I’ve made fun of Miranda Kerr in the past for thinking that quartz crystals can somehow pass their energy to water. She’s not the brightest bulb, but she’s very sweet. She really endeared herself to me with two new interviews in her native Australia, with the Daily Telegraph and with Australian In Style. She talks about her natural birth experience, a boyfriend who died when she was a teen, and the fact that she has help with her baby with Orlando Bloom, but doesn’t have a nanny per se. The most widely repeated quote is where she said she felt like she was going to die when she had her son, Flynn, in January. The baby was almost 10 pounds and it sounds like no one knew how big he was going to be until he came out.
On her birth experience
“I’ve never been through so much pain, but I was totally present the entire time, focusing on my breath and meditating,” she says. “I kept thinking, how do women do this? But if other women have done this, I can do it, too. I was determined.“I actually thought I was going to die at one point and left my body. I felt as if I was looking down on myself – the pain was so intense. Then he came out and we met, and it was the best thing. I think once you go through something like that, nothing else fazes you – it puts everything into perspective.” Kerr later revealed to US talk show host Conan O’Brien that she wouldn’t let Bloom leave the room while she was in labour, even making him pee in a bottle.
“Orlando was by my side the whole time,” she smiles. “I couldn’t have done it without him. Just to have his support was a really wonderful experience.”
On naming her son after a boyfriend who died as a teen
Flynn Christopher Blanchard Copeland Bloom was (in part) named after Kerr’s first boyfriend, Christopher Middlebrook, who died in a tragic car accident when he was a teenager. In her book Treasure Yourself, she wrote of that time: “Chris’ death taught me that the people who touch your life are always with you. It taught me that I have the choice to be grateful for the time I had with him instead of dwelling on losing him.”“Chris and I had been dating for two years,” she says today. “After he died, I wrote him a letter that said I hoped to name my first child after him in some way. I told Orlando and he was the one who said he’d be happy to do that. Orlando’s a good guy.”
On raising Flynn with Orlando’s help
“It’s whoever has their hands free. When I’m not working we don’t have a nanny. Some nights we have a lady who comes in to help out but he [Flynn] is getting better at sleeping now, so not as often. And if I need to get on a plane for one day of work, I pump my milk and put it into the freezer for Orlando.”
[From Daily Telegraph and In Style via Sydney Morning Herald]
At least she’s being honest about what she went through and isn’t minimizing it, like Gisele, who claimed that childbirth didn’t hurt “in the slightest.”
I had my son in a birth center without medication, and I’m mentioning this as background and do not consider it a bragging right. It wasn’t particularly brave on my part, because it was a fear of hospitals and doctors that led me to make that choice. The labor itself wasn’t that bad as I did hypnosis ahead of time and had a recorded session playing on a CD. The pushing was a bitch, and I remember it being much harder than I expected. (Maybe since I had dropped out of the Bradley birthing classes before we got to that part.)
Basically everyone’s birth experience is different, it’s a personal choice and I’m mentioning mine because I don’t want people to assume that it’s intolerable or impossible to have a child outside the hospital. It definitely was uncomfortable, and I might opt for meds if I ever have another one. (If there’s some situation where I can get meds and don’t have to be in the damn hospital.) When I got to see my baby though, it was so worth it. It sounds like Miranda feels the same and like she has a very solid relationship with Orly. They’re adorable together and Flynn is just so cute!
On another note, did you see these pictures of Orlando’s ex Kate Bosworth hugging up on him? It’s clear Miranda has nothing to worry about.
Photos below are from The Daily Telegraph, where there are more. She’s gorgeous but I feel like we’ve seen these before. In Style photo via Sydney Morning Herald.
Miranda with Flynn, via Twitter. More recent photos of Flynn are here.
There was a specific moment I had, where I started to panic and I thought I couldn’t take anymore, then the urge to push came and I found that easier than what had preceded.
