Beyoncé Talks About Her Difficult Pregnancy In a New Interview With Vogue

The singer looks resplendent on the famed September cover in a white Gucci dress, a cover that made history as the first-ever Vogue cover shot by an African American photographer, 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell. “Until there is a mosaic of perspectives coming from different ethnicities behind the lens, we will continue to have a narrow approach and view of what the world actually looks like,” Beyoncé said in the interview. “That is why I wanted to work with this brilliant 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell.”  

Continuing her usual practice of shunning traditional sit-down interviews, the singer narrated her own essay on subjects ranging from her pregnancy to her epic Coachella performance. In the photo captions, she revealed that she was 218 pounds the day she gave birth to her twins Rumi and Sir.

“I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month,” she wrote. “My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me.”

"I look at the woman I was in my 20s and I see a young lady growing into confidence but intent on pleasing everyone around her," says @Beyonce in our September issue cover story. "I now feel so much more beautiful, so much sexier, so much more interesting. And so much more powerful." Inspired by @Beyonce's words, 11 women share the advice they would give their 20-something selves; tap the link in our bio to read. Photographed by @tylersphotos, fashion editor @tonnegood, Vogue, September 2018.

A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on Aug 6, 2018 at 9:51am PDT

According to the Mayo Clinic, toxemia — or preeclampsia — is a pregnancy complication that can cause high blood pressure and damage to other organ systems, mainly the liver and kidneys. Kim Kardashian also suffered from the condition during her pregnancy with her daughter North. After her pregnancy, Beyoncé said that “my core felt different” and that she “embraced being curvier.”

“In preparation for her Coachella performance, I became vegan temporarily, gave up coffee, alcohol, and all fruit drinks,” she wrote. “But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too.”

The singer also talked about her historic Coachella performance, where she was the first black woman ever to headline the festival. What many agreed was the performance’s most powerful moment, the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — known as the black national anthem — came from a tender moment with her daughter.

“One day I was randomly singing the black national anthem to Rumi while putting her to sleep. I started humming it to her every day. In the show at the time I was working on a version of the anthem with these dark minor chords and stomps and belts and screams. After a few days of humming the anthem, I realized I had the melody wrong. I was singing the wrong anthem. One of the most rewarding parts of the show was making that change. I swear I felt pure joy shining down on us.”

Read the full interview — and see the breathtaking photographs — here.