"You've to understand what your baby is trying to tell you"- When Michael Phelps was asked about "baby tips" for Serena Williams after Olympia’s birth

Michael Phelps once shared parenting advice for tennis legend Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, when the couple welcomed their first daughter, Olympia. The Ohanians have welcomed one more daughter since, while Phelps is now father to four sons with his wife, Nicole.

Phelps welcomed his first son, Boomer, a month before marrying Nicole in 2016. That year, he retired from the sport for the final time with a record 28 Olympic medals.

Following the 2016 Rio Olympics, Phelps announced his life would be all about Boomer, admitting that fatherhood had changed him.

After four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams welcomed her first child the following year, Phelps was asked to share parenting advice for the tennis legend during an interview with For The Win and said:

"Everyone tries to give you parenting tips, but I think it’s really you have to go through the process, you have to try to understand what you’re baby is trying to tell you, and just learn along the way. "

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked Nicole like, “Honey, what am I supposed to do?” And she goes, “I don’t know, just try something.” And we figure it out along the way. I think that’s something as a couple and as a building family, that’s really fun and enjoyable to go through," he added.

Williams retired from the sport in 2023 and welcomed her second child, daughter Adira, that same year, while Phelps welcomed his fourth son, Nico, in January 2024.

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“She's the queen of the house” - Michael Phelps on his wife being the only girl in their family

Michael Phelps with wife Nicole at the 2020 Olympics - Source: Getty

Michael Phelps and wife Nicole have welcomed four sons over the years - Boomer, Beckett, Maverick, and Nico. Nicole is the only woman in the family, and not only is she content with having no daughters, but according to Phelps, she feels lucky to be in a room full of boys.

“I think Nicole said something along the lines of, like, ‘I’m so lucky to have a house full of boys and no girls,’ and Boomer looked at her and said, ‘Mommy, you’re the girl in our house,’ ” Michael Phelps told People in 2022. “So we’ve been saying that and it’s true, she’s the queen.”

Phelps called Nicole the queen of his family and claimed that she enjoyed being the lone woman in it.

“She’s the queen of the household and she’s the only lady in there, so she likes it, I think. She said she enjoys it,” he added.

Michael and Nicole met during the 2007 ESPY Awards and dated on and off for several years before getting engaged in February 2015. They married secretly in May of the following year before holding a destination wedding ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after the Rio Olympics.