Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, dazzled in a stunning black and white outfit adorned with countless pearls.
The little secret that Williams revealed, however, was arguably the most astounding aspect of her appearance at the MET Ball. In a chat with Vogue correspondent La La Anthony, Williams and Ohanian announced their second pregnancy!
It will be Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and the second child. their oldest kid.
Williams has previously been transparent about her first labor experience. Williams shared the terrifying moment when she saved her own life after the birth of her daughter Olympia in 2022.
In a piece for Elle that she adapted from the anthology Arrival Stories: Women Share Their Experiences of Becoming Mothers, edited by Amy Schumer and Christy Turlington Burns, Williams discussed how speaking up for herself after giving birth saved her life.
Before the Olympics, Williams’ body was primarily used for tennis, and she continued by stating that since having a baby, “the stakes of the game have changed for me. ”.
“For so long, tennis has been the owner of my body. I know my body, and I’ve had every kind of injury imaginable,” she writes. “When I learned that I was expecting two days before the 2017 Australian Open, my body had already changed its allegiance. ”.
The stakes of the game have changed for me now that I have a child because its primary focus was on growing and raising this baby who appeared to have happened upon haphazardly. I am the only active player with 23 Grand Slam victories to my credit. But now, having success is a desire rather than a necessity. ”.
I still aspire to titles, success, and esteem, but having a lovely daughter at home does not inspire me to get out of bed in the morning. Beyond just winning, this game has more to teach the player,” she continues.
“I’ve learned to pick myself up after failure, to stand up for what is important at all costs, and to demand what is right — even when it makes me unpopular. As it turned out, having my child put to the test how often and how loudly I would need to yell before someone would finally hear me.
She also talked about how she didn’t feel a connection to Olympia until she met her infant. “I was looking forward to meeting my child. I had never felt a connection to her during my pregnancy. ”.
“My pregnancy wasn’t that amazing, though I did enjoy it. Oh my God, this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. We’re expected to fall in love right away, so people try to avoid talking about it. Although I was a fearsome lioness who would stop at nothing to defend her cub, I wasn’t swooning over her. Throughout my pregnancy, I awaited the moment when I would feel like I knew her. When some of my mom’s friends admitted that they had the same connection while in the womb, it made me feel better, but I continued to yearn for it.
Williams, who has previously spoken about her traumatic birth experience, describes the crowded birthing room in her article, from the “meetings going on without me” to her desperate need for “calm, affirmative direction. Williams’ doctor ultimately recommended that she have a C-section, and the athlete claimed that this made her feel “relieved to let go. ”.
“Controlling and utilizing your body’s power are crucial components of being an athlete, but you also need to know when to give up. I felt thrilled and relieved to let go as the energy in the room completely changed, she remarked. We have a clear plan for bringing this baby into the world as a result of this challenging, seeming endless process. ”.
As a result of her postpartum experience, Williams was able to regain her independence. “Black women in the US have a nearly threefold increased risk of passing away during or right after childbirth. Specialists believe that many of these deaths could have been avoided,” she says.
“I know those statistics would be different if the medical establishment paid attention to every Black woman’s experience, but getting heard and getting the right care meant the difference between life and death. ”.
Williams continued by describing how none of the nurses in her immediate vicinity “really listened to what I was saying” before she could speak with her doctor and request a CAT scan of her lungs following numerous procedures.
“I fought valiantly, and I finally had the CAT scan. I’m thankful for her, she writes. The doctors found a blood clot in my lungs and had to insert a filter into my veins to dissolve it before it got to my heart.
Jennifer Lopez spends some one-on-one time with Violet Affleck, her new stepdaughter, while the blended family is celebrating Ben Affleck’s 50th birthday in New York.
