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Serena Williams is embracing the postpartum life. The former tennis player, 42, shared a new photo of herself in a white bikini while holding her baby girl, Adira. The two were on a boat ride overlooking the scenic ocean, per her latest Instagram post.
“Loving yourself is essential,” Serena wrote in the caption. “I find that I have to remind myself of that self-love through all different stages in my life. Right now, I love that my body is not picture-perfect. I love that I smell like milk — that milk sustains @adiraohanian. I love getting to know a new version of my body. It is a change, but it’s a change that has been well worth it. So, start this week, knowing that you are loved, and that starts with you.”
While she’s embracing her body now, Serena added at the end of her caption, “OK, now I’m about to go to the gym.”
The champion shares her daughters, Adira and Olympia, with her husband, Alexis Ohanian. She welcomed Adira, 6 months, in August 2023 and Olympia, 6, in 2017.
Commenters praised Serena for her candidness about her physicality. “Beautiful mama, strong woman, forever and always GOAT,” one fan wrote under Serena’s post. “You look great, mama, always do,” another chimed in, while a separate person added, “Serena — what if your body IS picture perfect?? You are smoking hot then and now!”
This wasn’t the first time that the athlete has opened up about self-confidence and pregnancy. Earlier this year, Serena shared an Instagram video, in which she showcased a floor-length denim skirt that she wanted to fit into, which she noted was the “goal” in the clip.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to be able to fit this when I don’t have a belly,’” she said while trying to pull the pants up. “I can’t fit it. Houston, we’ve got a problem.”
During her September 2022 interview with Vogue, the mother of two revealed that she was initially reluctant to have children.
“Earlier in my career, I never thought about having kids,” Serena said. “There were times when I’ve wondered if I should ever bring kids into this world, with all its problems. I was never that confident or comfortable around babies or children.” However, she added, when it came to Olympia, “nothing is a sacrifice for [her].” Serena concluded by noting, “It all just makes sense.”
This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife
