11-05-2025
15 Celebrities Who've Spoken Honestly About Their Home Births, from Ashley Graham to Gigi Hadid
Not every celebrity has opted to have their children at the hospital. Some famous parents have chosen to give birth at home and share their intimate delivery moments publicly.
Take, for example, actress Genevieve Padalecki — wife of Supernatural and Walker star Jared Padalecki — who shared home birth stories of their three kids on her official YouTube channel and in the blog nowandgen on March 18, 2020. In talking about their experience, Genevieve discussed the comfort she felt having a midwife and how home birth was "normalized" for the couple while always keeping safety as a top priority.
When it comes to pregnancy and birth, what ultimately matters is every pregnant person has the right to make a medically informed decision about the delivery of their child, including if they intend on a home birth and have a plan in place.
From Hilary Duff to Gigi Hadid, here are celebrities who have been open about their home birthing experiences in welcoming their babies into the world.
Model Ashley Graham welcomed her first child, a baby boy named Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin, on Jan. 18, 2020, via a home birth with no medication.
"I have to say, now that I gave birth and I did it naturally and I felt everything, I feel like there's nothing I can't do," Graham said to her husband, Justin Ervin, on her Pretty Big Deal podcast while introducing their little one. "There's nothing that could come my way where I say, 'Oh, that's too hard, I can't handle that.' I went through laboring for six hours naturally."
Ervin added, "To go straight from the pool to the bed with our son and just hold him, what a bond."
In 2022, Graham welcomed twin boys at home, sharing the news on Instagram.
"Justin and I are so excited that our baby boys are here. They were born early this morning at home and are happy and healthy," Graham wrote on her Instagram Story.
She continued, "I'm taking some time to heal up and connect with my husband and three boys, but I truly cannot wait to share more with you all. Much love, AG."
Before giving birth to her second child, daughter Banks Violet, in 2018, Hilary opened up about her decision to have a drug-free home delivery following a hospital birth with her first.
"I just started thinking that I wanted a different experience," she explained. "I'm older now — I love motherhood more than anything. I never thought it could be this way. I never thought I could be so happy and so fulfilled."
Hilary added, "And I thought to myself that I want to get the full experience of what it is to bring a baby into the world and how incredible our bodies are. My body gave me this incredible little boy and now I get to have this little girl and I want to experience it to the fullest."
With three midwives and an "amazing doula" helping her — plus then-boyfriend Matthew Koma, sister Haylie Duff and her dogs — Hilary got her wish. Months later, she shared photos of the emotional first meeting between herself and her daughter.
Hilary did it again in 2021, welcoming daughter Mae at home in March of that year with a "birthing dream team."
"Pfeiffer Lucia Speedman. Born at home 10/26/21. In awe of my girl @lindsayraehofmann. Awe," actor Scott Speedman wrote on Instagram when introducing his first child later in November 2021.
The Felicity star previously shared the story of preparing for his daughter's arrival, saying he and his then-girlfriend, Lindsay Rae Hofmann, grabbed a tub from a neighbor.
"We had to go pick up the tub from who just happens to be our neighbor, we don't know these people. I just knocked on the door and this guy just delivered this tub and now I am in charge of blowing it up and getting water in and all of that stuff," he told host Drew Barrymore during an appearance on her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, in 2021. "It's kind of a weird experience, I'm not gonna lie."
Rachel Platten and husband Kevin Lazan announced the arrival of their second daughter on Instagram in 2021, detailing the "grueling" experience for her followers.
"Introducing Sophie Jo Lazan. Born 9/9/21 at home in a water birth after 2.5 grueling days of labor. When I thought I couldn't take anymore, this amazing, wise little one kept whispering to me 'we can do this mama, we can do this,' " the "Fight Song" singer wrote.
She continued in the caption, "So i kept going one contraction at a time. I feel like a warrior and I will NEVER doubt my strength again. Thank you Sophie for showing me what I am made of and for completing our family. And Thank YOU all so much for your love and support and for allowing me the privacy these last couple of months to just be with my family and prepare for this new life."
Elsa Hosk said she and boyfriend Tom Daly moved from New York City to Los Angeles when she was seven months pregnant, and once there, they changed their birth plan, preparing to have their baby "naturally and drug-free at home, in water."
"I've always loved and felt comforted by water. Any time in life where I've felt sad, upset, needed to relax, needed comfort, the bath has been my place," the supermodel explained in an essay posted on Instagram on Feb. 12, 2021.
Hosk said she had two days of "manageable" contractions before her active labor. Her doula guided her one night trying to induce labor through exercises and positions, like walking, doing yoga and pumping breast milk. Hosk also had acupuncture that night, and her water broke shortly afterward.
