It was just a few weeks ago that Kelly Preston and John Travolta came out and confirmed her pregnancy. Actually, the word “pregnancy” or “pregnant” wasn’t uttered in their statement, only “It’s impossible to keep a secret … especially one as wonderful as this. We want to be the first to share this great news with everyone that we are expecting a new addition to our family.” There was room to think they could be adopting or doing a surrogacy, although most people have been running with the “Kelly is pregnant” story. Anyway, Us Weekly has an interview with Kelly’s mom Linda, and she’s the one to actually talk about Kelly being pregnant. It’s basically a sweet story all about how much John and Kelly have been struggling, and how happy they are now.
Kelly Preston’s mom, Linda Carlson, tells UsMagazine.com she “burst into tears” when she heard her daughter was pregnant with her third child at age 47.
“I cried so hard I couldn’t see straight, just bawled my eyes out,” she said. “Because I’ve been so worried about her! When they’re that unhappy. I could cry right now remembering.”
Preston and her husband John Travolta, 56, lost their son, Jett, after he suffered a seizure in January 2009. (They are also parents to 10-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.) They were then extorted by the Bahamian paramedics who first responded to the call.
Carlson says the new addition will know all about Jett.
“He’ll see the pictures and he’ll be told stories. He or she, whatever,” said Carlson. “It couldn’t come at a better time. Her aura is so filled with peace. It’s changed their lives.”
Carlson admits her daughter and Travolta have “been through so much. Not only losing Jett but those godawful horrible men trying to extort them! Unbelievable. It was awful on them, they were grieving so badly. They do weather it, but holy cow, such grief. John was devastated, just devastated.”
Continued Carlson, “We are over the moon I’ve been praying that this would happen. Especially since Jett’s death. Anything to get them out of their sorrow. I know Kelly has been longing for another baby. She just loves babies! So do I. I just can’t wait for this child to arrive. It’s taken them out of such deep grief and made them able to focus on new life. It just couldn’t come at a better time.”
She says Preston’s pregnancy was a “surprise” even though they had “been trying.”
Preston announced the news at a family lunch shortly after her brother, Chris, revealed he was engaged.
“She just said ‘I’m pregnant!’ and it just spilled out,” Carlson recalled. “And I burst into tears and I had to go over and just embrace her. I was so thrilled I couldn’t see straight.”
And Preston is shrugging off pregnancy complications due to her age.
“She’s not worried about it at all. She’s not concerned,” Carlson said. “She takes really good care of herself and she’s in good health. She looks so much younger.”
[From Us Weekly]
Wow, it sounds like Kelly totally stole her brother’s thunder, right? I mean, yes, I’m sure she was too excited to keep it quiet, but it’s also kind of funny when her brother is like “I’m engag-” and Kelly’s all “I’M PREGNANT!!!” Kelly is a thunder-stealer. As far as Kelly’s health, well… Xenu provideth, I’m sure. If Katie Holmes can give birth to Tom Cruise’s baby, than John and Kelly should have no problems, I hope.
I hate when people talk about acting young and looking young as though it actually has any impact on fertility. Yes, times have changed, but biology hasn’t. A woman being pregnant at 47 is still very dangerous for both the mother and the baby and should absolutely not be taken lightly or brushed off – no matter how healthy the mother is.
I’m happy for them yet sad-a child who has to fill an empty space and grow up the shadow of CoS and of his/her brother.I’m sure baby will be well loved though.
I’d be feeling some deep grief too if I’d married a gay man and joined a dangerous cult…
The baby will be well loved – unless it’s not perfectly healthy, in which case it will be considered ‘defective’ and they’ll treat it like they treated Jett.
Haven’t always been a big fan of this couple but really felt for them when they lost Jett. The pictures of Jett with his father…the tremendous love between them was so evident, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have your son die in your arms. I agree with S – there are serious risks with pregnancy at this age, but I wish them all the best for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. I really can’t imagine all they’ve been through.
my aunt had her last child at the age of 55 two weeks ago. As far as i am concerned, children are from God.
I don’t think it’s responsible for people that old to have children. There are health risks sure but there’s always the risk that the parents won’t always be there. Also, he’ll be in his 60s when they’re at the age to run around and play. I had a fun dad when I was a kid who played sports with us and ran around. Of course nannies will be raising these kids so whatever.
Children aren’t from God. They’re a product of reproduction. It’s biology.
