Skip to content

Top Navigation

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
    • All News
    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
    • Heroes
    • Stories to Make You Smile
    • All Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Royals
    • All Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Tech
    • Travel
  • PeopleTV
    • All Shopping
    • People Tested
    • All Podcasts
    • Me Becoming Mom
    • People Every Day
    • PEOPLE in the '90s

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Subscribe

Explore PEOPLE.com

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Rita Moreno Says She Dated Elvis as Revenge Against Cheating Ex Marlon Brando: 'It Was Wonderful'

      Rita Moreno Says She Dated Elvis as Revenge Against Cheating Ex Marlon Brando: 'It Was Wonderful'

      Rita Moreno revealed she dated Elvis Presley to get back at her ex-boyfriend Marlon Brando for cheating on her Read More
    • Machine Gun Kelly Poses with Daughter Casie at the 2021 American Music Awards

      Machine Gun Kelly Poses with Daughter Casie at the 2021 American Music Awards

      The American Music Awards, hosted by Cardi B, are broadcasting live from Los Angeles on Sunday Read More
    • Jennifer Lopez Sings from the Heart in New 'On My Way' Music Video

      Jennifer Lopez Sings from the Heart in New 'On My Way' Music Video

      Jennifer Lopez released the official music video for her song "On My Way," which is featured in her upcoming rom-com Marry Me Read More
  • News

    News

    See All News
    Stars Who Opened Up About Their Sexuality and Gender Identity in 2021

    Stars Who Opened Up About Their Sexuality and Gender Identity in 2021

    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
    • Heroes
    • Stories to Make You Smile
  • Entertainment

    Entertainment

    See All Entertainment
    The Best (& Worst) Jeopardy! Celebrity Guest Host Show Moments

    The Best (& Worst) Jeopardy! Celebrity Guest Host Show Moments

    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Royals
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle
    Billie Eilish Ditches Her Blonde Hair for Brunette Tresses: 'Miss Me?'

    Billie Eilish Ditches Her Blonde Hair for Brunette Tresses: 'Miss Me?'

    The singer revealed that she dyed her hair dark brown after debuting her blonde look earlier this year
    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Tech
    • Travel
  • PeopleTV
  • Shopping

    Shopping

    See All Shopping
    • People Tested
  • Podcasts

    Podcasts

    See All Podcasts
    Sen. Tammy Duckworth Calls Going Back to Work After Having a Miscarriage 'Inhumane'

    Sen. Tammy Duckworth Calls Going Back to Work After Having a Miscarriage 'Inhumane'

    "Even though we cleared my calendar for the day, I was still on the phone. There was no resting, you just kept on going," Tammy Duckworth says on an episode of PEOPLE's podcast Me Becoming Mom
    • Me Becoming Mom
    • People Every Day
    • PEOPLE in the '90s

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. People.com
  2. Celebrity
  3. Parents
  4. Celebrity Parents Who've Opened Up About Their Premature Births and Babies

Celebrity Parents Who've Opened Up About Their Premature Births and Babies

Priyanka Chopra, Beyoncé, Vanessa Lachey and more celebrity parents have shared their — and their little ones' — stories

By Andrea Wurzburger Updated May 09, 2022 02:55 PM
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet

1 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra

priyanka chopra nick jonas have baby. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdTr_YnvMkp/. photo by Divya Akhouri
Credit: Divya Akhouri

The pair marked Priyanka's first Mother's Day in May of 2022 with the first photo of their baby girl Malti Marie, and opened up about the "rollercoaster" they'd been on since her birth. 

"On this Mother's Day we can't help but reflect on these last few months and the rollercoaster we've been on, which we now know, so many people have also experienced. After 100 plus days in the NICU, our little girl is finally home," the stars wrote in coordinated Instagram posts. "Every family's journey is unique and requires a certain level of faith, and while ours was a challenging few months, what becomes abundantly clear, in retrospect, is how precious and perfect every moment is. We are overjoyed that our little girl is finally home, and just want to thank every Doctor, nurse and specialist at Rady Children's La Jolla and Cedar Sinai, Los Angeles, who were there selflessly every step of the way. Our next chapter begins now, and our baby is truly a badass. Let's get it MM! Mommy and Daddy love you."

"Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and caretakers in my life and out there. You make it look so easy. Thank you," Chopra added. "Also.. there is no one I'd rather do this with than you. Thank you for making me a mama @nickjonas I love you ❤️"

1 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Beyoncé & JAY-Z

beyonce-2-2000
Credit: Beyonce.com

The superstar needed an emergency C-section with twins Rumi and Sir and spoke of her experience in Vogue.

The mother of three said, "I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies' health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me. I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father. I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later. Today I have a connection to any parent who has been through such an experience. After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover. During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be."

2 of 9

3 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Anna Faris & Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt Honored With Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage

Though the pair split in 2017, they still are loving coparents to their son, Jack. Faris told Redbook in 2015 that giving birth to Jack nine weeks early brought them closer as parents.

She told the magazine, "My water broke in the middle of the night at seven months. We rushed to the hospital, and they were able to halt active labor with magnesium. I was at the hospital and the goal was to be in bed for four weeks … but on the seventh day, I went into labor again. I was in denial. For hours I was like, 'I'm just having indigestion.' Chris and I were so scared, but when Jack came out, even though he was so tiny, he looked so good to us."

