Kate Middleton pregnancy comparisons drove Kim Kardashian crazy as she was labeled a 'whale' and Kate a 'waif'

Kim Kardashian has opened up on the cruel comparisons to Kate Middleton during her pregnancy. Media outlets labelled Kate "the waif" and Kim the "whale."

Both Kim Kardashian West and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, were pregnant in 2013 with their first children. Kim was pregnant with her daughter North West and Kate with her first son, Prince George. 

As their pregnancies coincided, the press often made comparisons between the two women and their changing bodies. These comparisons were typically in Kate's favor and made fun of Kim's pregnancy weight gain.

In the podcast, ‘We Are Supported By...’ hosts Kristen Bell and Monica Padman interviewed Kim Kardashian West.

The podcast is dedicated to interviewing women who have 'put a crack in the glass ceiling' and many inspiring women have taken part in the project.

On the podcast, the social media mogul spoke about the pressure on women to look a certain way and opened up about her weight gain during her pregnancy.

"Do I think that there is a lot of pressure? I think that I used to feel that way after I had my kids, because I was not a good pregnant person," said Kim.

"I was not a cute pregnant person, I did not like it, I hated it, I hated how I felt, I hated how I looked. 

She revealed she was used to seeing her mom and sisters pregnant and everyone looking so cute but she says it wasn't the case for her pregnancy.

"So the media really did brutalize me over gaining a lot of weight, and it would be on covers of magazines showing like me and Shamu and who wore it best. It was really really crazy" she said.

Kim then revealed to the shocked hosts that as well as being likened to a whale by various media outlets, she was also compared with the Duchess of Cambridge whose own first pregnancy timeline coincided with Kim's.

“They would always compare me to Kate Middleton so it would say, Kate the waif and Kim the whale, the waif versus the whale,” said Kim.

"It was so nasty. I don’t think that would really fly today, but it killed my self-esteem. I really can’t believe that this was acceptable and that this was OK. But I would sit at home and cry all the time."

Kim also went on to reveal that while pregnant with her first two children, North and Saint she suffered from pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia can cause premature births and the typical symptoms are high blood pressure, headaches, swelling and vision problems.

The star described her symptoms to the hosts and revealed, "I didn't really know that I had it, but it's like over-swelling in your feet and face."

Kristen Bell interjected to remind viewers of the seriousness of this condition and stated that a beloved character in Downton Abbey had this issue and died shortly after childbirth. 

Kim agreed that this was very serious and revealed that she ultimately was forced to deliver six weeks early with an emergency delivery and also had placenta accreta with both of her children.

Placenta accreta occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall. The placenta should detach after birth but for those with placenta accreta, it remains attached and can cause severe uterine bleeding after birth.

Despite her tough pregnancies, the star went on to have two more children named Chicago and Psalm who were both born via a surrogate.

In the rest of the eye-opening episode, Kim also spoke about her humanitarian work and her goals to complete her law degree and open a firm.

The social media star spoke confidently about a wide range of subjects and opened up to the hosts about her struggles with likability and her family's show Keeping up with the Kardashians.

The entire episode of the podcast can be accessed on Spotify and Apple Podcast.