Holly Madison on giving birth: ‘I was actually laughing, I had an epidural, so it was fun’

A few weeks ago, Holly Madison gave birth to her first child, a baby girl she named Rainbow Aurora Rotella. As in, Rainbow Rotella. Holly heard that people were making fun of her baby name, and she basically told everybody to STFU and leave her hippie/raver baby name alone. Anyway, Holly decided to sell/give Rainbow’s first photos to In Touch Weekly in this week’s issue. I’m assuming Holly sold the first photo, but I’m also assuming the photo didn’t sell for that much. This isn’t a Jolie-Pitt baby, you know! Maybe $50,000-80,000, I’m guessing? The photo is pretty tasteful, I guess. It’s a lot of PINK, but I think a lot of new moms do that, and I bet Holly is so jazzed to have a little girl. Holly also sat down for her first postpartum interview with ITW:

Just seven days after Holly Madison gave birth to her first baby, the former Playmate opens her home only to In Touch to introduce daughter Rainbow Aurora to the world.

“Just holding her is so much fun,” Holly gushes in the new issue of In Touch, on newsstands now. “Even the delivery was easy — I was actually laughing as I was pushing!”

The 33-year-old star delivered her 7-pound, 2-ounce beauty, whose father is boyfriend Pasquale Rotella, on March 5. “I had an epidural, so it was fun. She made it easy on me. It was crazy when she came out, though – she was dark and covered in blood. It looked like she’d made a zombie escape!”

Holly tells In Touch that Rainbow’s unusual moniker comes from a former schoolmate. “I was always envious of her name!” explains the new mom, who ignores the jabs — including those who have sniped that it sounds stripper-esque. “If getting teased about her name is the worst thing that’s going to happen to her,” says Holly, “bring it on.”

For now, the star and Pasquale are blissfully enjoying everything about parenthood — sleepless nights and all. “Like all babies, she has her moments. But I’m so in awe of her that I even think her screams are cute!”

In fact, she’s already making plans to expand her brood. “We want Rainbow to have lots of brothers and sisters. I’d love to have six!”

[From In Touch Weekly]

Bless her for saying outright that she had an epidural. I was prepared to roll my eyes at “I was actually laughing as I was pushing” but the epidural makes more sense. She was high as a kite! Apparently, Holly also talked about her plans for “losing the baby weight” because of course new mothers love to talk about this stuff two seconds after they gave birth. Holly tells the mag, “We’re putting a gym in our house, so I’ll be doing yoga, Pilates, and cardio” and she plans to diet with green smoothies, coconut yogurt (that sounds good) and veggie stews. She says she gained 40 pounds while pregnant, which sounds fine, and I bet she would lose it all naturally by breastfeeding anyway, but postpartum weight loss is a billion dollar industry and don’t you know every woman is supposed to hate herself for not keeping it “tight” two seconds after giving birth?

Photos courtesy of In Touch Weekly, WENN.

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45 Responses to “Holly Madison on giving birth: ‘I was actually laughing, I had an epidural, so it was fun’”

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  1. Elisabeth says:

    oh shut up…just say it was easy, not ‘I was laughing the whole time’

  2. Jamie says:

    Yay for her. I got an epidural and the sanctimommies were all over me for it, how awful I was.

    And am I the only woman who breast fed exclusively for 6 months and didn’t lose a pound from it? I had to hardcore work out to start shedding pounds which took me an “awful” year to get around to!

    • m says:

      My mom has bad thyroid problems and she has said the only weight she lost naturally was from her babies and the fluid, she had to work her ass off to get back in shape.

    • Itsa Reallyme says:

      I breastfed all of my kids for a year and I didn’t lose any weight from it either. I was even eating a healthy diet.

    • Bridget says:

      For some women, breast feeding actual releases a hormone that makes the body want to hold on to the body fat. Many women simply can’t lose all of the weight until after the baby has been weaned.

    • Umlaut says:

      I actually gained weight breastfeeding — I didn’t gain much pregnant, and in both circumstances, was just ten pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight after delivery. And then, both times, I gained another ten pounds and held it during my year-plus of nursing each of my boys.

      BUT this is probably mostly my fault: this sleepy, cuddly mama went a little heavy on the cheese and chocolate after the babies came. Still, I wanted to smack my friends who “just couldn’t keep any weight on!” while they were nursing.

  3. CamColty says:

    Epidurals don’t give you a high. They just make you numb

    • Lisalou says:

      Yeah, i think its important to correct this misunderstanding. So many women think they are better than those getting epidurals because they only had IV pain killer instead to take the edge off, and the IV pain killer makes you loopy and affects your baby directly while the epidural is designed to be localized and numb your body instead of your mind (or the baby). I am so over mothers judging other mothers.

      • Dinah says:

        Exactly! To each her own- no judging. Some like the pain of natural childbirth. My philosophy was, “Why have pain when it can be mitigated?” Epidural all the way!

    • Nicolette says:

      Exactly. Where did anyone get the idea they make you high? They put an end to what for me was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever been in. The only “high” you feel is a grateful sense of relief for being put out of that misery.

