In February 2010, Paulina participated in a charity song for the people of Haiti, a cover of "We Are The World" in Spanish, titled "Somos El Mundo". Later on, Paulina announced via Twitter that a duet with a talented English singer would be released soon. A few weeks later, a duet featuring Paulina and English singer Taio Cruz leaked to the Internet, which later turned out to be a Spanglish version of Cruz's single "Dirty Picture". The collaboration was released on the Spanish edition of his album Rokstarr. In February 2011, it was confirmed that Paulina would participate on MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends, a live album by Los Tigres del Norte. Paulina and the band performed "Golpes en el Corazón", which was released as the first single off the album on 23 May 2011. Paulina was also featured in Gloria Trevi's album, Gloria, on the track "No Al Alguacil." The song was expected as the third single off Trevi's album, but failed to get a release.
Work on Rubio's tenth studio album, Brava!, started in 2010. At the time, she was writing songs with Nelly Furtado and Cobra Starship, while also working with Moroccan producer RedOne. She said that the reason she wanted to do a Spanglish album is that she wanted to mix the language of her home Mexico and the United States. "I grew up in Mexico, but I've always been between the United States and my country. This is all done with a wink and a nod to 'Spanglish' culture, which continues to grow and has a foot in both worlds", the singer said. She stated in a radio interview that this album would be different from all her other albums because being a mother and the death of her father had inspired her tremendously. She also said that 70% of the album's songs would be in Spanish, while only 30% in English.
In 2010, Rubio hosted the Paulina & Friends exclusive benefit concert for The Lili Claire Foundation which showcased musicians such as Luis Fonsi, Aleks Syntek, Noel Schajris, Reik and Fanny Lú. The purpose of the event was to raise funds to build a family resource center. "My friends mean everything to me and I am happy to have the opportunity to share the stage with them to support this great cause. All of them are excellent musicians and I know that as always, they’ll do their best to make this an unforgettable night", said the singer. Jeff Simmons, community relations manager for The Lili Claire Foundation said, "I'm really surprised to see the number of artists who continue to join in on this great event, it's truly a blessing. Their contribution to the Paulina & Friends concert is spectacular and the Lili Claire Foundation will be forever grateful".
On 5 May 2010, the artist announced through Twitter that she was expecting her first child. Her brother, Enrique Rubio, corrected the statement that she was supposedly expecting twins, which was not true. Paulina stated that if the child was a boy, he would be named after his father, Nicolás. If it was a girl, she would be named after Rubio's great-grandmother, Micaela. On 15 September 2010 Paulina announced on her Twitter page that she was expecting a boy. On 14 November 2010, Rubio and her husband welcomed their first child, a boy named Andrea Nicolás Vallejo-Nájera Rubio in Miami, Florida. Prior to the birth, Rubio had planned on having a water birth at home, but was rushed to the hospital and spent the weekend with doctors working to stabilize the health of the baby. Hospital staff tried to send Rubio home so that she could realize her dream of a natural home birth, but the complications led her medical team to schedule a c-section.