ELLE.com Jessica Alba graces the March issue of ELLE magazine (Her 3rd cover). In the spread, she poses with several up and coming designers, including Joseph Altazurra (pictured), Rad Hourani, Frank Tell, Julian Louie and Jason Wu. She discusses her all new life, motherhood and her desire to be considered a serious actress.

–On giving birth: “Contractions aren’t that bad. If you’ve ever had bad cramps? That’s what they’re like. But that moment when they put the baby on your chest – that’s deep. It’s a deep experience.”

–On snapping back into shape so quickly after giving birth: “I did it for the Campari job. [The workouts] were horrible. I cried. And I haven’t worked out since.”

–Her secret to looking slim after giving birth: “I wore a girdle. Eight weeks after my girlfriend had her baby, you could see her six-pack. She told me to put an elastic band around my waist – any kind of band or girdle works. She was like, “I slept in it.” I didn’t recover as fast as she did. I don’t have a six-pack – that’s just not my body at all.”

–On having an exotic look: “Anyone who’s part of pop culture is going to be sensationalized and spun into something, some one-liner. Also, there aren’t many other stars, besides Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez, who most people in the world can related to. We look like people of the world – I can kind of mix in with girls in Asia, South America, Europe.”