Pratt told PEOPLE of Jack's time in the NICU, "We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot. It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it," the actor said. "The baby was so beautiful to us, and I look back at the photos of him and it must have been jarring for other people to come in and see him, but to us he was so beautiful and perfect."

3 of 9

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Vanessa & Nick Lachey

vanessa-lachey
Credit: Vanessa Lachey/Instragram

Vanessa opened up about delivering son Phoenix while competing on Dancing with the Stars.

"I was in the hospital on bedrest and then my water broke. I was only 29 weeks," Lachey said.

The mother of three continued, "I was on the operating bed and I looked up and I didn't know a single face and I remembered thinking I hope the baby's okay and don't worry about me. Just make him okay."

4 of 9

Advertisement

5 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Zoë Saldana & Marco Perego 

zoe-saldana-twins-1
Credit: Zoe Saldana/Instagram. Inset: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty

"When I was in the neonatal intensive care unit with my two sons, I became like every parent that was on that floor," the actress told PEOPLE. "My husband and I were at the mercy of our nurses and doctors — our children's lives depended on their every move."

Going through the experience with her twins, Cy and Bowie, made her passionate about giving every mother the help they need. She told PEOPLE, "I went through it, I was there. I was a parent and my children were the ones that benefitted from having excellent services from the hospital. And I want that for every parent. I want that for every child."

5 of 9

6 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Danielle Fishel & Jensen Karp 

Danielle Fishel baby
Credit: Danielle Fishel. Inset: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

The couple's son Adler was born one month earlier than expected and had to stay in the NICU for 21 days after his birth in order to be treated for fluid build-up in his lungs.

Fishel told PEOPLE, "It's a real long, slow process in the NICU. If we have one thing to tell people about, if someone is going into the NICU with their child, it would be do not think you're only going to be here for 48 hours or 72 hours. Maybe you will be and that will be great, but just think about this as being a marathon and not sprint. You're here for a while, and nothing moves quickly."

6 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Mark & Julie Steines 

Grab Cut Insert Cut F:PHOTOMediaFactory ActionsRequests DropBox48062#Anya Leon_E8I0122-Edit.jpg
Credit: Jeremy Lee

The Home & Family host and his wife were shocked when they were told that Julie would need an emergency c-section in October 2017.

Julie recalled to PEOPLE, "I called [the doctor] and she says to me, 'When's the last time you ate?' And I thought, what? And she says, 'We're going to deliver the baby today.' " It turns out that her blood work showed she had developed intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP): a condition where acids from the mother's liver can lead to fetal distress or even death.

"So everything ended really abruptly and we were prepared but we weren't, and that's something that happens a lot in ICP — an early delivery — because it can be very dangerous for the baby," Julie explained, calling her pregnancy "amazing" and "perfect" up "until it wasn't."

The pair are parents to Parker Rose, who's happy and healthy.

7 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Chris & Morgane Stapleton 

60th Annual Grammy Awards, Arrivals, New York, USA - 28 Jan 2018
Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

The arrival of the country singing couple's twin boys was announced by Reba herself, but when they shared the news on Instagram, it was revealed that the boys, Macon and Samuel, were more than one month early.

Morgane wrote in a message to fans, "Thank you for all the love! We're so grateful to finally be home with our sweet family. We would like to say a special thank you to all the incredible nurses & doctors at Centennial Women's & Children's Hospital in Nashville."

"At more than a month early, we had a week-long stay in the NICU & the incredible people there kept our boys healthy & happy," she continued. "Words cannot express our gratitude for you all & what you did for our family. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!" she concluded.

8 of 9

Advertisement

9 of 9

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Alexis Skyy & Fetty Wap

fetty-wap-alexis-skyy
Credit: Alexis Skyy/Instagram. Inset: Prince Williams/Getty

The Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star and her then-boyfriend, rapper Fetty Wap, welcomed baby Alaiya into the world a whole three months prematurely.

"My water did break," Skyy said in an Instagram Live video from her hospital bed before Alaiya's birth, where Fetty Wap was present.

The new mom explained that both she and the rapper were "preemie" babies, telling the camera, "They're gonna have me in the hospital for a long time and I just pray that everything do good. She's okay, she's fine."

Alaiya suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition that causes bleeding and fluid in the brain, and even needed emergency brain surgery in January 2019 to "repair a malfunctioning implant in her brain that helps drain blood and fluids," TMZ reported at the time.

In a more recent photo of Alaiya, she can be seen with a big smile. Her mom captioned the photo, "My Miracle❣️As long as she's smiling nothing else matters."

9 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Andrea Wurzburger

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 9 Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra
    2 of 9 Beyoncé & JAY-Z
    3 of 9 Anna Faris & Chris Pratt
    4 of 9 Vanessa & Nick Lachey
    5 of 9 Zoë Saldana & Marco Perego 
    6 of 9 Danielle Fishel & Jensen Karp 
    7 of 9 Mark & Julie Steines 
    8 of 9 Chris & Morgane Stapleton 
    9 of 9 Alexis Skyy & Fetty Wap

    Share & More

    Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    PEOPLE.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab. People is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Manage Push Notificationsthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab

    Manage Push Notifications

    If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Google Chrome and Android, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
    © Copyright PEOPLE.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://people.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Celebrity Parents Who've Opened Up About Their Premature Births and Babies
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.