shakira-second-pregnancy

Grammy Award-winning singer Shakira and her beau, football star Gerard Piqué, are proud parents to sons Milan, 2, and Sasha, 3 weeks. The A-list couple are using their celebrity platform, as well as the birth of their second child, to do some good.

Teaming up with UNICEF to throw a “World Baby Shower,” the Colombian pop superstar blogs for Baby Center and shares why it was so important for her and Gerard to support those less fortunate.

“As the time of my son’s birth grew closer, I was full of anticipation,” Shakira writes, referring to her first pregnancy with Milan. “Nonetheless, with every gift that was given to my son through the generosity of family or friends, I thought of mothers who couldn’t count on even the most basic resources for their children in those first crucial stages of life, who often don’t have access to vaccines, clean water, or even a proper birthing environment. For these mothers, having a baby, however happy an event, is often a risk to their own health or their newborn’s.”

The singer talks about partnering with UNICEF “to throw a World Baby Shower that asked for gifts to be sent to places where they are not only appreciated, but where they can actually save lives.” She adds that the positive response to their efforts were “overwhelming and emotional.”

“With our second son, we wanted to take it one step further, and invite other parents to host their own showers that help benefit other babies and mothers living in extreme poverty,” she continues. “The feeling of sharing a happy event with others by helping those less fortunate is profoundly rewarding, and made the birth of our own child that much more sweet.”

As for the second time around, Shakira admits she felt much less stress.

“This time around, during my second pregnancy, like many mothers, I felt more confident,” she writes. “The questions that kept me up at night with my first now seem more manageable and I have more perspective about their importance in the bigger picture.”

“What I never want to forget, or stop questioning, is why every child and mother doesn’t enjoy that same sense of security,” she adds. “My hope is that by the time my sons are adults, they can look back and see how even small efforts can have a big impact when multiplied—and that they take the time to tackle the big questions of their time too.”

Shakira has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2003. In 2013 she joined forces with UNICEF to host her first World Baby Shower, which raised 3.8 tons of therapeutic food packets and nearly 100,000 polio vaccines for children living in extreme poverty.

To read Shakira’s full blog post, head over to Baby Center…