Bringing a child into the world is such a personal decision, especially when it comes time to deliver. While many celebrity moms have been open about their choice to go with a hospital birth (and in some cases, an epidural, which is beloved by many), others have decided to take a different route.
Some celeb mamas planned to give birth in the comfort of their own homes, while others — like Bachelor in Paradise star Jade Roper — found themselves in an emergency situation that gave them no choice but to welcome their baby outside of a hospital. Giving birth can be such a different experience for everyone, so when it comes to staying within the comfort of their own homes, it seems like these moms (and their babies) rocked it.
Read on for celebrities who chose to give birth at home and their stories, as well as celebrity dads who are speaking out about their awesome wives. Home births definitely aren’t for everyone, but most of these celebs seem extremely happy with their choice.
Hilary Duff
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid gave birth in her Pennsylvania farm house, and she was in labor for 14 hours. The model told Vogue, “When you see someone do that, you look at them a bit differently. I probably looked crazy, actually. I was an animal woman. I had to dig deep. I knew it was going to be the craziest pain in my life, but you have to surrender to it and be like, ‘This is what it is.’ I loved that.” Surrounded by loved ones and a midwife, Gigi announced the birth of her baby on September 23rd, 2020.
James Van Der Beek
James’ wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, opted for a home birth when their youngest of five, Gwendolyn, now 1, was born last year. The former Dawson’s Creek star shared all the gritty details about his wife’s home birth on Instagram. Yes, it was messy, but like James said, it was also real and it seemed to be the best choice for all involved.
Erika Christensen
Actress Erika Christensen’s daughter Polly arrived so suddenly, she made her grand debut smack center of her parents’ bed. Erika’s hubby Cole had the pleasure of delivering their bundle of joy, as the doctor wasn’t able to make it in time.
“It happened! It happened this morning,” the celeb mom wrote in this Instagram post. “And it will go down in family history because babygirl’s own, incredible Dad delivered her all by himself. My fault, as I didnt know she would come so quickly and didn’t call the doc until far too late.”
Teyana Taylor
“On Dec 16th at 6:42am in our bathroom Junie decided she wanted to take her first breath into this world,” actress and singer Teyana Taylor explained in this post about her daughter’s unexpected home birth. “She came out as a wonderful surprise to everyone! Not knowing I was in labor until I felt her head … it took two ten count pushes with my fiancé playing Dr and she entered this world into his bare hands!”
Thank goodness Teyana’s husband, Iman Shumpert, was there. Not only did he play doctor, but he tied his headphone cord around the umbilical cord until paramedics arrived.
Stacy Keibler
When Stacy and husband Jared Pobre’s first daughter, Ava, who’s now 5, was born, they chose to give birth at home, medication-free. She shared her experience on her now-defunct blog, writing that although she was under the care of both an OB-GYN and a midwife, when it came down to it, it was a “war” that she and her daughter were fighting together.
“I kept saying, like, ‘Ava’s a warrior. I’m a warrior …’ Then when she came out, I feel like we had this bond that we fought together,” Stacy wrote, according to E! News.
It seems to have worked out for her, though, since Stacy also opted to have her second child, Bodhi, now 1, at home as well.
Jade Roper
This former Bachelor in Paradise star didn’t exactly intend to have a home birth, but that’s what she ended up with. After going into labor with her second child, Brooks, things progressed quickly. And less than two hours after her water broke, she gave birth to him in her bedroom closet.
“It was one of the scariest moments of my life because I felt so out of control, but Tanner, Tanner’s mom, my mom and the medics and firefighters kept me going when I felt like the world was caving in on me and my unborn baby,” Jade wrote on Instagram at the time.
Jade and husband Tanner Tolbert have another child together, a daughter named Emerson, 2.