It sounds similar to what Miranda went through. though unfortunately Orlando Bloom didn’t get me pregnant. 🙁
I know we’ve seen it before, but the bottom picture where she is breastfeeding is just beautiful 🙂
I chose to have my child in a hospital, get the drugs, alllll that. And labor was STILLLLL a b*tch. I don’t see how a doctor can expect someone who weighs significantly more than they have previously in the past year to hold their breath, count to 10, and push. My mom loves to tell the story that apparently I yelled “I CAN ONLY COUNT TO 6!” meaning by holding my breath, not actually counting. Apparently it was funny…but I don’t remember ANYTHING about childbirth being funny.
Hahaha, this topic also immediately made me think about Gisele! Maybe she spoiled it for all of the other models? Like, they all think: oh, Gisele did it and it was no biggie, I’ll deliver a baby too? And that Miranda thought she was going to die BECAUSE NO ONE ACTUALLY TOLD HER CHILDBIRTH COMES WITH PAIN? If so, that’s hilarious LOL
I’ve always thought Miranda Kerr looks like a 12 year old girl, I can’t believe she actually had a child. Her face looks so lollipoppy-sweet and innocent. I’m sure she’s a nice girl, but magazine covers like ‘Model mother muse: there’s more to her than that body!’ annoy the hell out of me. ‘Cause, you know, just because you’re pretty and you had a child, doesn’t mean that there’s suddenly ‘more to you’. And it certainly doesn’t turn a Victoria Secret-model into a ‘muse’ overnight.
She is gorgeous and they make a lovely family.
I don’t care who says it does not hurt or that it is easy…childbirth is a bitch with a vengence…but in the end it is the most beautiful feeling in the world.
I actually imagined how Gisele slaps her in the face -left, right, left and tells her to get a grip.LOL
Personally I prefer less pain if possible.I don’t buy the crap that without a natural birth there’s no strong bondage between mother and child. I find it more important that the baby is wanted and appreciated.There are enough cases of natural born babies that are neglected in every sense afterwards or even left to die.
I don’t see the need to suffer for hours just to prove to…whom actually …that “I can do it too”.
@Quest, I agree wholeheartedly. It’s totally cliche’, but all the pain is totally worth it. I cannot remember one single moment in my life that has compared to me getting to finally hold my baby boy in my arms and seeing that beautiful little face. 3 1/2 years later, and it still brings tears to my eyes 🙂
She is so pretty, she has that kind of apple rosy cheek look of child though, so it always seems a bit of shock when you look at face and then look down and see her posing in a bikini, and realise it’s a grown woman you’re looking at.
Yeah, those comments make her much more likeable than Giselle!!!
Wow, 10 pounds… no wonder she felt like she was dying. She is gorgeous.
I had more or less the same experience as her – blacking out and coming back realising that I had no idea how to get that baby out. It was quite horrible but it was also the best feeling in the world when the baby was born 🙂
I really like Miranda and Orly together and their baby is the cutest little thing ever 😀
I had exactly the same experience with the birth of my son: wouldn’t let my husband out of the room and thought I was going to die.. but them my son’s head circumference was in the 95th percentile, little thinker that he is 😉 and I couldn’t push him out to save my life. Finally, they helped us with a vacuum. Ouch! Miranda looks great and I can’t stand Giselle.
I’ve always thought she was kind of odd looking, but I give her credit for being honest and not trying to make everything seem oh so perfect and easy (Gisele).
I was in the hospital with drugs, but it hurt so bad. That first contraction knocked me on my ass. I specifically remember telling anyone listening “kill me now please” because I was having contractions on top of each other and the nurse had to check my cervix. I hate needles and stuff but was willing to deal with it for morphine and the epidural
I am no mom, I never gave birth (yet!) but I am so afraid of delivering one day.
Is it really true that you “forget” the pain after a while, because you got something so beautiful in exchange?
She’s so pretty. Having said that, I see her picture all the time but I’m not quite sure who she is.
