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Celine Dion has been open and honest about her struggle to get pregnant at 41. She’s suffered several failed IVF attempts and at least one miscarriage, after she announced an earlier pregnancy at just a few weeks along. Now Celine is pregnant – with twins! – and is 14 weeks along. It’s likely that the twins are from Dion’s own frozen embryos from a full nine years ago, when she went through a grueling six year IVF process to conceive her first child, son René-Charles, now nine. Back in December, 2008, Celine confirmed that she was trying to get pregnant and said she was using frozen embryos from the last process. When she was pregnant in August, 2009, (which sadly didn’t take) her doctor confirmed that the pregnancy came from an embryo that was eight years old at the time.
Now that Celine is pregnant she’ll tell you all about it, and about how hard it is. She says she feels like she’s been pregnant for over a year and describes the IVF process as “physically and emotionally exhausting”
For Celine Dion, the sixth time was the charm, but her hope to expand her family was an arduous year-long journey.
“I feel like I’ve been pregnant more than a year,” Dion, 42, whose previous IVF attempts had failed, told the French-language Le Journal de Montreal. “I never gave up. But I can tell you that it was physically and emotionally exhausting.”
“Everyone knows that Celine has guts and is determined,” adds husband, René Angelil. “These treatments were truly hard on my wife’s body. It wasn’t simple at all.”
But the perseverance paid off when the couple found out they are expecting twins. “There were truly great emotions after all our efforts,” says the singer.
Those efforts included traveling from her Florida home to New York for months of treatments and also turning to acupuncture from a Montreal-based specialist.
“My doctors had to constantly reassure me. I [wanted] to see the babies,” she says. “Each week I had sonograms. I heard their heart beats.”
Now, having already endured the ups and downs of several in-vitro fertilization attempts, Dion says she’s following her doctors’ orders closely.
“It’s stressful but I’m relaxing. I look at my little belly. I do almost nothing,” she says. “If you tell me I have to stay in bed,
I will stay in bed until November, when the babies are born. To bring them into the world, there’s nothing more important than that. It’s incredible.”
Adds Dion: “We will have a beautiful family nest full of love.”
And though the singer, who plans to kick off a new Las Vegas show next year, says she loves her career, she’s realized that there’s an even higher priority in her life.
“There are no accomplishments bigger than [being a mom]. The trophies and the money, that doesn’t give meaning to life and that doesn’t give you true happiness,” she says. “A baby — yes.”
[From CNN]
I love how open and honest Celine is and how she’s sharing how hard it is to conceive. A lot of celebrities show up with a baby or twins after rumors of IVF and never admit the difficult process they went through. I know that’s private, and it’s entirely their business, but by sharing her struggles Celine is helping a lot of us understand what it entails. It doesn’t sound easy, but the result is more than worth it. I hope everything goes smoothly for Celine with this pregnancy and that her family’s prayers have finally been answered.
Celine Dion and Rene Angelil are shown on 2/16/10. Credit: Jay Kravetz/PRPhotos
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Celine Dion, Pregnant
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Hmmm, girl it is JUST starting. Oh, and maybe that’s why most don’t do it past 40. Not that there is anything wrong with it – but it is rough sometimes! Best of luck to her with that!
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The best of luck to you, Celine!
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Yeah, being pregnant at 40+ is not for sissies! Been there, done that, NEVER AGAIN!!
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I know just what she means– I’m 14 weeks pregnant as well (after going fertility treatments after 5 miscarriages) and I too feel like I’ve been pregnant for a year. When I had my daughter 8 years ago it wasn’t this hard. Maybe it’s the age and treatments that take it out on your body, I don’t know….
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I don’t know why she couldn’t just be happy with the beautiful, healthy son she has. She and her husband (isn’t he in his 70′s?) are too old to be having more children. If he makes it to the kids high school graduation, it’ll be a miracle. Who is that really fair to?
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If they really wanted a love nest, they could have adopted. i guess children in need don’t deserve a home
i am sure it was hard, after all of those failed attempts, i don’t know why wouldn’t they stop and adopt.
it seems a little narcissistic and unnecessary.
i don’t know why she deserves praise for this.
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These people are using up alot of resources, I guess they are entitled because of their wealth. Hope one of the twins becomes a scientist to save the earth from greedy people.
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This is a subject near and dear to my heart, having had twins at age 41 after two years of expensive and invasive treatment (and it was by far my easiest pregnancy (of three)). For those of you who say “just adopt,” it’s not nearly as easy as you seem to think. Check into it sometime. I have. And as for “they’re too old,” personally I’d rather have been born to ancient parents than not have been born at all. If that’s not true for you, fine, but it’s not fair to attribute your feelings to everyone else. I suspect most people are just happy to be here.
