Why Jeannie Mai's Views on 'Everything'—Including Poop—Changed After Having a Kid (Exclusive)

Jeannie Mai

Life is all about learning, and while Jeannie Mai is currently growing through her own personal set of lessons, she's offering a word of advice to other women—and moms, specifically—who may be dealing with similar situations.

The mother of one—who previously expressed not wanting to have kids at all—explained how becoming a mother has changed her perspective on life.

Her views on "everything" are different, she tells Parade in an exclusive interview, adding that she realized she was "in [her] own bubble" and "more self-absorbed; more aloof to what's really going on" before giving birth to her daughter Monaco in Jan. 2022.

As a result of becoming a parent, the former The Real cohost is more "hyper-aware" of every single thing—even down to her own gut health.

Related: The 3 Most Important Things Your Poop Reveals About Your Health, According to GI Docs

Because of it, she's changing the stigmas around using the bathroom and having bowel movements in her own household, urging her daughter to make pooping a "celebration," after admitting that in the past, she had "no idea" that what goes on in the gut, affects nearly every other part of the body.

This mindset, though, is much different than the way she grew up. "We don't wanna see it, we don't wanna hear about it," she recalled of the attitude she often experienced around using the bathroom during childhood, adding that for Monaco, going No. 2 is cause for applause. The little one even gets a treat for letting it out, making it an accomplishment she actually looks forward to, versus something shameful she shies away from.

For herself, Mai expressed there's no longer any shame in her game, as having very regular bowel movements is a big part of being healthy. Through her partnership with Dulcolax, she wants to encourage others to take their gut health just as seriously as she does (because everyone poops!).

And as we know, mental health is equally as important as physical health.

That said, the How Do I Look? alum—who's currently going through a divorce from estranged husband, rapper Jeezy— also offered a piece of advice to women who may be faced with a similar circumstance, or dealing with hardships in relationships in general while still balancing having to show up mentally, physically, and emotionally for their children.

"Feel your feelings," she "highly-advised" while speaking on difficult times in life. "Sometimes I think society makes us feel like, 'You got this, girl, keep pushing, forget that, do you,' and it used to signal to me like, 'Bury that, throw it in the past, don't even look at it," she said, further opening up about still sometimes having "dark days" that are "heavy."

Related: Jeezy Confirms Split From Wife Jeannie Mai After 2 Years of Marriage

As she heals, she's giving herself permission to "sit down and actually feel that," advising others to do the same.

"What happens then is, usually I bust out my journal and I'll put my thoughts out, because there's nothing like actually intellectualizing the feelings," Mai added. "Seeing the words that I feel on paper helps me give myself that space I deserve to feel heard—and also letting myself cry."

"Allowing myself to just sit in it actually allows me to process, and learn a lot more about myself that I didn't know before, that I needed to know in order to get through it," she reflected.

Next: Jeannie Mai Stuns in Body-Hugging Black and White Pearl-Covered Gown