I'm hoping everyone had the chance to see Beyonce's Homecoming documentary on Netflix. It was much anticipated as we heard how amazing Coachella was through media reports and for her to headline, truly phenomenal! I wanted to touch on 3 things: the overall performance, her revelation of her Preeclampsia experience, and how she felt after delivery in preparing for the big day.
First, we can sum up this performance in 3 words...Fab-U-Lous lol. Listening to the songs, watching the bands play, and seeing the dance moves from a variety of genres really made me proud. And Mrs. Knowles-Carter, I laughed a couple times in watching her facial expressions because you can tell she felt the music and knew she killed every dance move, and I can totally relate to that feeling. It's almost like a high on stage when you've practiced so hard for so long and had some days where you doubted yourself but end up with a "flawless" performance with a positive response from the audience. I'm just mad she didn't call me to perform. I could've tap danced, done a pique turn, and pop-lock-and-dropped it lol. Oh well, maybe next time. I also loved how the music stayed hype. I know sometimes artists want to ensure they include some slower ballads so that their vocal skills are not overshadowed by the dancing or to give the audience and themselves time to cool down but Beyonce' kept the momentum. I need to borrow just a tinch of your stamina ma'am. Wow! Shout out to her for including her talented counterparts like Destiny's Child, her hubby Jay-Z, sis Solange', and the Les Twins, who I remember seeing on World of Dance show. I am so proud of Beyonce' as we all know where she started and she always said she was going to be a big star, and her dream has come true!
Now let's talk about Preeclampsia. As much as we try to eat right, continue to exercise, and regularly attend prenatal visits, this is one condition that has being African American as a risk factor. Say what? Now of course, we see this alot when it comes to diabetes and high blood pressure in general but you mean to tell me that being born a certain ethnicity is a risk? Yep, no surprise. I also know that risk factors increase being an expectant mom of advanced maternal age (>35) and to add on the fact that she was expecting multiples. I applaud her for being courageous and open enough to share her story especially how things can go so fast turning into Preeclampsia/Toxemia and having to experience an emergency c-section. I know quite a few people who have had to experience an emergency c-section and it is quite traumatic having to rush back to the OR and the suspense of not knowing if your baby is going to be ok. I wish I knew more details of her journey like did she have high blood pressure throughout the entire pregnancy? Was she spilling protein in her urine? Did she have to take Baby Aspirin 81mg daily to prevent preeclampsia? Did they discover her BP was high during a prenatal visit or was she hospitalized for something else then it creeped up? Did she have headaches, swelling, or experience flu-like symptoms a short time before things started to turn? I remember during my first pregnancy, near the end, my face and eyes were so puffy and my feet had swelled up like the Nutty Professor. Luckily, I went into labor when I did because I believe if it had been another week, things would've turned.
Finally, Beyonce's preparation for Coachella. It called for some pretty aggressive and intense training to get her body and mental prepared for this performance. She had to juggle caring for her twins in addition to little Blue, working out, eating a diet with restrictions, and using her creativity day and night to ensure this performance was executed exactly the way she dreamed. I wanted to highlight her statement "I will never push myself that far again". I am an advocate of "snapping back" starting 6 months to a year after delivery. I am not an advocate of the snapback movement. What I mean is, these folks that are posting pics of 6 pack abs after 2 weeks delivery like I woke up like this. Really? Get outta here. That is giving false hope and an image to young women out here that all moms should be able to have 6 pack abs with no stretch marks, looking ready for the beach immediately following delivery. It takes about 6 months for your uterus to get back to its regular size and position. Plus, it's important to avoid strenuous activity during your first 6 weeks or longer (especially if c-section) as you can do more damage than good. You can have heavy bleeding/hemorrhaging, you could have wound dehiscence, pull muscles that are trying to heal, just to name a few. Now when she talked about not feeling like she would never be the same, I can completely relate. After my first child, the weight fell off a little faster than the others and my confidence was at level 10. I even felt sexy again (hottest mom in these streets lol). After my last delivery, my confidence was shot. I felt weak, while having to carry 2 car seats around, and too exhausted to workout. I even felt like I couldn't dance and lacked a sense of rhythm, like Dr. Evil stole my mojo or something lol. I felt like I danced "like a mom", no offense. We all have seen that mom or have a mom that jams with the old school moves/bop. I'm K-Boogie and without my skills, I'm just Kimesha. I even remember trying to do a little sensual dance for my hubby just as a teaser and he laughed. After that, it was a long time (years) before I felt like I could dance with confidence again. Five years later, I'm finally back to myself. This past winter, I went to this dance convention with Mariah and they had a parents competition on stage. She kept saying "mom you should do it". I went back into my sunken place and convinced myself that I would be embarrassed and just sat in the audience. But when I saw the other parents that got up, I'm like "wow, I could've won her a scholarship." So the next day, they had a parents class to learn choreography. After you learned the dance, you could freestyle. Baaaaby, when I tell you that I turned into Janet Brown (Janet Jackson/Chris Brown), I clowned on the choreography and ended the freestyle with an eagle spread down to a split. You would've thought I was about to get signed and go on tour. Yeah I felt it the next 3 days (my poor muscles), but it was worth it and was the best I had felt in years. So to all the moms and future moms out there, I just say gradually pace yourself in getting back to your desired weight/size, embrace motherhood, and don't beat yourself up for something that you were chosen to do such as go through pregnancy and bring a beautiful child into the world. Shine on Queens! Smooches! ~Yo! Mama
Comments