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waiting list 10 years for child under 2 in my province. adoption overseas 5 year wait. sick of people saying “just adopt”.
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@Lane’s mom ITA!! I had my 5th when I was 43. And I think the kid is happy to be here. Not only did I not feel too old, I was so psyched. Celine is NOT old!! I wish them well. She sounds like a great person.
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Some of you are too judgemental over older women having kids.
I had my 4th child from my second marriage at age 40 and Charlotte just turned 3. I bounce, play hide and seek and do all the silliness that I did with my boys from my first marriage and it’s actually easier! Plus I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.
I am a much better mother this time around!
Stop the hate, people!
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I think she meant the process of getting pregnant was exhausting, as I’m sure it was.
And if she meant the pregnancy, some people get super-tired during pregnancy, just a byproduct of the hormones. Doesn’t mean they don’t have the energy for a kid or two.
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“I don’t know why she couldn’t just be happy with the beautiful, healthy son she has. She and her husband (isn’t he in his 70’s?) are too old to be having more children. If he makes it to the kids high school graduation, it’ll be a miracle. Who is that really fair to?”
Hmmmm. If (god willing) these babies are born healthy, why not wait until they’re 10 or so, with their older-than-average parents (especially Dad!) and ask them if they feel like existing is unfair, or if they’d rather not exist at all cuz Dad’s an old geezer? I really hate the judgementalism in some of these comments. A healthy baby is always a blessing, but most especially when it’s very, very wanted, like theirs are.
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Congrats to them, it sounds like it’s been very difficult for her both times. I felt badly for her when she announce her pregnancy last time and then had a miscarriage and had to disclose that too. I can appreciate her being honest about the process, but for her own sake, I had wished she hadn’t talked about it publicly so soon.
Personally, if I were in their situation and had her resources, I would have pursued adoption rather than continue to go through the time and money and hardship of all the treatments. But it’s their life and money to do with as they choose.
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wow! she is die-hard.
good for her.
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i know how the adoption process works and yes it is a nightmare and ridiculously hard. i believe it needs to be reformed.
that being said i was adopted and all i can say is i am glad my parents took the time to go through the process,
if you are not able to naturally have your own child, start the adoption process, and the treatments at the same time.
it is a luxury that us westerners with money have the option to artificially conceive , but don’t turn your back on those children in need,
BOTH processes are painful and arduous, but if you can afford it why wouldn’t you try both?
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Adopting in the U.S. is a nightmare. Long wait and most birth parents want open adoptions. Some of the birth parents change their mind after the baby has already been adopted as they have that option. Why shouldn’t she have her own children? That’s her decision and nobody should knock it.
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All the best to them
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eeeeeeeh Madonna can get a kid inside a week! I’m sure with the load of cash they have she could have had plenty of adopted children.
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congrats to celine, but if she had such a long, difficult time getting pregnant and didn’t want to adopt why not hire a surrogate like SJP? it isn’t like she can’t afford it. as for the IVF vs. adoption debate, i think adoption is a great thing. yes it is expensive and yes there is a wait (5 year average i believe) but IVF is very expensive, too, and usually takes years to conceive. i think it is odd that people complain about the wait to adopt but not about the wait for IVF to work. waiting for a white newborn – which is what most people want – takes longer, too – why not adopt an older child or a baby of a different ethnicity? i don’t get the “i want my own children” argument, either.
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Oh shut the hell up Dion! You didn’t invent pregancy or IVF. I find her so annoying!
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Some women want the early bonding experience of being pregnant, and where I live when a surrogate carries, the baby is hers until she legally relinquishes. I hope Celine and her babies will be okay, and I’m glad their family is expanding as they have the resources to do it. I’m pro treatment and pro adoption-to each her own.
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I wish her all the luck!!! She is an amazing person and her intentions are always good. She feels free to be herself and follow her life’s plan. I had my two children under the age of thirty and they were quite tiresome on me. I went through a lot of pregnancy difficulties. My first child’s delivery was very hard. So it doesn’t matter at what age you have children, there is always some risk. I do agree it gets harder with age but we all need to weigh all the variables. I also agree that there is nothing better in life than the capability to carry and bring forth a human being into this life. It’s so precious! I wish her babies a very healthy delivery!!! Rene-Charles may feel happier having siblings now.
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I am happy for her. I think she is an amazing singer, and while I don’t think she is too old, I do think that he is. He has also had heart issues in the past. As close as I am to my parents, I would have hated to lose them at 20, which is probably the outside limit of how long he will live.
