Hilary Duff allowed her young son to watch her give birth and the reason is incredible
Jess Hardiman
Featured Image Credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images/Chris Wolf/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Many mums may like to have a strong support network in the room with them as they give birth, while others may wish to keep it more intimate, inviting just those who need to be there.
But Hilary Duff decided to let her son join in the drama as she gave birth to his younger sibling, having chosen to welcome number two into the world from the comfort of her own home.
The singer and actor, who turns 37 this weekend, now has four children - a son with ex Mike Comrie and three daughters with husband Matthew Koma.
Duff has become a vocal advocate for home births in recent years; while there are certainly risks compared to hospital births, she has said that having her family present during such a monumental moment in her life outweighed the risks.
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After a fairly smooth experience with her first born Luca, Duff felt that she didn't need medical intervention right on hand for her second child, so she made the decision to give birth at home.
Speaking on on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022, Duff said: "You're bringing a baby into the world, that's some of the hardest work anybody can do.
"And they don't let you have water in the hospital, or food or snacks and you're about to work the hardest you've ever worked to push a baby out."
The birth seemed to be a pretty chilled one actually, as Duff snacked on sushi and kept a glass of rosé next to her to celebrate the new arrival once she had come.
"It's kind of the most hippie dippy thing about me, to have my kids around while I'm birthing," the Material Girls actor said.
"At first I thought it was really weird - but it was beautiful to bring another member in with everyone around."
Alongside the sushi and the rosé was Duff's son, Luca, who was present during her home births.
Speaking of that decision, Duff said on the Informed Pregnancy Podcast: "It was kind of important for me because I'm really big on being open and honest with him about how strong women are and what childbirth looks like.
"He knows all about periods and it's important for me to normalise that conversation with him for all the women that are going to be in his life.
"[My son knows] all about periods and it's important for me to normalize that conversation with him for all the women that are going to be in his life."