Metta World Peace And Wife Maya Expecting First Baby Together
Metta World Peace, the retired NBA star formerly known as Ron Artest, is about to become a dad once more! A rep for Metta and his wife, Maya Sandiford Artest, confirmed that they are expecting their first baby together. This will be Metta’s fifth child, joining his sons Ron III and Jeron, and daughters Sadie and Diamond.
Speaking with PEOPLE, the couple said, “We have been together for 12 years now, so it’s been in the making for quite some time. “But to be honest, I was told by my OB that I may not be ovulating.”
“We expected it would take some time and may need to look into IVF, so it was definitely a surprise to find out we were pregnant just a few months later. We consider ourselves very lucky!” they added.
Maya’s journey through pregnancy has been a mix of emotions. “The first trimester was an absolute nightmare. I was sick every day,” she revealed, adding, ” I feel like women don’t talk enough about how brutal the first trimester can be, maybe in fear of appearing ungrateful,” Maya says. “But I’m here to say that all women, the first tri can be absolute s— and I think it’s okay to say that and talk about it.”
The second trimester was smoother for Maya, but as she enters her third, she’s feeling the discomfort. “The back pain, heartburn, acid reflux and insomnia are no joke! I’ve heard it gets worse from here on out so wish me luck,” she said.
Throughout her pregnancy, Maya has found strong support in Metta. According to her, he has been “amazingly supportive through it all” “from cooking and bringing me food in bed to holding my hair back when I was sick to putting up with pregnancy rage.”
“The pregnancy rage is something else!” she added.
Metta has been doing his best to make things easier. “Honestly, she’s the pregnant one, so I just help out when I can — cravings, massages, stuff like that. But she’s handled it like a boss,” he explained.
Their baby shower was a celebration to remember, with Maya having specific inspirations and a soft baby blue color palette brought to life by Archive Rentals.
“It was a collaborative effort [and] three of my best friends worked tirelessly for weeks to bring this day together,” she said of the shower.
As they prepare to welcome their baby, Metta and Maya are excited about the future. “Playing ball, just kidding. I’m excited to be there for the birth and all the early stages. I missed a lot with my other kids because of work, so I want to witness it all,” the former NBA star stated.
