Attention new moms: Chanel West Coast is here to share what you can expect when you're not expecting.
More than a month after undergoing an emergency C-section to deliver a baby girl named Bowie, the Ridiculousness star is reflecting on her postpartum journey and the changes she is experiencing.
"I had to have a C-section, which was not something that I had any idea would have to happen," Chanel told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I have a scar now that's not something I really wanted." As for her tummy itself, "I've always had a pretty flat stomach and my stomach is taking a lot longer to go down."
But after the second week of motherhood, the 34-year-old singer said she started to see her scar improving and her body adjusting.
"It's a little bit of a struggle because it's not the exact body I'm used to before being pregnant," she admitted. Though it's certainly shifted her perspective. "It's funny because I'll go and look back at pictures from when I was really skinny and I can't believe I ever thought with that body that I was fat."
And, yes, Chanel knows it's been a month, but she's hoping her honesty will connect with others going through the emotional postpartum period. By sharing her story, Chanel aims to inspire other women who don't feel great about their body after giving birth. She's also spreading her message of body positivity through her swimwear line Coasty Swim.
At the end of the year, Chanel and her boyfriend Dom Fenison will travel to Miami to ring in 2023. While there, the designer hopes to model some of her bikinis and celebrate all that her body has done for her.
"My body's not going to be where I wanted it to be and that's okay," she said. "I'm fully ready to take pictures in the bikinis with whatever body I have at the time and feel confident in it. If the more low-cut bikinis happen to show my scar, that's fine. It's the scar from giving birth to my child. It is something that I'm excited to show the world that you can model a bikini in any body even right after giving birth."
Until her getaway, Chanel is savoring every moment with her baby girl. In just the first month, baby Bowie has kept Mom on her toes with unpredictable sleep schedules and even a little "sassy" attitude.
She'll take the ‘tude and the new figure, though, because of everything that comes with it.
"I had a great body and I think that after being pregnant, you appreciate your body so much more," she said. "You realize that this body just made a human and I'm just happy that she came out healthy and happy. I don't think that any scar matters when you have this beautiful little child to look at every day."