Naya Rivera Says ‘I Completely Let Myself Go’

Since Glee finished up its final season, Naya Rivera has been busy with her memoir, Sorry, Not Sorry, and a few television guest appearances on Devious Maids and American Dad, but, more recently, Naya has been relaxing and getting the most out of her first pregnancy. The former Glee star recently opened up about her pregnancy, revealing that she took an uncommon outlook towards being pregnant.

Former Glee Star Naya Rivera Takes Some Of The Stress Out Of Being Pregnant

Naya is back to her old self, since giving birth, but she admits that she really let herself go during her pregnancy, making the conscious decision that she wouldn’t let her weight control her and bring her down throughout her pregnancy. The 29-year-old actress says she even indulged in cravings for meat and for sweets, even though she knew she would have to pay later for packing on the pounds.

“I completely let myself go when I was pregnant,” Rivera said. “Weight wasn’t something I wanted to focus on, so I ate anything and everything and had a blast.”

After Naya gave birth to her son, Josey, she immediately dropped the sweets and concentrated on getting back into shape and Rivera says that she was able to drop more than 30 pounds just through nursing, a healthier diet, and low-impact workouts. That alone is a great accomplishment, particularly for a new mom, but Naya says that was only half the battle. She gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy and Naya felt so daunted by the idea of losing another 30 pounds that she hired a trainer to help her achieve the second half of her goal.

“I know I’m lucky. Not all moms can afford one,” Ms. Rivera admits. “But I’m not really self-motivated. And I don’t know what to do at the gym. I always feel lost. [Without a trainer] I’d probably just end up not working out, and then go to the steam room.”

Naya Rivera Didn’t Do It All Alone

The former Glee star didn’t carry the burdens or joys of pregnancy alone. Rivera is married to actor Ryan Dorsey and he was Naya’s first thought when she found out she was pregnant. She called Dorsey on the set of FX’s Justified to tell him the news, too excited to wait for him to come home. As it turns out, Dorsey was just as excited about their first baby as Naya, if not more so. Ms. Rivera says her husband had already chosen the name Josey, even before the couple began dating.

“You know you have those conversations as a couple—like, ‘If we had kids, here’s what I’d want to name them?’ Well, Ryan had said if he had a boy he’d really want to name him Josey. So we went with that.”

Ms. Rivera gushed over her husband’s eagerness to be a good father, talking openly about the nurturing love and commitment Dorsey has for their firstborn son. Rivera says she loves watching her husband play songs on his guitar for Josey, until their newborn son falls asleep.

Being a new parent isn’t all bliss, reveals the Fame actress. Naya admits that she was prepared for the less appealing aspects of parenting, because she worked as a nanny in a household with two young boys, ages 7 months and 2 years, and she had her share of vomit and diaper changes. She adds that curing a child’s ills isn’t always so cut and dry, however.

“You’re always going to wonder if you’re doing things wrong, but that’s what it means to be a mom, to care so much about someone else that you just want to be as perfect as possible,” says Naya Rivera.

[Image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Vanity Fair]