Courtesy Laila Ali |
While pregnant with her first child, athlete Laila Ali was no exception to the rule: the countless tips, tricks, and tidbits of advice came pouring in from all around her, in hopes to prepare her for the big day. Included in the words of wisdom was none other than the popular warning of how much life changes after baby; For the new mom, her new responsibilities are “a good thing” and she wouldn’t miss out on her new life for a minute. “I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. This is my little sweetie pie. I can’t wait to come home to him and his dad every day,” she tells The Insider.
The helpful advice proved to have a certain ring of truth to it, says Laila, who has realized the value of sleep. Since welcoming her son, Curtis ‘CJ’ Muhammad Conway Jr., 6 months next week, Laila admits that the forewarning of sleep deprivation has certainly panned out! “You know, you hear you’re going to lose a lot of sleep, but you can’t really imagine it until it starts happening,” she says. However, the 31-year-old, elbows deep in midnight feedings and diaper duty, refuses to put motherhood on a back burner. “There’s nothing you can do about it. When the baby’s up, you have to be up and that’s just the way it is,” explains Laila, adding,
“I’d much rather do it myself. I know there’s options — all the night nurses and all that — but I don’t want to take away the joy of parenthood. I’m going to…earn my stripes!”
Born into a famous family filled with professional athletes, there is little doubt that baby CJ will soon be following in his parents — and grandparents — footsteps. That said, according to his proud mama, who is confident her son will “be able to handle whatever he gets into because we’re going to make sure he has the best training,” he will hopefully steer clear of boxing. “I don’t encourage anybody to box [and I'm] definitely not going to encourage my own son,” shares Laila. The same can’t be said for the proud papa, former NFL player Curtis Conway!
“If he decides to play football, that’s fine. I’m not going to steer him in that direction, but I know his dad will! I love just seeing him tackling him on the bed, trying to get him ready for football already. Sometimes I say, ‘Okay, baby, he’s only 5 months,’ but [CJ's] rough. He loves playing rough.”
Find out who CJ is taking after and how close Laila is to her weightloss goal below!
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