no. 4 (2020): e178–e188. https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2020/04/physical-activity-and-exercise-during-pregnancy-and-the-postpartum-period.
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