'It's tough in the beginning. The baby's crying all the time and you don't know why - you don't know if it's gas,' the athlete admits.
- Jul 5, 2018
AceShowbiz - Tennis superstar Serena Williams didn't feel like a supermum in the weeks after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia, because she couldn't stop her baby from crying.
The athlete, model and entrepreneur became a first-time mum last year (17) and is back on the tennis circuit following a hiatus from the sport, playing at Wimbledon in London.
Always considered one of the world's most intimidating females, Serena admits she was a mess as a mum as her dream turned into a bit of a nightmare - and she could not stop weeping.
"It's tough in the beginning. The baby's crying all the time and you don't know why - you don't know if it's gas, you don't know if she's sick, you don't know if it's just colic," she tells People. "So I just started crying with her because I couldn't help her and I wanted to help her and I couldn't, so I just started crying".
She also admits she turned to God and prayed "a little bit" when she stopped breastfeeding Alexis.
"I literally sat Olympia in my arms, I talked to her, we prayed about it. I told her, 'Look, I'm going to stop. Mommy has to do this'. I cried a little bit.
"After (I stopped breastfeeding)... I lost 10 pounds in a week. It was crazy. I just kept dropping... That's when I learned that everything was different".
Wimbledon and other tournaments are now a struggle for Serena, because she misses her kid: "It definitely surprises me," she explains, revealing she now craves the pressure of winning.
"I have this amazing child, all these grand slams... I definitely feel a lot less pressure out there, but I'm a little bit shocked at how much I almost want that pressure," she adds.
Serena is back to her winning ways at Wimbledon, advancing to the third round of the annual tournament after beating Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets.
