Originally appeared on E! Online
Serena Williams is laying it all on the court.
The tennis legend — who welcomed her second daughter Adira River with husband Alexis Ohanian last August — recently shared insight into her postpartum journey.
"Loving yourself is essential," Williams began her Feb. 12 Instagram, alongside a photo of herself in a bikini and cradling her 6-month-old. "I find that I have to remind myself of that self-love through all different stages in my life."
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For the 42-year-old, practicing self-love includes not sweating over a snap back.
"Right now I love that my body is not picture perfect," she shared. "I love that I smell like milk—that milk sustains @adiraohanian. I love getting to know a new version of my body. It is a change, but it's a change that has been well worth it."
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Williams — who also shares daughter Olympia, 6, with the Reddit co-founder — concluded her post with an all-star reminder. "So start this week," she added, "knowing that you are loved, and that starts with you."
Photos: Serena Williams Through the Years
The mom of two has been candid about her motherhood journey, documenting the highs, the lows and everything in-between — like the time she used breastmilk to heal her skin.
"I completely got burned under my eye," she said in a Dec. 3 TikTok. "It works for my kid...They say put breastmilk on everything and I have extra, so I'm gonna try it for a week and see how it goes."
In the caption of her video, she offered an update, noting, "After a week of using my breastmilk under my eye, it worked!"
But not every motherhood moment has been as sweet as breastmilk.
Last November, the retired athlete opened up about her mental health struggles. "I am not ok today," she posted on X at the time. "And that's ok to not be ok. No one is ok every single day. If you are not ok today I'm with you. There's always tomorrow. Love you."
She later posted a selfie of her and Adira, writing, "This makes me so happy."
