CARDI B certainly shocked fans when she announced her pregnancy so soon after filing for divorce.
According to a perinatal therapist, Cardi's “high stakes” split from husband Offset amid their baby news has offered the mom of two a different experience but delivered the “truth” she needed.
Cardi B, 31, announced her third pregnancy with husband Offset, 32, on Instagram the day after she filed for divorce from him in July.
The rapper shared an image of herself on a New York City balcony, cradling her bare baby bump in a plunging red dress.
“With every ending comes a new beginning!" she wrote.
"I am so grateful to have shared this season with you, you have brought me more love, more life and most of all renewed my power!"
One commenter said she hoped "she stays gone this time," alluding to the couple’s on/off six-year relationship.
“You keep going off on Offset for cheating, but you keep taking him back and having his babies,” wrote another.
Cardi B filed for divorce from her Migos rapper husband on July 31.
A rep told People that her decision was "not based on cheating rumors, but rather has been a long time coming."
Associate therapist Elizabeth Marks at Manhattan Wellness said Cardi B had "reassessed" her marriage because she was expecting.
“People might be surprised that Cardi B is pregnant and divorcing Offset simultaneously,” the perinatal therapy specialist told The U.S. Sun.
“But pregnancy is reflective because a couple's stakes increase when a family expands.
“Every time a couple has another child, they commit more and might reassess what is and is not working.
“I am not Cardi B or Offset’s therapist, but things that could have been acceptable at one point may not be acceptable now.
An expectant mom can put her hand out and offer the opportunity for the partner to show up.
Elizabeth Marks
“The boundaries that were crossed before can also change and evolve.
"This is a high-stakes situation."
Cardi B is reportedly seeking primary custody of their children Wave Set, two, and daughter Kulture Kiari, six.
Marks suggested filing for divorce would have been a truthful choice and outcome for Cardi B.
“People might say deciding to divorce now would depend on whether you lean into each other or out,” she said.
“The leaning in may not have been happening for Cardi B.
When you have experienced postpartum depression before, your risk of experiencing it again goes up to about 30 percent.
Elizabeth Marks
“Women would need clarity in the marriage at this moment.
“An expectant mom can put her hand out and offer the opportunity for the partner to show up.
“If they do not show up or can not at that moment, that is a very clarifying thing to happen.
“Maybe Cardi B’s divorce is the more truthful outcome.”
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known as Cardi B, has spoken intermittently about her relationship with Offset.
The marriage has been rocked by cheating rumors, breakups, and reconciliations.
The couple's romance began in 2017 when they were spotted together at Super Bowl LI, just before Offset proposed.
“The part I love is that we really like each other, like a support system,” she told Rolling Stone in May.
“We’re really both each other’s cheerleader. We’re from two different worlds. Sometimes I cannot be … not that I cannot be a wife. It’s just like, my career takes my life. You know what I’m saying?” she added.
“My career comes first, then my kids come second. And then sometimes I don’t realize that I’m putting so many things before my relationship.”
Following the birth of her daughter Kulture in 2018, Cardi B said she was struggling with postpartum depression.
“I think I underestimated this whole mommy thing,” she wrote on Instagram post-birth.
“When Kulture was born, I felt like I was a kid again; everything made me cry, and I needed a lot of love.
Cardi B filed for divorce from Offset in 2020, and after cheating rumors circulated.
“I got tired of not seeing things eye to eye,” she said.
Two months later, the couple was back together.
This may be an opportunity for her to find that now and get more people around her.
Elizabeth Marks
Son Wave came in 2021 with Cardi B confessing on X to experiencing “weird postpartum hormones” once again.
“Can’t wait till these weird postpartum hormones completely leave my body. I be crying for no reason,” she wrote.
Marks suggested Cardi B's postpartum struggle hinged on support.
“Cardi B had postpartum depression twice before,” she said.
“She may not have access to a lot of the support that she had in the past while pregnant.
“She may not have seen people as much, especially at the beginning of those pregnancies.
“When you have experienced postpartum depression before, your risk of experiencing it again goes up to about 30 percent.
“We can hope that there is planning, such as preparing to go on medication after her birth or taking it now.
“You can put safety measures in place to help avoid experiencing postpartum depression like we have before.
“My advice for Cardi B would be support, support, support.
"This may be an opportunity for her to find that now and get more people around her.
“Cardi B may be required to slow down in many ways."
Marks felt hopeful for Cardi B's third pregnancy and claimed the mom of two was being "authentic" in her messaging.
“This is a full-circle moment for Cardi B and Offset,” she said.
“This might be them saying we are having a beautiful child together, and there is love, but we are not going forward together.
For Cardi B, there is a little bit of confidence that has come from the experiences she has had before.
Elizabeth Marks
“It would not have been authentic to announce the birth and not the divorce or vice versa.
“They decided their relationship would change and move forward as co-parents rather than partners.”
“For Cardi B, there is a little bit of confidence that has come from the experiences she has had before,” Marks went on.
“She is never going to experience birth or these things for the first time again.
“This birth could be completely different, and hopefully, she is going in and utilizing the evidence and support she has had before.
“She could find the strength of these other two pregnancies to help go into that next space.
For Offset, he would need to figure out how to align and support with this in mind.
Elizabeth Marks
“Pregnancy is physical, emotional, and mental, so every part of her body is working double time.
"This means double the time for her in the relationship can be difficult.
“For Offset, he would need to figure out how to align and support with this in mind.
“For any partner, if there is an opportunity to show up for the person carrying the child in any way, shape, or form, then do it.
“This could be done unselfishly and without looking for anything reciprocal.
“They can also find joy while maintaining what is best for their children, which is not always the parents being together.
“No matter what the relationship looks like now, both parents must prioritize time with the child and bonding.”