My parents were 40 and 43 when I was born (and I’m much younger than my siblings). Fortunately, I turned out healthy, etc. and my mum and I are close (she claims I’ve kept her young). But, it’s really hard being younger and watch my parents get old and deteriorate health-wise. My children may barely get to have a relationship with their grandparents. Don’t women think of this when the have children at 47…and 55?? (I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous). If you’re fortunate enough to have a healthy child–which certainly isn’t guaranteed by being ‘healthy’, what kind of mom can you be at 55? Taking care of an infant is hard enough in your 20s and 30s let alone 40s and 50s! And when your kid is a teenager they’ll be too busy taking care of grandma–I mean mom–instead of having a carefree childhood with friends, studying, etc.
I know the joy that getting pregnant and having a new baby can have, but this story just puts a bad taste in my mouth…I don’t think having a baby to replace the one you lost is a good idea. And how disappointed will they be if this baby has Down’s Syndrome or some other genetic defect or health issue? Will it not be as good of a replacement? 🙁
It’s pretty jerky to steal thunder after big family announcements, but I certainly wish her the best.
Hey, btw – has anyone ever heard a rumor long-ago that Kelly P. had a child with a somewhat-secret first husband in Hawaii? A boy, I think, and the kid stayed with his dad/her ex.
I wouldn’t get a pet when I’m sad so that I will have something cute to love me unconditionally and put a bandaid on my sadness.
The idea of having a human baby to do that is even more revolting.
The age thing…meh. It’s a risk, but who am I to tell a woman what risks SHE should or shouldn’t make in HER reproductive life? I mean, I just don’t get the concept of telling someone how many kids they can have or how old is too old for a woman to use her eggs and make babies with her husband. Just…not my business. More power to them.
My issue with this is that it sounds like they’re having a baby to make themselves happy. That’s kind of a lot to put on a child’s back, don’t you think?
I wish them well.
I sincerely hope this baby is normal and healthy.
As someone who has lost a child, the first thing they told me in grief counseling was that I should not make any major life decisions for at least a year after our baby died because I would be making those decisions out of grief and not thinking rationally or long term. I realize that at 47 Kelly did not have the luxury of waiting a year but I do wonder if she will be disappointed when she realizes, after this baby is born, that one child cannot possibly replace another- especially one that was in your life for 16 years.
John doesn’t look as happy as Kelly does in these pictures.
@ #4 – Atticus: the problem with how you see things though is that neither parent was near when Jett died. He was found by a carer in the bathroom, and had died hours before all alone.
What if the kid has DS or some other medical issue? The first kid had one, and she had him at what, 29 or 30?
@ MSat, I’m very sorry to hear that.
@ Scarlet Vixen, I 100% agree with what you said. It’s not about health, it’s about giving a child everything they should have.
Jett would not have died if John and Kelly had dealt with his medical issues and his severe autism. Their religious beliefs gave them carte blanche to ignore the severity of Jett’s illnesses and disabilities. They would have been ostracized by the CoS had they acknowledged he needed medical, occupational, psychological and other interventions.
JC, about the “rumor long-ago that Kelly P. had a child with a somewhat-secret first husband in Hawaii? A boy, I think, and the kid stayed with his dad/her ex.”
http://forums.whyweprotest.net/298-jett-travolta/kelly-preston-another-disabled-son-35186/#post674783
ex husband’s imdb bio from the way back machine.. from 2004 http://web.archive.org/web/20040831045053/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0300824/bio
this is his bio today http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0300824/bio
do you see something different?
At 47, I’m sure she used a donar egg, so the chances of DS or other age-related problems with the fetus probably aren’t there. I’m sure she’ll have to be careful about getting diabetese and high blood pressure during pregnancy and all that, but she’s probably healthy enough to have a baby.
I do think they’re a litle old, but they will probably have younger, more energetic people to actually raise the baby, so that wouldn’t be a problems.
My biggest surprise is that they’re “replacing” a child they lost not that long agao. I don’t think that’s a good way to deal with grief.
I read a blind that was absolutely about these two.. saying that after having dealt with a lot of grief concerning his family, the husband was planning on coming clean and coming out of the closet. The wife saw it coming and used some embryo’s they had stored (frozen) to become pregnant, so that he wouldn’t be able to leave her without looking like a huge jerk and the “bad guy”. There’s really no one else it could have been, and I believe it from looking at these photos…
And yeah, it was very crappy of her to overshadow her brother’s engagement like that. And that link from anon #17 is very interesting…
@Anon: That is absolutely fascinating. How do you just erase a child? Hm…
I’m sure the kids will be fine, but I worry at their late ages and the odds and their cult…
freckles, yeah, I read that blind also, its at blindgossip. It certainly sounds like them.
MSat, we also lost a child a couple of years ago & I agree with what you say.
