(TDB) - A man’s beer belly was the star of a recent maternity photo shoot after his pregnant wife refused to take part, raising many a smile across the web.

Cleverly dubbed “manternity” pictures, the snaps appeared on online sharing site imgur yesterday showing the user DruishPrincess69 in typical maternity photo shoot poses proudly displaying his gut as if it were home to a baby.

“My wife didn’t want to take maternity pictures so I hired a photographer and took her place,” he said.

The humorous pictures show the soon-to-be father looking longingly into the camera cradling his belly while in another he is seen eating spoonfuls of ice cream.

In one of the more creepier pictures, the man is seen peering around a door frame, his belly protruding outward.

The pictures have already attracted attention from online users of the site, many of which have declared their distaste for stereotypical maternity shoots with one applauding the man’s wife for “not contributing to this ridiculous trend” and to her husband for “keeping your skivvies on”.

Another said: “These are actually the least awkward maternity photos I’ve ever seen. Kudos! Hope your wife laughed. :)”, while another simply said: “Best husband ever.”