Nicki Minaj Opens Up About Her ‘Fear and Anxiety’ in Balancing Career and Motherhood

Rapper Nicki Minaj is getting candid about motherhood.

Minaj gave birth to a son with husband Kenneth Petty in 2020 and told E! News exclusively that when she has to be away from him for work, it feels like her heart "is being ripped out."

"I'm very attached to my son," she said. "I remember being in the U.K. and just bawling. 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."

The 39-year-old is also very hands-on with her two-year-old son, who she refers to as "Papa Bear," and said she has "never had a nanny."

As a Trinidadian woman, Minaj explained that "culturally" they are "not really used to nannies and strangers taking care of the babies."

"It's not a bad thing when moms do it," she added. "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."

Minaj shared that her son is "the light of my world," but also revealed that she has dealt with anxiety since becoming a mother.

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She also said that she deals with "fear and anxiety" when it comes to trying to balance motherhood and her career.

"I think moms feel like they have to be perfect. I hate that I have more anxiety now because you're like, 'What if the one time I leave my child, I get that phone call?'" She shared.

Despite her anxiety, Minaj said that she does want more children just "not at this moment."

"I do want to have more. Not at this moment, but I don't want to deprive my son of siblings," she explained. "Having siblings, it causes you to have problem management skills early on in life. I would feel guilty if I didn't give Papa Bear another sibling or two."