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Katherine Schwarzenegger explains why she doesn't post photos of daughter's face

The new mom talked with Hoda Kotb about shielding her daughter from the public eye.
/ Source: TODAY

Since giving birth to her first child last summer, Katherine Schwarzenegger has only posted photos of her baby girl's feet, legs and hands, and there's a sweet reason why she's been hesitant to share her face with her fans.

As the daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 31-year-old grew up in the spotlight, but it was an age before social media, and she never felt like she was under intense public scrutiny. Looking ahead to her daughter Lyla's childhood, that's an experience that Schwarzenegger would like to replicate for her.

"I think that one of the greatest gifts that my parents ever gave me and my siblings is the gift of privacy and having a really normal upbringing, or as normal of an upbringing as possible," the new mom told Hoda Kotb during TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on Tuesday.

Describing her childhood as "magical," the author explained that her parents were very intentional about letting their kids be, well, kids.

"We were allowed to be our own people and have our own identity and kind of choose to step into whatever form of being public we wanted to when we felt comfortable. And I think that was such an incredible gift to have given us kids," she said.

Luckily, Schwarzenegger's husband, actor Chris Pratt, is also on the same page and wants to protect their daughter's privacy for as long as they can.

"It's something that's really important to my husband and I to give to our kids and to be able to have that privacy, and not necessarily show much of them on social media," she said.

Earlier in the morning, Schwarzenegger called in to TODAY to discuss the paperback edition of her fourth book, "The Gift of Forgiveness," and offered an update on how her life as a new mother is going.

"It's the best thing in the entire world," she said. "I love every minute of motherhood so far, and I just feel really blessed and really lucky 'cause she's such a happy and easy baby."

Becoming a mother has also given Schwarzenegger a newfound respect for her own mother.

"I've always respected her tremendously, but I even texted her this morning because I was woken up this morning at 2 and I had my alarm going off at 3 to get ready for this, and I was just like, 'I can't believe you did this with four children,'" she said.