Serena Williams Didn’t Feel A ‘Connection’ With Daughter During Pregnancy: I Was Nervous About Meeting My Baby

Serena Williams and daughter Alexis

Serena Williams Didn’t Feel A ‘Connection’ With Daughter During Pregnancy: I Was Nervous About Meeting My Baby

Serena Williams is getting candid about the emotional struggles she faced during her pregnancy!

In a recently published personal essay, the 40-year-old tennis legend opened up about her tumultuous childbirth experience and revealed that she initially didn’t feel a connection with her daughter, Alexis ‘Olympia’ Ohanian Jr.,4, until after she gave birth! Serena Williams explained,

Serena Williams & daughter Olympia

“Yes, I was a lioness who would protect her baby at any cost, but I wasn’t gushing over her. I kept waiting to feel like I knew her during pregnancy, but the feeling never came. Some of my mom friends told me they didn’t feel the connection in the womb either, which made me feel better, but still, I longed for it.”

“When I finally saw her — and I just knew it was going to be a girl, that was one thing I knew about her before we even had it confirmed. I loved her right away. It wasn’t exactly instantaneous, but it was there, and from that seed, it grew. I couldn’t stop staring at her, my Olympia.”

Serena Williams & daughter

“I spent the night in the hospital with my baby in the room. When I woke up, she was nestled in my arms. The rest of my body was paralyzed. I couldn’t get out of bed because my legs were still numb, but it didn’t matter. Alexis and I sat there, alone with our new baby. It was surreal to feel the presence of this third person in the room.”

Olympia Ohanian, Alexis Ohanian Sr.

“My whole life I’ve been physically pushing my body to the limits, and this is the one time where I couldn’t control anything. I couldn’t push my body. My body was pushed to its maximum. That was so hard.”

Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter