Serena Williams Pops Up Pregnant With Baby No. 2 Despite Prior Maternal Health Complications

Serena Jameka Williams was Gucci down at the Met Gala. The darling of tennis served in a black and bedazzled two-piece ensemble with white tulle that cascaded to the ground and into a train. On her head, she wore a blinged out headpiece by Lelet NY. Layers of Tiffany & Co. pearls dropped from her neckline. On her arm was her bearded hubby Alexis Ohanian. On her midsection, she donned a baby bump that indicates the tennis royalty is with child and expanding her brood with baby number two. Serena announced the pregnancy, subtly, in an Instagram post:

“Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala,” the caption read above a rundown of glam credits and below a slideshow of five images. 

A litany of congratulations erupted in the comments sections from a number of followers and celebrities, including actress and Instagram influencer Tabitha Brown, tech titan Bozoma St. John, Ciara, Michael B. Jordan and Boris Kudjoe. Even Barbie by Mattel sent a “Glowing ✨ Congrats!”

Certainly, the public can say we didn’t see this coming, particularly when Serena endured the horrors of being a Black woman navigating maternal health, and was one of the more vocal celebs that spoke up and advocated for Black women’s experience of medical neglect and postpartum depression. The three-time Olympic winner was candid about almost losing her life after delivering her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. by C-section—and developing a pulmonary embolism. She penned an article for CNN, detailing her ordeal in 2018. BLACK ENTERPRISE is wishing Serena a healthier birthing experience and an even healthy newborn baby

Black women succumb to childbirth at higher rates than white and Hispanic women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced a report in 2021 that revealed “the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black (subsequently, Black) women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times the rate for non-Hispanic White (subsequently, White) women.” 

Organizations such as National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC); Sista Midwife Productions and the Sista Midwife Directory and Black Mamas Matter Alliance are working to address racial disparity and foster healthier maternal outcomes from Black women. 

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