Mariah Carey Poses Topless, Pregnant For Life & Style

Like quite a few celebrities-turned-mothers before her, Mariah Carey has shed her clothes at the height of her pregnancy for an intimate photo shoot. For the new issue of Life & Style magazine, which hits newsstands on Friday, the powerhouse diva offers some candid belly-baring images and opens up about her journey to motherhood.

"I was feeling very vulnerable about taking pictures at all right now, but then I didn't want to miss this opportunity to document this once-in-a-lifetime experience," the 42-year-old songbird told the mag. "My ultimate goal was to share this incredibly personal moment with my true fans."

On the cover, Carey poses with one arm high and the other across her very pregnant belly while her golden-blonde hair flows over her chest.

Meanwhile, the singer apparently wasn't the only one excited about the intimate photo shoot. Carey, who is pregnant with twins (a boy and a girl), revealed, "The babies were kicking almost the entire time; it was unbelievable. Especially the girl -- clearly she's a diva in training!"

While the babies aren't due for another few weeks, Carey and husband Nick Cannon were alerted just last week when contractions sent the singer to the hospital. She explained to Life & Style that her photo shoot was delayed due to their impromptu trip, saying, "We didn't start shooting until 1:30 a.m. because I was in the hospital from the night before until the day of the shoot with contractions five minutes apart!"

As her due date looms closer, Carey admitted that pregnancy has enlightened her to a brand-new perspective on motherhood. "Now I have so much respect for mothers everywhere, especially those who've had difficult pregnancies or given birth to multiples," she said, adding, "We need to have Mother's Day once a week!"

Soon-to-be-father Cannon is also basking in the thrill of his twins' impending arrival, telling the magazine that he thought he "couldn't love Mariah more," but admitting that he now has "a whole new appreciation and admiration for her."

Send your well-wishes to Mariah and Nick in the comments!