Why would she need to use someone elses egg. I have 4 sisters that all had normal healthy kids in their 40’s and an Aunt that had twins at 55. YOu people do not have medical degrees yet you are in here blabbing about using others eggs, and what deformities the kid can have. Women have kids in their 40’s a lot these days and they are healthy. I doubt if they used anyone elses egg and that JT is gay and that Keyy had akid by someone else that as deformed. ROFLMA. I hope the Travoltas dont read this crap lol
Um, do you all also advocate that we go back to having kids in our early teens? This is common in other places on the planet, b/c life expectancy is so short…
yes, biology does adapt to lifespan.
life expectancy is to reach 100 soon [average lifespan in the usa]…it’s already been in the low 80’s in a number of countries, including parts of china and japan….so, when is midlife? retirement?
these accepted ‘norms’ for ages, are changing…and yes, improved nutrition, sanitation and qualify of life factors, do indeed impact a woman’s ‘biological age’…it’s not just that she looks and feels younger. If a person’s body is supported nutritionally, environmentally and life-style/qualify of life-wise, then it is reasonable to assume other factors will follow, including having healthy pregnancy at an older age than the ‘expected norm’ which is based on a past human timeline.
Whatever, you can talk about how “irresponsible” it is to have children at an older age all you want but there are many many many factors besides age that should be cause for people not to give birth… but it isn’t… like schezophrenia, extreme depression, poverty, etc etc… but guess what, that never stopped anyone. In fact, my friend who is bipolar/depressive/anxiety disorder/whatever else is soon going to give birth… so get off your high horses… if crazy people can have babies so can a slightly older person *eyeroll*
Thanks for the links, anon. I bet it is true. And rather depressing, too, the idea of “hiding” a kid. Blech.
I think most likely they used a donor egg, and I am sure this baby will be healthy. Celebrity couples have the means to ensure a pregnancy, and the testing to know that the baby is viable and healthy before they announce it to the public. It would probably surprise us to know how many pregnancies are not announced in situations that are not ideal. I get very tired of hearing “We’ve been kind of trying and wow, we are so pleased to announce we are pregnant! What a blessing!” It is a blessing, BUT most likely took a team of specialists and fertility drugs/donors to accomplish this.
The whole thing is sad. 47 is too old to give birth to a gay man’s baby. Sorry.
This bit about donor eggs is ridiculous. Of course, it’s a possibility but that’s private, and claiming to be “sure” she used a donor egg is ageist and mean.
I know four women over 35 who have given birth to healthy babies and one of those gave birth to TWO babies over the age of 40. One at like 42/43 and the other at 45/46. Both babies were fine, and both pregnancies were achieved…by having lots of sex with her husband. They knew and accepted the risk for Downs because she worked her whole life to achieve her dreams, and when she was done, she decided to quit, go home, and have a family.
I don’t think anyone has a right to tell her she shouldn’t do that. You have a “right” to call her names and insult her choice, but if you had respect for the differences in individual family situations…you wouldn’t stoop to doing it.
“Children aren’t from God. They’re a product of reproduction. It’s biology.”
Thanks for this, Persistent Cat, I could not agree more.
freckles: I heard that blind too. And I believe it is about these two.
Life expectancy might be getting longer, but getting old is still getting old and a humans body does still start to ‘fall apart’ after a certain age, whether we live to 100 or not. Science and healthy living can only do so much. I would hate to imagine having a toddler or teenager as an 80+ year old woman (for example) whose body and mind doesn’t function like it did at 25 or 35. No thanks, I’ll pass.
Had to leave to check out Anon’s claims and that looks like a mighty sad story hiding there. If the poster I came across can be believed, Kelly’s first child was born severely handicapped and is being cared for by her parents in Hawaii. Kevin Gage maintained contact with the child. Kelly’s parents had to sue her in order to give the boy conventional medical treatment. They won the suit and according to the poster it is a matter of public record. Maybe smarter people with even less of a life than me can uncover this record. After the suit, CoS wiped the digital trail of this child off the Internet.
That’s some pretty deep grief Kelly.
“At 47, I’m sure she used a donar egg”
Really? You’re psychic? Or are you her doctor?
I just love when people make dumb assumptions about STRANGERS. How could you possibly know such a thing? 47 is definitely older for having a baby, but not unheard of by any means. It’s entirely possible that this baby was conceived naturally.
It is nobody’s business if Preston & Travolta want to have another child. What she does with her uterus is her business, not yours.
And besides, there is nothing wrong with using donor egg to achieve pregnancy. But its also entirely possible she conceived naturally. Her mother has stated that Preston had been trying for a while, but this came as a surprise.
