Cardi B is defending her decision to hit the gym days after giving birth to her third baby.
The rapper, 31, welcomed her little one on September 7 and shared the happy news via Instagram five days later, writing, “The prettiest lil thing 
9/7/24.”
On Sunday, September 15, Cardi took to her Instagram Stories to share footage of herself working out. The clip later made the rounds on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, where a fan wrote, “It’s barely been a week. Yoh, the pressure women in the industry are under? Insane.”
Cardi responded Monday, September 16, with a lengthy reply, writing, “This is my third baby and postpartum is a little different from my first two… I’m not doing heaving lifting, no muscle straining, squatting none of that… just cardio.”
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She explained, “Sometimes to avoid postpartum depression you gotta keep your mind busy and for me that’s work and staying active… but you know what’s funny?? Y’all dragged me down when I gained 15 pounds because I was 5 months pregnant but now yall fake concerned and wanna talk about pressure??? Y’all said I was pregnant to avoid working now that you see I’m still at it it’s something else??”
The rapper added: “So yeah I’m taking this personal but its FOR ME because either way y’all are gonna have something to say.”
Afterward, the fan replied to Cardi with an apology.
“I genuinely didn’t mean any harm and the tweet was never an indictment on you but rather society’s expectations of women and ‘snap back’ culture,” she wrote.
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Other X users offered messages of support.
“It’s frustrating when people criticize or question your choices, but it’s important to stay true to what works best for you. Keep prioritizing your health and happiness,” one user wrote, while another said, “Please you owe no one an explanation.”
Cardi and her estranged husband Offset share the newborn as well as daughter Kulture, 6, and son Wave, 3.
Cardi announced her pregnancy with baby No. 3 in August, shortly after Us Weekly confirmed that she had filed to divorce Offset after six years of marriage. “It has been a long time coming and is amicable,” her rep told Us.
“With every ending comes a new beginning!” she wrote on Instagram at the time, baring her pregnant bump. To her soon-to-be new addition, she added, “I love you so much and can not wait for you to witness what you helped me accomplish, what you pushed me to do! It’s so much easier taking life’s twists, turns and test laying down, but you, your brother and your sister have shown me why it’s worth it to push through!”
