Figure skater Mirai Nagasu didn’t introduce her son to the world the way other athletes or celebrities might.
Last month, the 31-year-old shared an Instagram video in which she held an infant baby as she toured Boston’s Prudential Center. She casually mentioned in a voiceover, “It’s an interactive experience for everyone, even families with newborns like mine.”
At the time, fans didn’t even know she had been pregnant.
Three months later, on Wednesday, July 10, Nagasu revealed more details about her son via Instagram, sharing that Taiga Nagasu Bramante arrived on April 13, weighing in at 7.1 pounds. Her slideshow included snaps of the baby boy in the hospital after his birth.
“Choosing to keep my pregnancy a secret until after his birth was a deeply personal decision,” she explained in a recent interview with People.
Nagasu continued, “In an age where social media often defines our reality, I wanted to step back and truly connect with the people closest to me face-to-face. While sharing everything online can be wonderful, I believe there’s immense value in disconnecting and logging off from time to time.”
This isn’t the first time Nagasu has kept major milestones private. On June 18, two days before she surprised fans with the first video of Taiga, she revealed her engagement to Michael Bramante, which happened more than a year prior.
“We tried this thing where we told (in person) everyone that we’re engaged before posting about it on social….so this is from over a year ago. 🥰😙🤓,” Nagasu captioned the engagement photos.
Nagasu competed for the United States figure skating team at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, earning a bronze medal. She announced her retirement from competitive skating in 2020.
Even in retirement, her passion for skating continued. Her pregnancy made it difficult to continue as her changing body presented more challenges, but she pressed forward.
“As a figure skater, it was challenging to embrace the changes my body went through during pregnancy,” Nagasu told People. “There were moments of denial, especially when I couldn’t partake in my favorite activity (skating), but ultimately, the experience has been incredibly rewarding. I’m excited to embark on this new journey as a mother and grateful for the support I’ve received along the way.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that she’s already brought Taiga onto the ice. Shortly after sharing the pics of her newborn on Wednesday, she uploaded a video of herself holding Taiga as she joyfully skated around, smiling for the camera.
“In my mommy era,” she wrote in the caption.
More newborn photos followed on Thursday, July 11, as Nagasu jokingly asked fans for “permission to spam your feed with cute baby content.”
Not surprisingly, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“Omg Mirai, many congratulations!” one user wrote in the comments section. “The world is better for having a mini you in it! Winning already at the facial expressions game😍. Lots of love!❤️”
