On Monday, Vogue debuted the cover of their much-anticipated September issue which features Beyoncé in an opulent flower crown and thick brows (thank God). In the interview, Beyoncé discusses the historical significance of her cover, her performance at Coachella, and also opens up about her difficult pregnancy with her year-old twins, Rumi and Sir.
“I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir,” she says, revealing that she was “swollen from toxemia,” also known as preeclampsia, a dangerous condition that causes a sudden spike in blood pressure, excess protein in the urine, and swelling in the hands and feet. Her doctor, she says, put her on bed rest for over a month.
“My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section.”
She says that she and her family “spent many weeks in the NICU” with the twins. “I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later,” she continues, noting that the seriousness of undergoing a C-section is still not fully understood.
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.
And while the star says that after the birth of her first child, Blue, she felt the pressure to “lose all the baby weight in three months,” with her second childbirth, she was more patient with herself.
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.
In case you had any doubts though, she can still get a six-pack whenever she wants. Because she’s freakin’ Beyoncé.
“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.”
Read the full interview here.
