Ashanti welcomes 1st child with Nelly, says she is '4 weeks postpartum'
"I've been waiting to be a mom for a long time," Ashanti said.
Ashanti is a mom!
On Wednesday, a rep for Ashanti confirmed the news to "Good Morning America" and said the singer-songwriter and her fiance, rapper Nelly, welcomed Baby Haynes four weeks ago on July 18.
A rep for Nelly also shared a statement from the rapper who said, "Having kids is always a blessing and Seeing how dope Ashanti is as a mother is awesome."
Ashanti took to Instagram to share the news and said she is "four weeks postpartum."
"You have no idea what this body can do," the Grammy Award-winning singer said in a video.
In the caption of the post she wrote, "Funny how life's plans aren't…always on time.. Lol."
"I've been waiting to be a mom for a long time now but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings!" she added. "This is what postpartum looks like."
"I'm so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby," she said, referencing the lyrics to her 2002 hit song, "Baby."
Ashanti and Nelly first started dating in 2003 and were together for 10 years before parting ways. The couple released the song "Body On Me," from Ashanti's album "The Declaration," with Akon in 2008.
Eight years after their breakup, in 2021, Ashanti and Nelly reconnected and rekindled their relationship.
Nelly spoke about his rekindled relationship with Ashanti in a September 2023 interview with Rasheeda Widad Buckner-Frost on her Philo show, "Boss Moves with Rasheeda."
"Yeah, we cool again," Nelly said at the time. "I think it surprised both of us though. It wasn't anything planned, I think we both were just doing what we do, but sometimes being separate, you understand one another more."
"There's no pressure," the "Ride Wit Me" singer added about the relationship. "Before, I felt like both of us were doing what we're doing career-wise. And when you got so many people in the middle of it, it can be tough."
That same month, Ashanti told People that she and Nelly were "in a great space."
"Everything is positive, we're having a lot of fun," she said at the time.
In April 2024, Ashanti announced her engagement to Nelly and her pregnancy exclusively to ESSENCE.
"This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation," she said at the time. "Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience."
In July, Ashanti was surprised with a sweet baby shower and celebrated with Nelly and loved ones.
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