After hours of intense contractions, she was ready for delivery.
"The second I stepped into the birthing pool I don't remember opening my eyes again for a long time," she recalled.
Hosk said, "Birthing is really confronting yourself, your fears and doubts and coming through the other side."
"It's the worst pain, fear, and darkness I've ever experienced in those moments. I feel like an animal," she added. "I have given up every sense what you're suppose to look like, what anyone would think of me, what was normal many, many hours ago. I have left my ego, my pride. I'm just getting through, getting closer to my baby."
Hosk and Daly welcomed daughter Tuulikki Joan safely on Feb. 11, 2021.
Gigi revealed she delivered her daughter Khai at home on Sept. 19, 2020, at her famous family's compound in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
With the help of a midwife — plus then-boyfriend Zayn Malik, mom Yolanda Hadid and sister Bella Hadid — the supermodel made it through an unmedicated delivery, with Malik even catching their little girl.
"I was so exhausted, and I looked up and he's holding her. It was so cute," she told Vogue in 2021.
Like many, Gigi was inspired by the 2008 documentary The Business of Being Born.
"What I really wanted from my experience was to feel like, 'Okay, this is a natural thing that women are meant to do,' " she said.
Knowing her mother and sister wouldn't be able to join her at a hospital due to COVID-19 restrictions, too, cemented her plan.
British model Iskra Lawrence delivered her first child, Alpha, with boyfriend Philip Payne at home on April 16, 2020. Lawrence shared the happy news on Instagram, calling her baby a "miracle" as she revealed that a midwife had to resuscitate the newborn during the birth.
The new mom wrote, "A.M.P joined team Payne April 16th at 1.05pm here at home. Our first draft pick, but really we are the ones who are so grateful that you picked us to be your parents."
She continued to open up about the intensive birth, writing, "After 24 hours of active labour and 2.5 hours of transition our midwife saved your life by resuscitation, you truly are our miracle and I will be grateful every single day for you."
"Your story is just beginning I can't even imagine the impact you'll have in this world and the dreams you will create. This has been the best week of my life getting to know you and fall more in love each day," Lawrence added.
After welcoming son Mateo Antoni into the world on March 13, 2020, Eva Amurri opened up on her official site Happily Eva After about his arrival.
While her ex-husband Kyle Martino — whom the Saved! actress divorced one month before delivering baby Mateo — wasn't present in the room for the birth, he came in right after.
"I could hear how excited he was, too, and that made me so happy," she wrote.
In addition to her doula, Kelsi, her midwives, Kyle and her friends, she had one very special supporter on hand: her oldest child, daughter Marlowe.
"My daughter was there right beside me. My ex-husband, and forever co-parent, was downstairs with our son, waiting for the first cries of the newest member of our family," said Amurri. "As I screamed and bore down to bring Mateo in to the world, I felt as much fire and fury as I always had during the final moments of birth, but so much hope too."
Olympic medalist skier Bode Miller helped his wife Morgan deliver their identical twin sons at home on Nov. 8, 2019.
"I'm really just over the moon that it went as smoothly as it did and that they were as big as they were," Morgan told PEOPLE. "They're super healthy. The delivery was fast and not necessarily easy but no issues, no problems, and it was honestly a dream for me."
"I've done a home birth for all my kids. Honestly, it's the only thing I know," explained the professional beach volleyball player, who's also mom to sons Easton Vaughn Rek and Edward Nash Skan, plus stepmom to Bode's son Samuel Nathaniel and daughter Neesyn Dace. (The couple's daughter Emeline Grier died after a tragic drowning accident at 19 months old in 2018.)
In late 2021, they did it again, welcoming a baby girl at home.
James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek (née Brook), welcomed baby No. 6, son Jeremiah, at home in 2021, following in the footsteps of their previous four (Olivia, their first child, was born in a hospital).
After the birth of their fifth, daughter Gwendolyn, Van Der Beek posted some very real images from the moments following her arrival.
"The category is: Home-Birth Realness," the Pose actor and Dawson's Creek alum captioned his Instagram post.
Going through a checklist, James noted a "messy bed," a "vomit bag (unused)," an "inflatable birthing tub (also unused)," a "happy, healthy baby," a "happy, healthy mom in her own shower right after giving birth" and last but not least, "placenta in a mixing bowl."
The couple, who married in 2010, are also the parents of daughters Emilia and Annabel and son Joshua. Before Jeremiah's arrival, they experienced two late-term pregnancy losses.
