Beyonce had to undergo an emergency caesarean section to deliver twins Sir and Rumi last year (17).
The superstar has been tapped to grace the front of U.S. Vogue's prestigious September issue, with the snaps taken by 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell, the first African-American photographer to helm the publication's cover imagery in its 125-year history.
In an as-told-to feature recounted by journalist Clover Hope, Beyonce began by recalling how she "put pressure on herself" to lose the baby weight after giving birth to Blue Ivy - her six-year-old daughter with husband JAY-Z - but changed her attitude to body image after welcoming her twins in June 2017.
"I was 218 pounds (98 kilograms) the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxaemia (blood poisoning by toxins) and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies' health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section," the 36-year-old shared. "After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover. During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be."
Now having researched her family history, the Crazy in Love hitmaker is adamant that becoming a mother to twins is evidence of a gift from a higher power.
"I come from a lineage of broken male-female relationships, abuse of power, and mistrust," she explained, adding that she recently learned that she is descended from a slave owner who married a slave. "I questioned what it meant and tried to put it into perspective. I now believe it's why God blessed me with my twins. Male and female energy was able to coexist and grow in my blood for the first time.
"I pray that I am able to break the generational curses in my family and that my children will have less complicated lives."
