It’s a girl for Tika Sumpter!
The Haves and Have Nots actress welcomed daughter Ella-Loren in early October, PEOPLE confirms.
The new mom recently hinted at the arrival of her first child on Twitter, tweeting, “Dear Moms, dads and caretakers, I’m slow clapping for each and every one of you. It ain’t no joke.”
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Sumpter, 36, waited until August to make her pregnancy news public for reasons she outlined in an interview for Fit Pregnancy and Baby‘s October cover story.
“She’s my first child, and I wanted to experience every moment of this pregnancy for myself and enjoy it without everybody else being in it with me,” explained Sumpter, who recently portrayed Michelle Robinson (later Obama) in this past summer’s film Southside with You.
“I didn’t want to hear, ‘Who’s the dad? Are you with the dad?’ ” added the actress, who noted elsewhere in the interview that she does have a boyfriend who is Ella-Loren’s father.
“Social media can be harsh, and I’m a mama bear, protective of my family,” she continued. “So that’s why I waited to tell people, including some friends.”
In the same interview, Sumpter admitted to having a “dream birth” plan — but knew plans could quickly change.
“I’d maybe have some contractions and then my baby would come out with Bach playing in the background, my boyfriend holding my hand and my doula rubbing my back,” she said. “In reality, I realize it may turn out differently.”
And one of her mantras proves she’s absolutely ready to be a mom.
“Plans are just plans,” Sumpter added. “I know everything can change.”
- With reporting by SARAH MICHAUD