Pop star Meghan Trainor has built her career on self-love anthems and confidence-boosting hits, but nothing has tested her strength quite like motherhood. In recent years, Trainor has spoken with raw honesty about the traumatic birth of her first son, Riley, and her fierce response to critics who questioned her parenting choices after he was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Her message was unmistakable and unapologetic: “My son has been fighting for his life since he was born, so no one should judge how I love or protect this poor child.”
Riley Sabara, whom Trainor shares with actor Daryl Sabara, was born via C-section in February 2021 after doctors determined he was breech. What should have been a joyful moment quickly turned into a medical emergency. Riley struggled to breathe, did not cry immediately, and was rushed to the NICU, where he spent five days intubated and under constant monitoring. For Trainor, the experience was terrifying — made worse by what she later described as “narrow-minded” judgment from some people around her.
In interviews and her candid book Dear Future Mama, Trainor revealed that she felt “mom-shamed” during Riley’s hospital stay. Some nurses suggested her doctor-prescribed antidepressants — taken at a low dose to manage panic disorder — may have contributed to her son’s lethargy. Trainor pushed back hard against that implication, saying her mental health treatment was essential to being a stable, present mother. Doctors later confirmed there was no scientific evidence supporting the accusation, explaining Riley’s condition was far more likely linked to the physical trauma of a C-section birth.
The ordeal left deep emotional scars. Trainor has openly discussed being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, describing nightmares where she felt trapped on the operating table again. Instead of retreating, she transformed that pain into purpose. Her 2022 album Takin’ It Back included the song “Superwoman,” a tribute to mothers whose struggles often remain invisible. In the music video for “Mother,” released in 2023, Trainor even featured Riley himself — smiling, healthy, and thriving — a powerful contrast to his fragile beginnings.
Far from derailing her career, motherhood reshaped it. Trainor rejected industry warnings that having children would diminish her relevance. Hits like Made You Look proved otherwise, while her openness about postpartum anxiety and NICU trauma resonated with parents worldwide, especially those raising “NICU warriors.”
Today, as a mother of two — welcoming her second son in 2023 — Meghan Trainor has drawn a clear line. Public scrutiny, online cruelty, and outdated judgments have no place in defining how a mother protects her child. Her story reframes motherhood not as perfection, but as fierce, sacred resilience — and a reminder that no outsider gets to rewrite a parent’s fight for their child’’s life.
