Did Ashanti Hint at Her Baby’s Sex in First Baby Bump Photo?

Ashanti shared pictures of her growing baby bump to her Instagram Story hours after confirming her pregnancy in a cute video on the social media platform. In the short video clip, the “Foolish” singer poses against a balcony rail and pans the camera down her body to show her bump. While she hasn’t revealed the sex of her baby, the expectant mother is dressed clad in a deep blue dress that hugs her bump. Could it be that she’s having a boy? Fans will have to wait and see. The video is set to her song, “Sweet Baby,” and the singer tagged her fianceé, rapper Nelly, with a red heart in the bottom left corner. 

Her engagement was made public in a statement to Essence, with the singer telling the publication: “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation. Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”

After months of speculation, and even her own momager, Tina Douglas, not denying the rumors, she confirmed her pregnancy. Known for her skinclad costumes and bikini shots, fans grew curious when she began wearing oversized attire and stage costumes. In an Instagram video on April 17 of  her team running around backstage before a show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, her mom asks how much time she needs to finish getting ready, with the singer emerging with a positive pregnancy test, declaring, “Imma need about nine months.”  She captioned the post “Baby, baby, baby, bay, bay” alongside a heart emoji, a nod to her hit 2002 single, “Baby.”

This is Ashanti’s first pregnancy. It will be Nelly’s fifth. The St. Louis-born rapper is the father of adult children, Chanelle, 29, and Cornell Haynes III, 24. He also adopted his sister, Jackie Donahue’s, kids — Shawn and Sydney Thomas — after she died from leukemia in 2005. Their family dynamic was chronicled on a BET reality series.