Nicki Minaj Says She's Had 'Anxiety' Since Becoming a Mom to Her 2-Year-Old Son

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Nicki Minaj/instagram

Nicki Minajis getting candid about herexperience with motherhood.

Minaj, 39, expressed in aninterviewwith E! News published Wednesday that she’s had “more anxiety” since becoming a mom.

The “Super Freaky Girl” rapperwelcomed her first child, a son whom she’s nicknamed “Papa Bear,” on Sept. 30, 2020.

Because Minaj is very attached to her 2-year-old, she said she often feels like her “heart is being ripped out” every time she is away from him. “I remember being in the U.K. and just bawling,” she told the outlet. “And when I try to FaceTime him, I get more sad. So, I try to hold out on FaceTiming him because to then put the phone down is so difficult.”

According to Minaj,her son— whom she shares with husbandKenneth “Zoo” Petty— has never had a nanny.

“I’m a Trinidadian woman. Culturally, we’re not really used to nannies and strangers taking care of the babies,” she said. “It’s not a bad thing when moms do it. It’s just that I have to get conditioned. I have to get it out of my mind that it’s a weird thing, because there are tons of celebrities that are doing it and they’re raising amazing children.”

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“I hate that I have more anxiety now because you’re like, ‘What if the one time I leave my child, I getthatphone call?” she said, adding: “I think moms feel like they have to be perfect.”

When asked if her fears would prevent her from having more children, she added that she would feel guilty if she “didn’t give Papa Bear another sibling or two.”

Onhis first birthday, she couldn’t help but gush about the toddler.

She shared a carousel of images on Instagram from aKung Fu Panda-themed party held for him, writing: “On Sept. 30th you turned 1. Mama is so proud of you, PapaBear. You’re the best boy in the whole wide world. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but God bless you, son. Mommy & Daddy will never stop loving you.#KungFuPanda.”

Earlier this year, Minaj shared onThe Late Late Show with James Cordenthat motherhood has changed her completely.

RELATED VIDEO:Nicki MinajShares New Photos of Her Son as She Thanks Newborn for ‘Choosing Me To Be Your Mama’

“I think motherhood has made me see more good in people, more good in the universe. It makes you more of a forgiving person,” sheexplained on the show.

source: people.com