Black Ink Crew: Chicago Star Charmaine Walker 'Nervous' About Giving Birth: 'Hope I Can Handle It!'
Charmaine Walker couldn’t be more excited to become a mom — but like most parents-to-be, she has her fears, too.
Sharing a set of maternity photos exclusively with PEOPLE, the Black Ink Crew: Chicago star says she’s “nervous about birth,” as “it seems like it is such a big experience and I just hope I can handle it!”
But so far, Walker says, “pregnancy has been amazing” save for some “miserable” moments in the first trimester. (She is now into her third trimester with her first child with husband Nick Bey.)
“I was tired and had morning sickness with bad headaches and my third trimester is quickly getting more difficult because I’m working so much and I’m getting tired so fast,” Walker tells PEOPLE.
Despite the difficult parts, though, “I’m excited for this baby and would go through anything for it,” says the mom-to-be. “To feel my baby move makes it so awesome and so worth it.”
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Aside from the experience of childbirth, Walker admits she worries “all the time” about how she will balance filming her VH1 series and being a mom.
“But then I think about how my mom and dad had to get back to work when the time was right — and if they can do it, my husband Nick and I can too,” she says. “I plan on caring for my baby and getting used to breastfeeding when I have the baby.”
“I can’t say how much time I’ll take off, but I will definitely get back to work when the time is right,” the star adds. “I think those first few months are important to bond with my baby and take care of myself.”
As for what Walker is most looking forward to in first-time motherhood? “Having my baby in my arms and raising this child,” she tells PEOPLE, “along with providing experiences that will shape my child’s life forever.”
A post shared by Charmaine (@charmainej_tv) on Dec 18, 2019 at 8:34am PST
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Walker is “so excited to find out” the sex of her baby, telling PEOPLE, “We have planned a huge ‘gender-reveal’ surprise! I’m a radio personality for 107.5 WGCI, an iHeartRadio station, and on Friday, Dec. 30, we’re having our Big Jam concert and I’ll be doing my big reveal on stage in front of a sold-out United Center.”
“The performers are Megan Thee Stallion, Da Baby, Migos, Wale, Jacquees and more, so it’s definitely going to be epic,” she raves.
Whether the baby is a boy or a girl, the couple already have names in mind. “We had a deal. My husband, Nick, could pick out the boy’s name and I pick out the girl’s name,” Walker says. “We have decided on names. If it’s a girl, Nola Glenda Bey; boy, Nick Glen Bey Jr.”
Black Ink Crew: Chicago airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on VH1.