On January 20, model Ashley Graham took to her Instagram to announce that she and her husband of 9 years, Justin Ervin, have welcomed their first child into the world.
However, while Graham is known for being open and honest, she kept the details of her little boy’s birth under wraps, until now. Graham and Ervin first announced they were expecting their first child together in August.
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Now, the couple is in front of the camera once again to talk about Graham’s birth story and what it is like being first-time parents. In a new episode of her podcast, Pretty Big Deal, Ervin started off by calling 2020 a year of first.
Not only did they have a child for the first time, but it’s also the first time Ervin has ever been on her podcast. Graham described her husband as “really private,” to which he agreed, saying he’s “extremely private.”
However, while Ervin prefers to remain behind the camera as a photograph and director, the proud husband explained he’s willing to do whatever he has to do to show his support for his wife. That includes not only being on her podcast but also being in Vogue.
Ashley Graham and Her Husband Justin Ervin Introduce Their Son to the World for the First Time
During their 30-minute conversation on Pretty Big Deal, Graham and Ervin talked about making pregnant friends, soaking in all the advice they could, but ultimately only choosing what was right for them. And that’s when Graham revealed she delivered their son at home.
In the past, Graham has opened up about how it took some time for her to be OK with the changes her body was going through during the first months of pregnancy. However, after enduring a natural birth, Graham admits she feels like she can do anything now.
“I have to say now though that I gave birth and I did it naturally and I felt everything, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. Like there’s nothing that can come my way where I say, ‘Oh that’s too hard. I can’t handle that.’ I went through laboring six hours naturally.”
Now, Graham wants other women to feel how she’s feeling after giving birth to her son, “invincible.” Graham also praised Ervin for letting her come to the decision to have a natural birth on her own.
A week before their bundle of joy was born, Graham and Ervin went on a due “date.” Graham was due on January 11, 2020, but when their baby boy showed no signs of being ready, they took the time to get away for just a minute, just the two of them, for the very last time.
Then seven days later, on January 18 at 6:00 p.m., Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin was born weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces.
Graham walked her listeners through that day step by step. The mom-to-be had a list of things she needed her husband to do around the house, they went to breakfast together, and even tried to take a yoga class where her water broke 15 minutes into it.
Then five-and-a-half hours after going through intense contractions, the couple got into their home birthing pool and together they welcomed Isaac into the world. You can listen to Graham talk about that day starting at the 18-minute mark.
“I’m on my back with my legs up, my feet are in your stomach and I’m pushing. And I said, ‘Progress?’ And you looked at me with tears in your eyes and you said, ‘Baby, I can see his head.'” As Graham began to tear up reliving the moment, she admitted it was that moment gave her so much strength to get through the rest of the delivery.
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“A moment later, we sat back, he was on my chest and he was looking you in the eyes,” Graham recalled. “I looked at you, you looked at me, I looked at him, he’s looking back at me and it’s like I recognized him,” Ervin added.
And that’s when Graham told Ervin, “We’re a family forever now.”