What ever she is doing its not to get over Jett it something her and her husband want there happy My grandma was 52 and Im certain she didn’t plan it I have a uncle Mike and he has a wouldful family and there happy it should be there happiness not what you think it should be So what ever the case is Congratulations and god bless
I feel so sorry for Kelly Preston. Her mother sounds like a complete moron.
I feel sorry for any child born to parents this late in their life.
It doesn’t matter how young you look or how well you take care of yourself…. Women are born with their eggs and Kelly Preston’s eggs that were just fertilized are 47 years old. Check the mother’s ages on Down Syndrom babies.
The odds that Kelly conceived this child without using a previously frozen embryo or donor egg are slim to none. Look at the facts about birthrates after 40 on the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology site (http://www.sart.com). Live birthrates after the age of 42 WITH the help of IVF are only around 12%. Most IVF clinics won’t take women as patients after 42 years old because of the ethics of charging so much for the treatments only to give them false hope. Many people are aware of the greater risk of chromosomal abnormalities in pregancies for women over 35, but there’s not much press out there to document the very real fact that most of a woman’s eggs are not viable after age 40. Even if conception occurs, the miscarriage rate is around 50% for a woman in her 40s. Birthrates over 40 have been climbing in recent years, but that is due to fertility advancements such as the use of ICSI and donor eggs(see http://www.cdc.gov)
I was 43 when I got pregnant with my daughter. I used no fertility drugs, no donor eggs, nothing. It just happened. I will not kid you the pregnancy was not easy. There were loads of doctor appointments and tests done. The final result: a beautiful, perfectly healthy little girl who lights up the lives of everyone around her. I am blessed. Hope they are also.
WOW! What cynicism! First they have had many past interviews before Jett died that they wanted more children. Secondly it has been well over a year since their son died so over 1 year of mourning where you shouldn’t make important decisions. Lastly has anyone who blogged every lost a son or daughter. Do you actually know what kind of grief that is. I certainly didn’t take it as her mother saying this baby was a replacement rather something to look forward to that is a happy moment and not like what they had. I think we forget they are people. Does everyone on this sight have children to make such comments. I can honestly say that if I had an important announcement to make and when I was ready to give it and had a sister beat me to it with one of her own and grieved prior I would be happy for her. Thankful and blessed. It’s reading a blog like this that can give you a poor taste in your mouth. By the way if you every read interviews from them they take care of their own kids.
be happy for Kelly and John. get over your hangup about age.
Much happiness is wished upon you 3 as a family.
Here are two people having a baby. They are not saying, they are replacing a child, you morons are saying that. They Loved Gett, and there is no replacing him. Let them be happy, leave them alone. Who cares how old they are, it is none of your business.This is probaly some miracle, not to replace Gett,but it will help ease the pain some.
Love and Prayers for the travolta family.
personally I would not want to start over again at 47 with a new baby,however
a few generations ago that was normal .women had babies even going through menopause.True some had health problems but you do not have to be in your forties to have a child with downs syndrome or other health problems that can happen to mothers at any age.I had a friend 25 and one 18 who had a DS child
I didn’t realize that ther were so many professional OBGYN’s present.
A few comments… it is their business if they have another baby or not. They can well afford it–finacially.
Not all men are assholes–because his beliefs and morals are grounded, you call him gay? Really!
They seem to be a tight-knit family who appear courteous to the media when required, but also appreciate their privacy.
To me, I get the impression that most of you people are jealous. The true fans should be happy for them.
People PLEASE, allow this couple privacy and best wishes.This is their life. Mind your business,Im sure the Travoltas dont need your $$$$ to feed their baby. How pathetic to pass judgement on others when your own lives arent perfect.In fact get a life and stop snooping on others.
My lil’ irish grandma, who had 12 healthy kids (the last at 46) used to say: “It’s bad enough to be ignorant, so don’t open your mouth and prove it”!
Educate yourselves, folks, before yapping on about being “too old” to conceive in your 40’s…
http://flowerpowermom.com/meet-the-over-40-fertility-squad/
Kelly really does not look pregnant in the least…and if they DO have another child, won’t that cut into his ‘boy’ time??
maybe she had someone else’s eggs implanted. dont want to be a killjoy either but looking younger than you are does not mean you will have a healthy baby. same chance of Downs whether you are 48 and look 48 or rather you are 48 and look 25. the only gender that can get away with it are men
Aw, this was a very nice post. In concept I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get one thing done.
If you look at history women have been having children well into their 40s for a long time now. It is possible for some women to bear healthy children in their late 40s without a donor egg.
There is so much fear in North America around fertility that women over 35 who don’t suffer fertility problems are seen as freaks.
Very sad.