I too thought the pain would kill me. I remember the same thing, thinking I had died and I was also looking down on myself, the dr. and my ex. Terrifying experience feeling so trapped. My dr. believed in natural childbirth, and I thought it was the way to go. It was the nurse that convinced him to give me something. I got a shot of demoral 10 minutes before he was born which only angered me, like I’m not in enough pain you gotta stick needles in my ass?
MarenGermany, there is some sort of hormone that is released after the birth of a child that literally wipes the memory of the pain away. If not for that, the human race would have died out long ago!!! 🙂
I was fortunate to deliver both of my babies without drugs – I say fortunate because that is what I had hoped and planned to do, but would have gotten drugs if my baby’s life or mine was in danger. And I wasn’t trying to be a hero – I was just picking my pain – I made the mistake of seeing a video of an epidural being administered when I was about 4 months pregnant and I just about passed out.
Childbirth really is an amazing experience…mostly in retrospect after the pain has passed…!! I’ve had cancer and because of that a hysterectomy, so my factory is out of commission, but I’d do it all over again for the experience of feeling the baby push his/her way into the world and meeting him/her for the first time. We women are truly blessed to have dibs on that experience.
And agree, that pic of Miranda breastfeeding her baby is so precious!
@ atticus lovely said. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience.
One day I will have this feeling, too 🙂
never been a mum but am afraid of the process n way i love the way she is breastfeeding
I was in the hospital with an epidural and it hurt like absolute mad. I wasn’t a yeller or a screamer; in fact I don’t think I said anything at all the entire time. But there was one point where I was convinced I couldn’t do it and just started quietly crying. The nurse said, “Aww, it’s OK, you can do it… Hey, your toenail polish is really pretty.” The absurdity of the reference to my toenails while I was trying to get a small human out of me made me laugh, and actually made finally getting her out much easier.
SWEET.
I don’t think the hugging pictures are one sided. They both look quite happy to see each other!
All of this is lovely. Very nice post – thank you for sharing, CB!
I’ll be delivering my first in 2 months. I’m trying no drugs, but also not really amping myself up to the point where if I change my mind I will feel like a failure.
And listen, anybody who carts around another human for 40 weeks has the right to whatever they want to get it out. If that’s a man peeing in a bottle, drugs or mooing, I don’t care. No one has the right to judge.
I didn’t have an opinion on Miranda Kerr, and now I do. I like her. She is real, and that is charming in this day and age of lying and fakery.
WOW – I am amazed by and have immense respect any woman who gives birth – drugs or not. Great job mothers!!! The very thought of it terrifies me – I’d sooner adopt.
Such a sweet story about her ex’s name and memory. And how kind of her husband to accept that.
I like them both even more now.
gotta say, I:
a) really like Miranda and think she’s totally gorgeous in a really individual way
b) think Orlando has risen in my estimation because of his marriage to her (i.e. a natural beauty rather than a plastic fantastic LA babe)
c) think they are a beautiful family and seem really happy together
so take that, haters!
I wish I’d held out and had a natural childbirth. I had an epi and they added something to my iv because I had gone so long without progress (22 hours, big cx every five minutes, dilation: 1cm) and wanted me to “relax.” I was feeling weak and accepted but holy hell that was some drugs. I was so out of it that I had to concentrate on breathing because my throat kept relaxing so much that I would choke and gag. It was horrible.
Birth center for me if I ever do it again (doubtful)! I had a 6 lb peanut with a proportionately (small) head and no need for stitches. The whole medication thing was unneccessary, entirely, but allopaths hate to watch a woman labor for more than a day, I guess.
I’m not so sure that I would use the word “forget”. I had two boys without drugs (not by choice lol) and although I find it very difficult to describe the pain, I certainly wouldn’t say I ever forgot it.
Although obviously, I did it twice, so the end result is totally worth it. The only thing that got me through it was persepctive. It was a loooong couple of days, but over the course of my lifetime with these wonderful boys, what’s 48 hours?
