After confirming she's pregnant with her second child shortly after performing at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Rihanna is opening up in British Vogue about new motherhood.
In an interview for the publication's March 2023 issue, the nine-time Grammy award winner said that while her birth "was beautiful" and that she felt "blessed" by the experience, going home as a family of three was no easy feat.
Rihanna gave birth to her first child, a son, in May, 2022. His name has not yet been announced.
“Essentially, from one person I became two," the self-made billionaire told the publication. "You walk into the hospital as a couple and leave as a family of three. It’s nuts."
Rihanna went on to describe the first few days of motherhood as "insane," adding that "you don't sleep. At all. Not even if you wanted to."
"We came home, cold turkey, had no one," she added. "It was just us as parents and our baby. Man, you're a zombie for the most part."
The Super Bowl performer isn't lying, of course: One 2019 study found that parents lose up to six full years of sleep after their baby is born. Celebrities, they're just like us!
In addition to the lack of sleep and unforgiving adjustment period, Rihanna discussed the difference between dressing while pregnant versus dressing while postpartum.
Rihanna's perinatal wardrobe took the fashion world by storm, leaving many to claim that she was "redefining maternity style" and changing the way people think about pregnant bodies.
“Dressing for pregnancy was such a piece of cake,” she said. “But dressing in postpartum, what the f**k do you do? The week that I came home from the hospital — that was nothing but sweats and hoodies."
Rihanna added that as the weeks went on, she "didn't know what to put on" because everything ws either "too small or too big."
“You kind of just gotta wait it out otherwise you end up buying so many clothes you’re not going to use," she explained. "Well, unless you get pregnant again.”
Turns out, Rihanna is pregnant again. After showcasing a visibly pregnant belly during her 2023 Super Bowl Halftime performance, the singer confirmed that she is expecting her second child with her partner, A$AP Rocky.
The Fenty Beauty founder also opened up about her decision to perform at the Super Bowl, despite being postpartum and knee-deep in the weeds of new motherhood.
“It’s this knowing that you can do anything, even things that seem the craziest," she explained, adding that she still can't believe she told the NFL "yes."
Ultimately, she said she was "geeked on a challenge like that because you know what your body just did."
"You feel this sense of: ‘Nothing is impossible,'" she added.
As her body goes through another season of change and as she prepares to welcome a second child into the fold, Rihanna admits she cannot entirely recall life before motherhood, adding that being a parent is "legendary."
"You literally try to remember it — and there are photos of my life before — but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don’t identify with it because you don’t even allow yourself mentally to get that far, because… because it doesn’t matter.”
As for the possible gender of her soon-to-be second child, Rihanna shares that she has no preference — only the hope for more children in the future.
“Listen, I’m down for whatever. My wish would be I would like to have more kids but whatever God wants for me, I’m here," she said. “Girl, boy. Whatever.”
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