Queen Bey has been looking forward to expanding her dynasty. In honor of the exciting news of the birth of Beyoncé’s twins with husband Jay Z, Us Weekly is taking a look back at what the superstar has said about pregnancy, motherhood and wanting to give siblings to daughter Blue.
In a cover story for Vogue’s March 2013 issue, the “Halo” singer, 35, opened up about how she formed a tight bond with 5-year-old Blue — whom she affectionately calls her “homey” and her “best friend” — even before her birth in January 2012.
“I felt very maternal around eight months, and I thought I couldn’t become any more until I saw the baby. But it happened during my labor because I had a very strong connection with my child. I felt like when I was having contractions, I envisioned my child pushing through a very heavy door,” the chart-topping diva told the magazine. “And I imagined this tiny infant doing all the work, so I couldn’t think about my own pain …. We were talking. I know it sounds crazy, but I felt a communication.”
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During that same interview, Beyoncé also revealed that she never felt sexier than after she became a mom. “Right now, after giving birth, I really understand the power of my body, just feel my body means something completely different. I feel a lot more confident about it,” she said. “Even being heavier, thinner, whatever. I feel a lot more like a woman. More feminine, more sensual. And no shame.”
After Blue made her debut, the 22-time Grammy winner realized that the love she has for her career could never compare to the feelings she has for her first child. “I feel like I have something that has grounded me so much more. Family has always been important. I’ve always had my mother and my father and my husband,” she told Vogue in 2013. “But it’s just …. Life is so much more than … It’s not defined by any of this [fame and money].”
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That said, she does her best to juggle her responsibilities as a mother with her jam-packed work schedule as one of the most successful entertainers in the world.
“I have so much admiration for women who are mothers, who balance family and work. I see them and I have this word in my head — respect. I also look to learn. I see these women and I think, ‘Yes, it can be balanced, it can all work out,'” she told Cosmopolitan UK in 2011, the year she announced her first pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards. “I do believe that it’s possible to have it all — work, a career, babies. It’s all a question of being very organized. That’s what I’m getting my head around.”
In her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream, Beyoncé explained how becoming a mother made her feel more fulfilled. “I felt like God was giving me a chance to assist in a miracle. There is something so relieving about life taking over you like that,” she said. “You’re playing a part in a much bigger show. And that’s what life is. It’s the greatest show on Earth.”
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That same year, the pop icon sat down with Good Morning America and revealed that she wished to add to her family of three.
“I would like more children. I think my daughter needs some company. I definitely love being big sister,” Beyoncé, whose younger sibling is Solange Knowles, said at the time. “And I am very protective. I just want to make sure that she can have a healthy, safe, normal life. In the back of my mind, she’s my priority. And life is completely different now. I feel really, really just lucky that I can still do what I love, and now have a way bigger meaning. And that’s to be her mother.”
Beyoncé announced her second pregnancy in February. “We would like to share our love and happiness,” she captioned a stunning shot of herself — dressed in lingerie and a long veil — holding her baby bump on a bed of greenery adorned with colorful flowers. “We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes.”