I’m not going to get into the horrible pregnancies though 😀
I think Miranda is adorable. It is weird though to see that little girl face on that body. Although, that breastfeeding pic is my favortie.
Agree with everyone – she sounds so real and it makes me like her a lot. Sigh.
I used the epidural and all the drugs available . . . and it still hurt! Big props to the natural birthers!
@ MarenGermany – NO. You do NOT forget the pain.
I’ve had 3 – older 2 natural, no drugs; baby ER C-section after 36 hours in labour. It hurts no matter how, where, or when you have a baby. And there is nothing more worth that pain than your precious little baby.
I think the article is sweet. She sounds down-to-earth, likable, and decidedly un-stuck on herself. *sideeyes Giselle and Goop*
A woman in Texas just gave birth to a 16 pounder, Yeow!
love her candidness.
she’s got me reminiscing:
after the 1st unsuccessful push i started to panicked thinking i would be pushing for hours like women i’d seen on TV.
thank god for Nurse Nancy that mimicked the ‘baring down’ facial expression with me as i pushed the 3rd time and out she came!
shout out to Nurse Nancy (who actually looked like Nancy Wilson from ‘Heart’)!
that out-of-body experience pain is dead.fuggin.on!
it’s like your whole body is one huge menstral cramp that won’t let up. so awful. 36hrs of inactive labor and 20 min of active labor and i’d do it again. well, maybe. lol 😉
I’m of the opinion that you should *try* to go without drugs if you can. My friend was all set to have an epidural, and whatever drugs they would give her. When she got to the hospital it was Christmas, so the anesthesiologist was off and would send emergencies that needed one to a different hospital. Of course, childbirth is a natural process, not an emergency (even though it may feel that way) so she had to deliver naturally and was completely unprepared.
I tried for both of mine naturally, at home, but it got dangerous, so they whisked me off to the hospital and gave me drugs when it was necessary. I would never say don’t use the drugs, but why not try to go without. You may surprise yourself.
My advice for women who are on the fence about natural childbirth: try it with the SECOND birth, not the FIRST. The first labor is so much harder and longer, and you are so anxious about it. The next one goes a LOT better (generally) physically and mentally, and probably makes natural childbirth easier. I wish that I had done it that way, but instead I tried natural birth with the first and an epi with the second.
She went into what i call the zone (left her body). I did same thing. It was only way i could get through childbirth & have heard same from quite a few moms.
I have given birth to live children 6 times and have had several more who were sadly dead at the time of their arrival. I totally believe both MK and GB about their birth experiences. I don’t think that to say you didn’t feel pain is minimizing childbirth at all.
Each pregnancy and delivery is different. Even each pregnancy with different mothers can be vastly different. I wouldn’t knock GB at all for saying she didn’t experience pain during labor at all. I would, however, knock her for not acknowledging that it isn’t the same for everyone and being an ass about it.
I’ve heard people having great success with Hypnobabies or other similar programs. It is even helpful when you have a c/section (as was the case with some of my births).
I was convinced I would not make it. I thought I was going to vomit the pain was so bad. No pain releif (and defo not by choice, my midwife was a douche bag) I had an out of body expeirence too. Not during labour but after when I was back in my room alone and my son and husband were down in the neo natal specialist room (6 weeks early due to my low progesterone levels).
I felt numb and strange, like my soul was slipping out after my sons new soul came in. I had to hold myself tight to feel real again. It was appauling.
I will never do no pain relief again. Apparently premature births are HARD and FAST and very painful. Espec if it is your first.
@ Cherry – she DOES have a lollipop sweet face. She looks too young to have a kid, but in reality she’s almost 30.
BabyNonymous was 8 lbs., 6 oz., and that was more than enough. I do not envy her a 10-pound baby! More power to her. And I don’t know why people think that quote says she didn’t know there was pain–she said she’d never experienced that much pain. Very different statement.
