Charmaine Finally Gives Birth on “Virgin River”! Showrunner Addresses Why It Took 5 Seasons

Lauren Hammersley, who plays Charmaine, also weighed in on her character's five-season pregnancy

Two new — and long-anticipated — bundles of joy have finally arrived on Virgin River!

On the Netflix series, Lauren Hammersley's Charmaine has been pregnant with twins since the season 1. Five seasons (i.e. four years in real-world time) later, her pregnancy became a running gag among fans.

In fact, the series finally poked fun at Charmaine’s extended pregnancy on Thursday's holiday episodes when she quipped to Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson), "I feel like I've been pregnant for years."

"We could not avoid that one," showrunner Patrick Sean Smith explained to Entertainment Weekly. "As we were shooting season 5 and season 4 came out, people started to catch up on the very slow timeline of the series." 

He added, “And that was through pregnant women and through children, because both had their natural course. It's hard to hide that."

Related: 10 Shows to Watch After You’ve Binge-Watched ‘Virgin River’

Smith and his team of writers had plans for Charmaine to finally welcome her twins, though they struggled with where to place the moment in the season. Though they initially “tried for part 1,” Smith confessed “it felt too soon” and there wasn’t any “real estate” for the highly anticipated birth.

He added, "But it also felt like a great holiday gift to the fans to be like, 'And Charmaine has finally had a baby after four seasons.' Lauren, who's hilarious, posted on Instagram, 'In two days, I'm going to give birth to two 5-year-olds.'"

Related: Where Is ‘Virgin River’ Filmed? All About the Real-Life Locations

Virgin River’s official Instagram account shared a behind-the-scenes photo of Charmaine’s delivery on the social media platform.

The caption read. , "Charmaine's babies are finally making a grand entrance in 4 days. It’s the most festive delivery of the season! 💫🎄”

The photo featured Hammersley posing next to a hospital bed and a yoga ball while Breckenridge sat with her legs crossed on a stool.

“FINALLLLLY!!! Deliver those 5 year old babies! 😂,” one fan wrote in the comments section, while another one quipped, “That was fast! Seems like only 2019 when she was pregnant! 😂”

Hammersley also weighed in on her nearly never-ending pregnancy in the comments. "Full disclosure: I have very much enjoyed being pregnant for five years," she joked. "I didn’t go to the gym. Ate what I wanted. Lots of bed rest and white wine."

"She loved it," Smith told EW of Hammerlsey’s willingness to wear a fake belly. "She was such a trouper. She and Tim [Matheson] and Alex had a lot of fun shooting the delivery scene. It felt right, and I'm glad she finally got to have those babies."

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All five seasons of Virgin River can be streamed in full on Netflix.

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