Almost 14 months since giving birth to twins Sir Carter and Rumi, Beyoncé has opened up for the first time about her emergency C-section and body confidence concerns following their birth.
In an interview with Vogue, the 36-year-old opened up about how she wants to raise her three children and how she views her body after giving birth.
Discussing her twins' birth, the 'Halo' singer revealed she was on bed rest for a full month before their due date but had to have an emergency caesarian because her and their lives were in danger.
She revealed:
'I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me. I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father. I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later. Today I have a connection to any parent who has been through such an experience. After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover. During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be. After six months, I started preparing for Coachella. I became vegan temporarily, gave up coffee, alcohol, and all fruit drinks. But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too.'
Following the birth of her eldest daughter Blue Ivy in January 2012, the mother-of-three admitted she - like a lot of women - succumbed to the pressure put on new mums to achieve the unrealistic beauty ideals of a 'post pregnancy body'.
'After the birth of my first child, I believed in the things society said about how my body should look,' she said.
'I put pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight in three months, and scheduled a small tour to assure I would do it. Looking back, that was crazy. I was still breastfeeding when I performed the Revel shows in Atlantic City in 2012. After the twins, I approached things very differently.'
![Beyonce And Jay-Z "On The Run II" Tour - New Jersey](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1010041012.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Beyonce And Jay-Z "On The Run II" Tour - New Jersey")
Months after welcoming her twins into the world and an international tour with her famous husband, the star - who recently shut down rumours she was pregnant again after months of speculation - added that she still doesn't have her pre-baby body.
'To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real. Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.'
The star - who is revered for pushing the boundaries of art, gender, and music - also spoke of how she intends to raise her children.
'It’s important to me that they [my daughters] see themselves as CEOs, as bosses, and that they know they can write the script for their own lives—that they can speak their minds and they have no ceiling,' she explained.
'They don’t have to be a certain type or fit into a specific category. They don’t have to be politically correct, as long as they’re authentic, respectful, compassionate, and empathetic. They can explore any religion, fall in love with any race, and love who they want to love. I want the same things for my son. I want him to know that he can be strong and brave but that he can also be sensitive and kind. I want my son to have a high emotional IQ where he is free to be caring, truthful, and honest. It’s everything a woman wants in a man, and yet we don’t teach it to our boys.
She also says she wants to teach her son, Sir Carter, 'not to fall victim to what the internet says he should be or how he should love'.
'I want to create better representations for him so he is allowed to reach his full potential as a man, and to teach him that the real magic he possesses in the world is the power to affirm his own existence.'
Can we just take a moment to bow down to this goddess?
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
