Cindy Crawford Shares Intimate Home Birth Photos & Announces Live Home Birth Q&A
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Cindy Crawford wants to help expectant mamas struggling with childbirth choices amid the coronavirus crisis. The supermodel shared rare photos of the home births of her two children — Presley Gerber, 20, and Kaia Gerber, 18 — to start a dialogue about bringing babies into the world… at home. And she didn’t just reveal an intimate look at her personal experience. She’s also offering to answer any questions fans might have in case it helps them make a more informed decision about their own birth plan.
With the coronavirus pandemic leading to near-constant shifts in the way we live our lives, expectant mamas may feel especially overwhelmed in light of new healthcare protocols. Last week, several hospitals announced that women would not be able to have anyone with them during labor and delivery. And Crawford understands this is likely a source of anxiety for many pregnant women.
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“This a challenging time for all of us but my heart especially goes out to expecting mothers and their partners,” she captioned her black-and-white home birth photos. “As the Covid-19 cases rise and birth policies at hospitals are changing every day, many women are curious about #homebirth. I’m going live with @ccmeyer tomorrow at 12pm PST to talk about my experience giving birth at home. Questions welcome.”
A post shared by Cindy Crawford (@cindycrawford) on Mar 29, 2020 at 8:58am PDT
Speaking to SheKnows in 2011, Crawford discussed when she first started to explore the idea of home birth — and when it really took hold. “Look, when I got pregnant, I was like, ‘Sign me up for the epidural,'” she admitted in a highly relatable moment. “But then I started going to a prenatal yoga class that a friend of mine suggested. I started that when I was probably 24 weeks. That was the first place where I ever heard inklings that there were other ways to do it.”
Drawing on the wisdom of her yoga teacher (and her 16-year-old mother’s natural birthing of her), Crawford started to come around to the idea. By the time her first labor rolled around, the supermodel mom-to-be was ready. Pushing was more difficult than she expected, lasting around three hours, but ultimately it was worth it.
“So many people, when you have your baby, they’re like, ‘Who delivered your baby?’ You’re like, ‘Oh, Dr. So and So.’ But I delivered my baby. It was so empowering for me. I could take that and frame that into being a new mom when you’re sort of insecure,” she shared, adding, “I felt like I just ran a marathon.”
And for Crawford, one of the highlights of home birth is certainly salient to mothers today who are struggling to process new coronavirus protocols: “You choose who to have with you. Within an hour, there was no one in my house. I was there with my baby and my husband.”
Before you go, check out which other celebrities have chosen home births.
Launch Gallery: 24 Celebrities Who Chose to Have a Home Birth
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