I gave birth in a hospital and took drugs, none of which worked–not even the epidural. And while I didn’t think I was going to die, Mr. Nonymous said that he was absolutely terrified that either the baby or I would not survive. So I can believe that she felt the same way, particularly giving birth to a baby that size. Fortunately, everyone is healthy!
I understand wanting to do things a la natural, but why are these women surprised by pain? First time around, 8 lb baby girl and a perfect delivery thanks to my epidural. Second time around, 10 lb baby boy, and my epidural had ‘windows’, in other words, half of me was numb and half was in full blown labor pains, and the areas switch according to my writhing. So freaking terrible. Haven’t forgotten that pain 8 months later lol
I had the opposite De-Rose…
First a 10lb boy with epidural THANK GOD it worked!! Then a 8.5lb girl and only half my body took the epidural. Let’s just say I woke up the whole damn floor SCREAMING “get her out”!
It was really cool of Orlando to agree to naming their son after her deceased boyfriend. Not every guy would be okay with something like that and it makes me like him even more. Also, Miranda is lovely. I want to hate her because she’s so beautiful, but she really does seem sweet and relatable.
It seems fitting that Orlando chose an elvin looking beauty.
I had my Bean 2 months ago today (in a big tub, no drugs) & while I know it hurt like a MFer, I seriously think that I’ve forgotten how much it hurt. I was thinking about it today &, for me, time basically stopped. I had no idea how long I’d been in labor & no clue how long I’d been at the birth center. I think I’ll have the next one the same way if I can, if, of course, there is one, I gotta lose the weight from this one first, damnit!
I like Miranda Kerr- there is just something genuine about her
Every birth is different.
I am the oldest child and my mum didn’t even realise she was in labour with me. She said her back was sore (not unbearably) and that was it. It was my Dad that convinced her to go the hospital and I was born half an hour after they arrived at the hospital. Since I was so close to being born they couldn’t offer my Mum any pain medication other than the happy gas which she couldn’t do because the mask freaked her out. My Dad took it though because Mum hurt his hand squeezing it lol.
My brother was overdue and had to be induced and it was a long labour and my mum was in absolute agony. She didn’t have an epidural or any other pain meds which leads me to believe my mother is crazy.
My best friend was in labour for 54 hours but the hospital wouldn’t admit her until she broke down crying because she hadn’t slept or eaten in days because of the contractions and needed the baby out. Her contractions were three minutes apart for 30 hours but her water wouldn’t break so they kept sending her home. Eventually after much begging, crying and pleading they broke it for her and gave her an epidural (but only after a midwife with a soul took over). The evil midwife that first looked after her had made her walk around the parking lot for three hours doing exercises trying to break the water. Keep in mind she hadn’t slept or eaten in days. In the end she collapsed and had to be wheeled back to her room. And after 4 hours of pushing she passed out and was rushed to the theatre and the baby was pulled out with the vacuum.
So it’s all different and we all have different experiences.
I had to have labor induced because I had pregnancy related hypertension. Pitocin makes you feel like you’re having one long contraction because the medicine makes them come right on top of each other. Add to that a stubborn baby who decided he liked it fine where he was (my labor stalled after 20 hours) so I had to have an emergency c-section. Good thing is I got an epidural and it worked. Not my best day and while I can’t recall the pain, I recall the overall experience.
2 unmedicated labour and deliveries of 9+ lb babies. The first hurt so bad I thought I was being split in two and the resulting damage was horrible. Even after I held my baby I vowed never again. Not with medication, but no more babies period. One year later I get pregnant by not being careful and I was devastated and felt I couldn’t do it, but it was too late…One way or another I was having another child. BUT the second time was way easier and I ended up going unmedicated again. It was a wonderful experience. Painful, but manageable. If I was to have a third I’d do a home birth.
Take home message: every birth is a unique experience.
