Summer Walker is shedding light on Black maternal health during a recent episode of her show Over It Radio. The singer had a chat with fellow artist Mariah the Scientist and revealed she had a near-death birthing experience.
“The second one, it sucked bad. Real bad,” Summer told her guest. “But, believe it or not, the second birth was shorter than the first one.”
The multi-award-winning artist is a mother to three children. She gave birth to her eldest child, Bubbles Renee Walker, in 2021 with producer and rapper, London on Da Track. Summer also has twin boys, whom she gave birth to at the end of 2022.
The Girls Need Love singer said labor when giving birth to her twins lasted around “seven hours.” However, her first time giving birth was dire—the singer’s labor with Bubbles was around 52 hours long.
Walker added, “That s—t was bad. All of it’s bad.” She admitted that she “almost died both times.” The singer has also stated that she chose home births for all of her deliveries.
Walker isn’t quiet when it comes to speaking up about Black maternal health and advocating for parental rights. In January 2024, the Over It artist posted a reel advocating for federal paid leave. The artist also partnered with Bobbie, an organic baby formula brand, to help raise money for families in need.
“One in four women living in the US returns to work within two weeks of giving birth. At two weeks, I was just beginning to physically, mentally, and emotionally heal from giving birth, so to know that parents are going back to work in this fragile state is just devastating. It’s time for the government to pick up the slack. 84% of all Americans support federal paid leave, and yet 73% of private sector employees don’t have it,” Walker’s caption began.
“This is why I’m proud to partner with @bobbie to help put money in the pockets of families who need it: $580, to be exact—the minimum monthly benefit under the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, if passed. All you have to do is tell us your leave story and what $580 would mean to you. Link in our bio to apply. This is no way sponsored by Instagram. Applications are open until January 26, 2024. #parentspushharder #passpaidleave #bobbiepartner,” she concluded.
Summer has openly expressed her desire to have more children on multiple occasions, despite criticism from social media users. Just in February, the singer caused quite a stir when she wrote, “I’m literally so sad I can’t have a [woman holding baby emoji] this year,” on an Instagram story post.