Four months after revealing she and her boyfriend were expecting a child together, actress Shay Mitchell announced the birth of their baby girl. This is Mitchell and Matte Babel‘s first child together.
Late Sunday evening, October 20, Mitchell took to Instagram to share a sweet snapshot of her hand lightly grasping her newborn daughter’s hand.
Mitchell wrote, “Never letting go…” The proud parents have decided not to post a photo of their baby girl’s face, yet. It’s unclear if and when the couple will share a photo of their new bundle of joy with the world. Mitchell’s former co-star and friend, Troian Bellisario, who is also a mother, has made the decision to keep her daughter’s identity away from the public.
The question is, will Mitchell do the same?
The actress has also kept her baby girl’s name and other details of her birth a secret, for now. Thousands of her followers, including co-stars, have sent their congratulations to Mitchell in the comments section. Bellisario wrote, “Most beautiful babe and mother.”
At the start of 2019, Mitchell opened up about the miscarriage she and Babel endured in 2018. She also explained how her miscarriage, influenced her decision to keep her second pregnancy with their rainbow baby a secret for the first six months.
In an older interview with HATCHland, she said, “The first five months of this pregnancy were super isolating, and I went through a severe depression. With the first pregnancy, I was elated and told everyone at eight weeks. However, I wanted to be sure that this second pregnancy would be viable before shouting it from the rooftops, so I hid it for nearly six months and became very anti-social. Usually, I’m incredibly active and outgoing, but instead, I mainly stayed home to avoid stares and questions. I was extremely lonely.”
You May Also Like: Watch Shay Mitchell Struggle with the Idea of Having to Have a C-Section
However, because she is an outgoing person by nature, Mitchell says hiding away during her first months of pregnancy left her with prepartum depression.
She told HATCHland, “As long as I can remember, I’ve heard about POSTpartum depression. However, to be depressed at the beginning came as a shock. The isolation and anxiety I experienced was crippling. I thought I was going out of my mind and questioned why nobody ever talked to me about this phase.”
Over the last four months, Mitchell has been documenting her journey on YouTube, in order to share her experiences with other women so that they don’t feel so alone. On her channel, she has talked about the feeling of having a baby following a miscarriage, she has discussed whether or not to use an epidural, and has also talked about the fear of having her birth plan completely fall apart.
Mitchell has also revealed that she doesn’t plan on taking maternity leave. So only time will tell when the next time fans will catch a glimpse of Mitchell working now that her baby girl is here.
Congratulations to Mitchell and Babel on their tiny bundle of joy.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.