Corey Bost Elle King and Dan Tooker
Elle King is expecting a “Baby Outlaw”.
In the new edition of PEOPLE, the Grammy-nominated rocker reveals that she is pregnant and expecting a baby with her fiancé Dan Tooker.
“This is something that I have not only wanted for as long as I can remember, but it is something that I have struggled with for a long time,” said King, 31, who is in the second quarter. “Every day of this pregnancy is a miracle.”
In fact, the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer has been battling infertility and previously suffered two pregnancy losses due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that causes a hormonal imbalance.
“It’s such an important thing that so many people go through, but it’s so secret – like you have to go through it alone,” says King of pregnancy loss. “Nobody talks about it. It’s like you should be ashamed; like you shouldn’t be telling people before 12 weeks, because if you lose, it’s going to be embarrassing for you and you don’t want other people to raise your hopes. Like, holy s-. “
She adds: “When I got pregnant, I told my mom, I told my dad, I told my sister, I told my brother, I told my closest friends. I will need my family and the people who love me to say, ‘Okay’. “
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Corey Bost Elle King
“I experienced a loss and going through that pain of losing two pregnancies, it seems that life is over, life is over. You have to go through this period of intense grief and really draining and shocking. You feel like that. A failure”, continues King. “So, when [you get pregnant again], you are so afraid to enjoy and be happy because you are so afraid that it will be taken away. Just because I am having a pregnancy that is going well now, does not mean that I have overcome any pregnancy. “
This time, however, “I’m learning to be happy for myself,” said King. “There is a lot of anxiety around this, but it is also very exciting.”
King and Tooker, a 31-year-old tattoo artist with whom she was engaged last October, learned of the happy news on December 25.
“We found out at Christmas. I couldn’t imagine a Christmas present better than a positive pregnancy test, ”said King.
Corey Bost Elle King and Dan Tooker
As for the sex of the baby, King and Tooker followed the advice of their father, Rob Schneider, and will find out when they receive it.
“My dad says you have two real surprises in life: what you get when you’re a baby and when you die,” she says.
When the day comes, however, King will have some extra-special support from his mother, the former London King model, who now works as a doula.
“My mother in a natural world would never accept me as a customer. I have a very high maintenance. My needs are very high. But my mom is so wonderful, ”she says. “I mean, with every little thing I feel, whether I think it’s movement or something, I’m like, ‘Mom, is this normal?’ And she just accepts everything. She is very helpful and knowledgeable. “
King believes that some of the recent changes in her lifestyle have helped her to become pregnant. Shortly after the coronavirus crisis hit the United States last year, she listed her home in Los Angeles and moved to a ranch near Santa Fé. She then began to consult a fertility specialist in Albuquerque for her PCOS, which affected King’s weight and also caused irregular periods.
Corey Bost Elle King and Dan Tooker
“I have struggled with this my whole life, gaining weight and being unable to lose weight and irregular periods. My hormones are so spoiled that I ovulate madly. It just happened to catch my ovulation, so my doctor said, ‘Go home and do this. . ‘ It worked and we actually got pregnant with natural ovulation, which I never, in a million years, thought would happen, “says King. “It was just some strange and beautiful miracle.”
Now King is sharing his story in hopes of helping others.
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“I’m nervous about this interview because I have a high-risk pregnancy and I’m like, what if it comes out and something happens to the baby? So it’s like I have an egg in my face. But it’s like, why is there shame in it? Why that you can’t celebrate early life at this stage? “she says. “I just have the opportunity to share parts of my life with people out there. Whatever my platform is, I know I have one. If you’re going to share your fucking life, share it all.”
And so King – who was open about his past divorce and fighting substance abuse and PTSD – is as open as ever.
“I gained weight. I’m big and in charge. At first I was like, ‘Oh my God’, then, I will say, ‘Your body is beautiful. Your body is creating a life. ‘ It is so important to say it out loud, “says King about hugging her body.” And my partner is so good: he will come to me, hug me and just say, ‘You are so beautiful. I love you so much. You are so strong. You are raising our baby. ‘ “
King is also sincere about the desires that she will not be able to satisfy until after the date of delivery.
“You think something clicks, gets pregnant and changes, but nothing about me has changed – except that I’m pregnant. I still long for all the bad things, ”she says. “I stopped smoking a month before I got pregnant. But I’m going to see someone smoking on TV and it’s like, ‘Damn, I didn’t even smoke, but I would like one.’ And I’m not even a big beer drinker, but it’s like, ‘Oh, a beer looks good. How many more months do I have? ‘ And you can’t eat bologna. I’m not even a big mortadella eater, but I went home to Ohio and I was like, ‘Damn it. I want a piece of that damned bologna. ‘ You cannot eat sushi. It’s like, ‘Wow, this is difficult. This is hard.’ “
Speaking of addictions, King does not lose the irony that his cheerful and partying launcher for a new single – “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home)” with his friend Miranda Lambert – was released at a time she didn’t can drink.
“It’s funny that I’m releasing a song and I’m going to sing it everywhere, pregnant as hell,” she admits laughing. “Would it be me! Would you expect less?”