Secondly, I know that adoption isn’t instantaneous, and fertility treatments are really difficult, but I am always disturbed by the fact that no one mentions the possible health effects on the mother as time goes on. Recent studies have indicated a link between fertility treatments and certain female cancers, not to mention the bloating, mood swings, and other side effects that occur during treatment. Flooding your system with hormones just doesn’t seem like a swift idea, but I do understand that some women want children so badly that they don’t care.
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i’m sure that in the NINE years she spent trying to get pregnant again she could have adopted a child. i understand wanting your “own” children, but i don’t get FORCING your body to do something it isn’t capable of doing, for whatever reason.
but, whatever. i love her music & other than this IVF thing i like her a lot. i hope she has a safe & healthy pregnancy.
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I had my third child at 39, after 9 years of my 2nd marriage with no baby. The pregnancy was difficult, but the labour was worse. My blood pressure required an emergency C-section and a week’s stay in the hospital to get it under control. Our little man turned 1 yesterday, and while we’d love to have another baby, it’s not worth my life. But oh, how we want another!! Little ones keep you young!
I wish Celine and Rene all the best.
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I can see people trying IVF because why not? But if it doesn’t work after SIX YEARS and she kept having problems with it even after her first son, WHY do they keep at it when there are many children waiting to be adopted? Are people really so arrogant that they believe their offspring will be genetically superior to any they adopt? (The fact that he had cancer and she cannot conceive naturally leads to me to believe the opposite – that their kids may be genetically weaker). I think it’s simply ego and arrogance that “their” kids are preferable to any undesirable orphans out there.
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I don’t get her decision-making process, but here’s the thing: it’s her decision, and she’s not using my money to pay for it. Apparently she doesn’t want to adopt, so the same number of children (zero) would have been adopted by her if she had decided not to pursue motherhood after Rene-Charles as she has actually adopted.
Funny how I’m suddenly struck by how easy it is to be criticized for adoption, too. “She should have adopted!” “She should haven’t adopted so many!” “She should have adopted from Location A instead of Location B!”
I find Celine Dion incredibly annoying, but I do appreciate her honesty here. And as a 41-year-old who just had her first child, yeah, it’s exhausting–pregnancy and motherhood alike. But I don’t love my daughter less than a younger mother loves her child. So back off, T (#5).
So while I may find Celine Dion annoying, I hope that her pregnancy goes well and she has healthy twins. Best of luck to all of them.
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Does anyone really care about Celine Dion anymore? Really? Her singing is nails on a chalkboard to me, and she always comes off as the most self-centered diva, not an appealing person at all.
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I have 2 friends who struggled to conceive. One adopted, one did IVF; both faced immense hardship, both ended up with awesome kids, both chose the path that was right for them. I really don’t get the judgements here. I loathe her music but respect her devotion to her son and her honesty. Does anyone here really have yhe right to tell her how she should increase her family when she is so clearly commited to bring a mom?
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I saw an interview with her once and I recall she had some strong feelings about her responsibilities to the embryos created in the first round of fertility treatments. That may explain why she didn’t pursue adoption.
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Yep pregnancy can be exhausting etc, that is why I personally would never want to do it over 40. However different strokes for different folks and all that, so all the best Celine!
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Oh give me a break…some of these comments are idiotic…it took ME 10 months of doing my husband before I got pregnant with my last…gee, should I have stopped participating in that activity and adopted instead you sanctimonious hypocrites? Celine IS pregnant. She got what she wanted. Why in the world should someone adopt just because they are having difficulty conceiving. You guys are numbskulls. Why don’t YOU adopt?
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i wish all these judgey people would just STFU. unless you’ve been there, you just do not get it. I am another mother who has been through 10 pregnancies just to have the two kids I have and yes, i was almost 40.
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I have a soft spot in my heart for Celine. I hope she manages to carry these babies and that they are healthy and safely delivered! Good luck cherie!
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wow….imagine having to go through pregnancy, working full time right up until 10 days before the birth, staying home only 10 weeks, then going back to work fulltime, getting home, making dinner youself, housework, making sure clothes etc are packed in the baby bag and baby is immaculate, a relaxing bath and baby massage every night without fail, before dropping him off to you folks to look after for the day, while you work etc, etc all on an average wage, with hubby. then doing it again, in 2 years time, so your child can have a sibling. with the millions she has and the fairytale she lives, the servants, chefs and time to rest and sleep, she does not realise how stupid her comments make her sound.
i was lucky, i had my folks to help, that was my blessing, the kids didn’t go to childcare. i never had time to be exhausted, depressed or anything, you got on with it, cos you had to.
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look at the bright side, the kids will have daddy and Grandpa in the same person in the same house or Villa or castle or mansion. And Santas Claus all year ’round. ‘betcha all sooo jelous!
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Onyx!
That’s gold!
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I see a couple of ugly babies in her future.
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