Beyoncé opens up about emergency caesarean after one of her twins’ hearts 'paused'

'I had an extremely difficult pregnancy. I had high blood pressure. I developed toxemia, preeclampsia'

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has discussed her "difficult" second pregnancy, opening up about having to undergo an emergency caesarean.

New Netflix documentary Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé chronicles the events leading to the singer's history-making Coachella set in 2018, which she performed 10 months after giving birth.

Having originally been scheduled to perform at the music festival in 2017, Beyoncé postponed her appearance when she found out that she was, unexpectedly, pregnant with twins.

The "Formation" singer explains in Homecoming that her body "went through even more than I knew it could" throughout her pregnancy, and details the hardships she endured when she gave birth to twins Rumi and Sir Carter.

Beyoncé was informed that one of her twins' "heartbeats paused a few times" in the womb.

The star had to undergo an emergency caesarean, and gave birth to the twins on 13 June 2017.

In addition to the emergency caesarean, Beyoncé opens up in the film about experiencing preeclampsia during her pregnancy.

"I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth. I had an extremely difficult pregnancy," the 37-year-old says in a voiceover on the film. "I developed toxemia, preeclampsia."

Preeclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women, typically during the second half of their pregnancies or not long after childbirth, the NHS outlines.

Symptoms of the condition can include high blood pressure, problems with vision, a severe headache and swelling around the feet, ankles, face and hands.

The twins are the younger siblings of Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's seven-year-old daughter.

In January 2018, tennis star Serena Williams revealed that she had also undergone an emergency caesarean when giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in September 2017.

Following the release of Homecoming on Netflix, several people have been highlighting the importance of raising awareness of the health risks many black women face during childbirth.

"Beyoncé had high blood pressure, toxemia, and preeclampsia during her pregnancy with the twins. She had an emergency C-section. She could've died," tweeted writer Evette Dionne.

"Serena Williams could've died giving birth. So many black women die giving birth. This has to stop."

According to the UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths, published in November 2018, black women are five times more likely than white women to die during childbirth.

"More research is needed to understand the specific causes of the deaths of women from these ethnic groups," the report states.

Beyoncé has released a new live album of her Coachella performance to coincide with the Netflix documentary.