Rumer Willis is opening up about life as a first-time mother after giving birth to her baby daughter, Louetta Isley Thomas Willis – who she shares with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas – on April 18. Louetta is the first grandchild of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, who continues to struggle with dementia.
On June 5, Rumer appeared on the Informed Pregnancy Podcast with Dr. Elliot Berlin and talked about her home birth – which took place in her bathtub. She was surrounded by unconditional love and support from her mother, boyfriend, doula, midwife, and two sisters (Tallulah Willis and Scout LaRue Willis).
Rumer went into great detail when describing the birth, recalling the moment she had to use her finger to break her water before the baby came rushing out. It was an intense experience, but one that she’s grateful for and will remember for the rest of her life. And, of course, now she has a little girl to show for it.
While in the bathtub, Rumer Willis dilated from two (2) to eight (8) inches over the course of one hour. At that point, she started moving in the water – likening herself to a ‘sexual mermaid.’ She appeared ready to give birth, but her midwife realized her water bag wasn’t popping – it was bulging, but wasn’t breaking.
When she asked her midwife if they should break it themselves, she gave Rumer the green light – and that’s when it happened. “I reached my finger up there, and I’m feeling and it was crazy. I could totally feel this little bag — it feels like a water balloon, but with a bit tougher skin,” she said of her water breaking.
To her count, her daughter arrived after just a couple of pushes – though she admitted she had never pushed harder in her life. “It was literally like I pushed, her head was out. I pushed again and her whole body was out,” she said of the precious moment. “There was no pause. There was no pause in between.”
Derek and the midwife were the ones to catch the baby – who had a cord wrapped around her neck and body, much like a prom sash. “We had four hands under there, under the birth stool. I’m going, ‘Give me the baby. Give the baby,’” she said of her eagerness to finally meet her first child – it was worth the wait.
Rumer Willis Describes Holding Her Baby for the First Time
Getting to hold her baby for the first time is a moment Rumer Willis will cherish for the rest of her life. She described it as the ‘most ecstatic, joyful moment of my entire life.’ As soon as they were able to untangle the baby, Louetta was in Rumer’s arms – which caused mama bear to get a little emotional, as expected.
“I just started sobbing with joy,” she said of the moment. Her family made sure to snap a lot of photos of the birth, including photos of Rumer looking at her daughter for the first time and Rumer looking at her family for the first time as a mother. It was an all-around positive and uplifting experience for everyone.
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“My sister actually told me something later that I didn’t even realize I said. I looked at Louetta at one point, and I said, ‘I missed you so much.’ I thought that was so sweet because it truly was like this moment of, ‘Oh, yes! We’re back together,’” she said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, yes. This person who I’ve known and I’ve been waiting for forever, here you are.'”