Pregnant Aja Naomi King Is Looking Forward to 'Unlocking All the Secrets of Parenthood'

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Aja Naomi King is ready to be completely busy with motherhood.

The How to Get Away with Murder alum, 36, is currently pregnant, expecting a baby this summer. King, a L'Oréal Paris spokeswoman, caught up with PEOPLE, sharing what she most looks forward to about welcoming her new addition.

"This summer I'm looking forward to experiencing life as a mother, and unlocking all the secrets of parenthood ... fingers crossed," she says. "I'm also looking forward to engaging socially and safely with my loved ones and friends, as well as sharing meals together in or outdoors and being able to experience things spontaneously without fear, pending our progress in this pandemic."

"I crave that sense of freedom again, to be able to move about with my baby and not have that same sense of worry looming over me," adds King.

When she announced that she was awaiting her "rainbow baby" on Instagram in March, King shared that the pregnancy comes after two previous miscarriages. She said in the emotional caption at the time that "even now trying to capture what it felt like in words is simply absurd to me because I will never have language enough for it."

She tells PEOPLE, "Right now I am embarking on the most important project of my life: giving birth to this baby. I'm so grateful that I was able to get pregnant and sustain this pregnancy, and I'm hoping for a safe and happy birth."

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"It's been such a rare experience being pregnant during this pandemic," adds King. "It has really allowed me to slow down and be quiet and gentle with myself, as well as savor this time before our baby arrives."

King filmed her upcoming movie Boxing Day in the early stages of her pregnancy, something she was initially worried about pulling off.

"I felt lucky to work on a film in the early months of my pregnancy. ... I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to do this project because my morning sickness had only just started winding down, as well as the fact that I wasn't sharing my pregnancy with anyone yet and being pregnant on set during a pandemic seemed terrifying," she recalls. "But it all worked out in this really beautiful way, and I'm so happy I was able to share in this experience."

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In her March announcement, King said it had "been hard to not carry my fear with me throughout this pregnancy," admitting that it has been challenging to "believe that it's real and that this baby will be okay."

"But I try to not ignore the facts, and the facts are that I am healthy and my baby is healthy, my baby is growing and now kicking and constantly reminding me of their very real presence within me," the actress wrote.

"I really just want to say that if you've gone through this or are going through this, you don't have to carry the weight of it alone. And for some (I won't attempt to speak for everyone) it can be freeing," King added at the time. "So I take this piece of freedom and I hope for someone else it allows them to feel a little less alone. Sending love always."