Lake Bell "felt very empowered" by her first home birth in 2014, which "was this amazing primal bonding" experience with daughter Nova.
"When my daughter came out, she had the [umbilical] cord wrapped around her neck, and it was very scary," the Bless This Mess actress told costar Dax Shepard in 2019 on his Armchair Expert podcast. "She was on my chest and she wasn't breathing. The midwife gave her three lifesaving breaths on my chest and my husband was there. She came to life and we saw it."
Unfortunately, her second home birth in 2017 had further complications. It also resulted in the umbilical cord getting wrapped around her son Ozgood's neck, but unlike his older sister, "he was not coming to."
"Now you're in really f------ life and death. Your child is there and the entire room is trying to resuscitate him, and they can't."
Ultimately, baby Ozgood stayed in the NICU for 11 days, with Bell revealing, "Children's Hospital Los Angeles saved his life."
"This weekend our angel arrived healthy & perfect in every way in our bathroom at home," Kehlani wrote in March 2019 after the arrival of daughter Adeya Nomi. "Unmedicated homebirth was the absolute hardest yet most powerful thing i've ever done."
After facing some backlash from followers, the "After Hours" singer clarified her comments in a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter).
"All birth is extremely hard and transformative. Homebirth is a medical decision as is hospital birth, all birth is mind blowing & powerful. Using my experience to shame another's isnt what i want. Power to anyone who brings life forth, it's a next level journey whichever way."
Lost actress Emilie de Ravin had a medicated hospital birth with her first child, daughter Vera but wanted something different for her second.
Of delivering son Theo "off the side of the bed" in late 2018, de Ravin said, "It felt like I was pushing for so long ... Him coming out was, apart from obvious pain, it was a really cool experience. It was … the main part of why I didn't want to ever be medicated if I [could] help it."
She recalled, "It was so nice to be able to just feel what your body is doing and what it can do and going through it with him. Just being able to have … the physical and emotional connection at the same time. As opposed to just looking in a mirror, like I was with [Vera]."
Singer and actress Aly Michalka and husband Stephen Ringer welcomed their first baby, son Jack Francis, via a home birth on April 21, 2024, PEOPLE exclusively revealed.
The Aly & AJ musician went into labor while recording the band's upcoming album with sister AJ Michalka.
"It was a very peaceful and calm birth, which is really what we were hoping for," said Aly of Jack. "He's just a great little guy. He's got a really special disposition about him."
Aly initially planned to have the baby in a hospital with a "great doctor" before speaking with a midwife and realizing her "ideal birth" would be unmedicated and natural.
"Every woman's birth is really their own journey and their own choice," Aly said. "But I do feel like our medical system intervenes in ways that can be really harmful for women and really traumatic for not only themselves but for their baby. For me, it felt like a great way to be able to avoid that."
Aly, who was in labor for about 50 hours in total, including six of active labor, had a support system that included Ringer, a "wonderful midwife" and two "angel doulas."
"It was just wonderful. It was really everything we could imagine it would be," added Aly, who didn't face any complications throughout the process.
Genevieve shared on her blog that the Padalecki kids, Thomas Colton, Austin "Shep" Shepherd and Odette Elliott, were all intended to be home births. With safety being a priority for Genevieve, Jared and their midwife, Sally, it was important to have a plan in place that included going to the hospital instead if needed.
That was the case with their oldest son, Tom. During labor, the decision was made to head to the hospital. It was important to Genevieve, though, that she give birth vaginally but expressed: "There's no right or wrong answer. I was very close to getting a C-section, which would have been totally fine, too."
When speaking about the birth, Genevieve said, "You're just so present and in tune with your body and so in tune with your baby, and it's just probably the most magical experience I've ever been through in my life."
For the home birth of their second child, Shep, Genevieve's support team included Jared, midwife Sally, acupuncturist Jasmine Bay and "wonderful" doula Carrie Kenner. Her friend Ali was also among "all of these women" cheering Genevieve on.
"It was intense and beautiful and, you know, so magical is this little baby. You're holding this little baby, and you're sitting in your bed, and you're looking up at your partner, and it was just amazing," the actress said.
Genevieve added how amazing it was "trusting my body, trusting myself and trusting the people around me and knowing that I was made for this and I can do it."
When it was time for Odette's home birth, Sally felt Genevieve had a "different type of patience" after her previous two births. Her acupuncturist helped to delay labor to give Jared time to make it home for the delivery.
Genevieve described the birth as "so normal and neat and a great experience" and added how she had worked out before and during pregnancy to prepare.
"It's a marathon ... You really have to prepare not only physically but you also have to prepare mentally," she said.
Read the original article on People