I don’t really know Miranda Kerr and she seems a little kooky but I like what I see of her parenting and her baby is adorable and clearly very happy
Every birth and the pain experienced is individual. I don’t believe in judging other women for wanting pain control, because I have no idea what they’re feeling. That includes after the birth. I once saw an RN mock a patient who was having terrible involutional cramping after her first baby, saying there was no way it hurt her that bad.
I never felt one way or the other about Miranda. More like meh. But after reading this, I am leaning toward like. Her very real and human admission about how she felt like she was going to die from the pain did it for me. No Gisele high-horse b.s. from this gal and I like that. Mine wasn’t 10 lbs. but she might as well have been. She turned around when I was 3 cm. dilated and I’d already had the epidural which all my friends SWORE would get rid of all the pain. It didn’t. I felt EVERYTHING. It was horrible. I felt like I was going to die and I wanted to die. I kept screaming, “GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!” We had to do an emergency c-section after nearly 24 full hours of labor. Right after, while still loopy from the drugs, I thought, “Wow, how could I ever have more than one of these?” But then I held her and while I didn’t completely forget the terrible pain it took to get her out, I knew it was so worth it. As bad as it was, I wouldn’t trade it or her for the world. And hubby and I are discussing having another in a few more years but as a planned c-section because I’d rather not go through that pain again.
I agree with Miranda, I too thought I was going to die. Though I did get an epidural for all 4 of my children, the anesthesiologist seemed to be “late” every time so I was in such pain my eyes rolled into my head and everyone only saw the whites of my eyes (like I was possessed or something) and then they knew I was in a lot of pain. But these anesthesiologist have no sympathy, they ask you to remain totally still through all your contractions so they can get the needle in. I screamed at all of them and told them how jerky they were, especially the guy who stuck the needle in too far and made my left leg shake. I screamed, my left leg is shaking. He got scared, dang right he should be. And I yelled at the woman who thought she could poke me with me on my side, when I told her that won’t work, I need to bend over. Super jerky doctor didn’t believe me but she tried anyway and she couldn’t do it her way so she gave in to my way and then I gave her the business.
Her “I just gave birth to a baby” breasts suit her. She has the right sort of curves I would kill for.
She actually looks more healthy this way, I hope she doesn’t revert to her pre-pregnancy thinness.
Also, I don’t really like that picture on Twitter. It’s akin to breastfeeding in public – a big no-no for me.
This is what the haters (most of whom seem to have opinions about babies and breastfeeding, birth, etc but haven’t had any kids) need to read. Mothers LOVE to tell their birth stories!!! That’s what we do! I am proud of having my boys and of the experience and for years I told anyone who would listen.
I am in awe of women who have done it naturally and wish I could say I had. Just something I wish I had accomplished. However, I had an epidural and loved it. Any fear I had of having a needle inserted into my spine evaporated when labor pains started. It’s a personal choice. I don’t think Miranda is bragging and she has a right to be proud of what she’s done.
Miranda is beautiful and obviously makes Orlando happy. That’s good enough for me.
Screw nature. I gleefully waive bragging rights when something comes at me with a scalpel. All screams sound the same, can they truly tell us any new stories? ‘Intended purpose’ sounds like a good enough reason to elect to attempt to lesson agony to me. I didn’t see any raised eyebows when I got drugged up real nice before they went at my wisdom teeth. I guess I’ve had too many accidents and congenital defects to understand the allure of opting for that, you’ll see the kid again–a lot. I’ll just never understand the appeal of ‘nature’, too many allergies and jaw manipulations, I guess.
Why are people ripping on Giselle? I personally know people who have had painless births using hypnosis. I have seen videos of women giving birth without pain. I used hypnosis during our homebirth 3 weeks ago and I think it really helped, although it sure as hell wasn’t painless. But I was a slacker in practicing. Everyone’s birth experience is different. Should we hate or resent a woman such as Giselle because she claims her birth was painless? I think she’s rad, and respect her for being able to get into the mental state to shift pain into something else. Either way, birth is incredible, and I think all mamas are awesome!