Hailey Bieber: I'm “not the same person" since having a baby
'You grew a human. You birthed a human. Give yourself grace.'
Model and entrepreneur Hailey Bieber says she has changed “head to toe” since having her first child with husband Justin Bieber.
In her latest Vogue cover story, Bieber opens up about adjusting to motherhood and “learning a new version of myself” which involved acceptance and self compassion.
She gave birth to her son, Jack, in August of last year and says: “Every day I have to talk to myself, like, ‘Hailey, you had a baby,’” she tells Vogue. “‘You grew a human. You birthed a human. It’s okay. Give yourself grace. Give yourself time.’”
“You're not the same person that you were before. You change head to toe”.
Acceptance of her situation wasn’t immediate, though: Bieber admits that there was a period after welcoming her son where she kept “hyper-fixating on getting back to what I was.” Something that so many mothers can relate to. “I had to go through that acceptance of, ‘I’m not going back’”, she said. “So it’s really about how do I want to move forward? Who do I want to be?”
On top of adjusting to life as a new mum, Bieber also has to deal with the public's constant gaze. “Being postpartum is the most sensitive time I’ve ever gone through in my life, and learning a new version of myself is very difficult,” she tells Vogue. And to be doing that all the while going on the internet every day and people being like, ‘they’re getting divorced’ and ‘they’re this’ and ‘they’re not happy’: It is such a mindf***. I cannot even begin to explain it. It’s a crazy life to live.”
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She’s not letting the pressure get to her, though. “I am in a space where I just don’t accept it. I don’t allow it anymore. We don’t have to allow those things into our space if we don’t want to.”
Bieber explained she has found new ways to prioritise her mental health, crediting therapy, exercise (pilates and strength training), placenta pills and making her house a “sanctuary” to help navigate the constant buzz around her.
She also shares how becoming a mother has brought a sense of ease and confidence into her life: “I like who I am so much more than I ever have. There’s an ease that comes with [being a mother], a confidence. You really start to give less of a f*** about so many things. You’re just like, ‘I don’t have the time, actually. I don’t have the energy.’”
Hear, hear.
