Beyonce on Motherhood: Last Year, Singer Said She Wasn't Ready to Become a Mom

Just last year, the singer said she wasn't ready to put a hold on her career.

ByABC News
August 29, 2011, 10:58 AM

Aug. 29, 2011— -- Awards shows have become a treasure trove of embarrassing, shocking and incredible show-stopping moments, but the buzz from last night's MTV Video Music Awards today is not Lady Gaga's morphing into a male alter-ego -- it's Beyonce's baby bump.

The pop superstar set off a flurry of excitement before the show began when she announced on the red carpet that she had a "surprise." Then, at the conclusion of a roaring performance of her song "Love on Top," she placed her hands around her belly to show a protruding baby bump.

The admission of her pregnancy, later confirmed by Beyonce's spokesperson, ended years of rumors that she and husband Jay-Z were expecting their first child together.

In an exclusive interview in November 2010, Beyonce, who turns 30 in September, told "Nightline" anchor Cynthia McFadden that she was not ready to be a mother.

"It's difficult because one day I'm going to decide to have a child, and I want people to be excited, and they're going to be like, 'Lord, OK, she's been pregnant 25 times,'" Beyonce said at the time. "I definitely want to have a child and be a mother. But that happens when it's time, and when I plan it and when my husband plans it."

Career-driven, Beyonce said she still had more she wanted to accomplish before becoming a mother.

"There are certain things I want to do so I can really focus on being a mother," Beyonce said. "But I still am in such a great place in my career. I feel like I should wait 'til I'm really, really ready."

It will be the first child for Beyonce and rap mogul Jay-Z, 41. The couple has been married since 2008.