Ellie Goulding wasn't sure she wanted children.
The 34-year-old singer and her husband Casper Jopling welcomed son Arthur into the world four months ago and she's surprised herself by how "naturally" she's taken to motherhood as she admitted raising a family wasn't one of her "goals".
She told the Mail on Sunday's You magazine: "I was always great with other people's kids, but becoming a mother wasn't necessarily one of my goals.
"After we got married, people kept asking me when we were going to have kids and I would say, 'I don't know if I will. I really love my job. I love my freedom.'
"But it has come really naturally to me – I have never felt any disconnect or confusion about what I'm doing."
Ellie returned to work just three weeks after Arthur was born but quickly took another break after feeling a "pull" to be with the tot.
She said: "I think everyone sensed I'd be back at work pretty quickly, because I like to work.
"Obviously I've never done this before, so my approach was to go back to the studio and see how it affected me. After a couple of weeks, I started to feel anxious, like I wasn't there enough to see Arthur grow, so I took a couple of weeks off.
"That pull to be at home is new for me – I've never experienced it – but I'm also relieved and lucky that I've managed to have that balance of working too."
And now the 'Starry Eyed' hitmaker thinks she's found the right balance between being with her son and fitting in her work.
She said: "Now Arthur wakes up in the morning, we play and I kiss and cuddle him.
"Then we go for a long walk together and I'll hit the studio at about midday and get back for six. I take the breast-pumping kit with me, which everyone finds hilarious because they can hear it, and they're like, 'We should sample that sound and put it in songs!''
"My one rule is that I'm back for bath time, which is just the nicest time together."
The blonde beauty has always been known for her toned physique but she admitted her attitude to her body has changed since giving birth.
She said: "Having a baby definitely forces you to look at yourself as a human. I care more about producing milk right now than I do about getting back to my old body shape – and that's saying something."
