Christian Surfer Bethany Hamilton Celebrates 'Halfway Point' in Second Pregnancy

Oct 23, 2017 02:06 PM EDT

Bethany Hamilton, who earlier this month announced she is expecting her second child, recently posted a sweet photo celebrating the halfway point in her pregnancy with her 2-year-old son by her side.

On Instagram, the 27-year-old pro surfer and shark-attack survivor shared a photo in which she and her toddler, Tobias, both lay a hand on her baby bump. The two are standing on a beach, and the sand in front of them is outlined with the words "20 weeks."

"20 weeks along and feeling excited everyday! For those who don't know 20 weeks is about halfway along in pregnancy," Hamilton wrote.

Bethany Hamilton
(Photo : Instagram)
Hamilton's second child is due in March.

The "Soul Surfer" author, who married her husband, Adam Dirks, in 2013, announced her second pregnancy on October 8.

"More than thankful to share our joyous news!" she wrote on Instagram and Twitter posts that featured a video of Tobias showing his parents where "baby" is.

"Adam and I are so so sooo excited!!! And Tobias seems to get excited too; he gives baby kisses everyday!" she wrote on her website. "We are thankful we can grow our family and add even more joy to life. Becoming parents to Tobias has been such a beautiful journey. We love the joy and also the challenges he brings to our life; and he is sure ready for a sibling."

She added, "I'm thankful my pregnancy has been mellow and manageable. I begged Adam to wait till baby's birthday to find out the gender and he agreed. (: With Tobias we found out, but I really wanted a surprise for this baby. So, surprise it will be! We expect the little one in March."

Hamilton, who lost her arm in a horrific shark attack in 2003, is a world-class surfing champion and has some television and film appearances, including competing as a contestant in season 25 of The Amazing Race and playing herself in the feature film Dolphin Tale 2.

In May of 2016, she beat a six-time world champion to place third in the World Surf League's Fiji Women's Pro competition.

While Hamilton is certainly passionate about surfing, she's even more passionate about her Christian faith.

"I found that having my faith in God has team worked my passion for surfing, because it's kept me grounded in who I am in Christ more than who I am as a surfer or an ocean lover," she said during a 2015 appearance at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, CA.

She added, "As a professional surfer...it's easy to get caught up in a bad crowd. I've seen surfers in my hometown get caught up in drugs and make poor decisions that eventually led them away from their passion and talent to surf, whereas I had my grounding in Jesus Christ, and that kept me close to Him and helped me make healthy decisions growing up...I knew of God's promises for my life, so I held tight to that instead of something that might have led me away from my talent."