    • Lindsay says:

      She didn’t say she was high. It could be from endorphins and hormones being released and people in the room keeping the mood light and happy with conversation. Or relief that it is over and joy over finanally delievering the baby. She didn’t say she was laughing hysterically.

      • Nicolette says:

        Holy didn’t, but Kaiser did make that assumption. Kaiser doesn’t have children so I can understand her mistake.

  4. Anaya says:

    I’m happy to hear that Holly had a very good birthing experience. Baby Rainbow is adorable too. The name is unusual but I like it.

  5. juicyjackie says:

    I know a lot of people hate on these women, but they played a game with their eyes wide open, got rich and known and seem to have the life they wanted. Holly always talked about having a big family so good for her.

    The purpose of life is to be happy, seems to be working for her so yay

  6. dcypher1 says:

    She might as well named her kid rainbow brite starlight or jem and the holograms. she can always change it when she gets older.

  7. MsAubra says:

    That baby looks exhausted! LOL

  8. Amanda says:

    Am I the only person who had an epidural but was still in awful pain? Just because you have an epidural does not make it easier to give birth. I had an awful experience and was not “high as a kite”. Just sayin’.

    • Gayle says:

      Sorry this happened to you, no it’s not supposed to. Sounds like they screwed up your dosage or that you had ‘breakthrough pain’ at the end which can occur sometimes depending on the timing of the epidural. Most women don’t feel anything besides some abdominal cramping/contractions at the pushing stage.

    • Val says:

      My close friend had an epidural for her birth and she said the last push was still the worst pain she ever felt.

    • fabgrrl says:

      Ug. I’m sorry that happened to you. had an epidural with my second because I knew I could not go through the pain again after having my first. I wasn’t high, no, but I felt really relaxed and comfortable. Like, two glasses of white wine on a summer afternoon.

    • akua says:

      Nope, me too. I was always confused when I heard people say it made it easy, or something like that. It dulled the pain a little for a couple hours, but the whole pushing process was excruciating.

  9. sunnyinseattle says:

    Epidurals don’t make you high, they make you numb.

  10. Marianne says:

    Rainbow?? Really? Aurora Rainbow would have been nice though.

  11. Micki says:

    I am shocked she didn’t use the time to “comunicate” with her baby ala Beyonce. Giant eyeroll.

  12. Sam says:

    I was a little crazy when I gave birth too – but that was because I was exhausted (I hadn’t slept for over 24 hours I think, at that point). But I think she overestimates the epidural. It can take the pain away, but it does nothing for the Pressure. I yelled at my husband at one point “Oh my God, it’s like the biggest crap ever!” Because that was indeed what it felt like. It was not empowering/transformative/awesome. It felt like a BM.

    • MissKittyKay says:

      I was so numb they had to put my legs in the stirrups for me. I couldn’t move my lower half at all. But oh man I could feel that pressure.

  13. KellyinSeattle says:

    I don’t understand; I wasn’t offered an epidural…? I was in labor 36 hours to a 12 lb boy. It was HELL. Well, good for her. I don’t think she knows what she’s signed up for, having a baby. It’s not all giggles and laughter.

    • Esmom says:

      Hopefully she knows that. I’ll admit that I was so in awe of my first baby that I could stare at him all day and found every little thing about him to be miraculous and adorable and had no trouble getting up to feed him at all hours. I think it was adrenaline or something that kept me going.

      But with my second, all I wanted to do was feed him as quickly as possible and get back to sleep.

  14. Celia says:

    The name Rainbow has grown on me, though it makes me think of “Rainbo” bread. I don’t know they if they make that bread now, but they did when I was growing up. I can’t help but like Holly and wish her all the best.

  15. Nonny says:

    Good for her, i had an epidural and it was the best thing ever. Would you pull a melon out of your nostil without numbing your face first……..I dont think so!

  16. Itsa Reallyme says:

    Sweet baby.

  17. ScrewStewrat99 says:

    I’ll be 20 weeks on Monday. I have to stop reading these posts and comments. All they do is scare me.

    Someone can judge me all they want. I’m getting anything I can to help with pain. I have no pain tolerance at all so giving birth is my biggest fear. I’m terrified!

    • Esmom says:

      A little apprehension is understandable, no need to be terrified. Modern medicine really does work miracles. I had epidurals with both my sons and found both labors to be easy and pain free. I don’t really know if I’m the exception or the rule. Just make sure you make your wishes for an epidural clear up front.

      And no matter what, you win in the end…you get to meet your precious baby!

    • Jag says:

      Congratulations! You might want to look up Peaceful Parenting on the web and on social media to read positive stories which will help you relax prior to giving birth. Best wishes. 🙂

    • Umlaut says:

      Might be worth it to look into hiring a doula, too. We are trained to help women prepare for and manage childbirth. Education is empowering!

    • MoxyLady007 says:

      I had my baby almost five months ago. My only suggestion to you would be that if you do want an epidural – I had one and it was the best thing ever – make sure they give it to you before they break your water if it doesn’t break on its own. I didn’t. Mistake. But now I know and I tell everyone! 🙂 you will be great!

  18. janie says:

    I love her & Rainbow is so cute! She wanted a baby for so long & i’m glad she had such pleasant pregnancy & delivery!

  19. Katie says:

    Congratulations, Holly! All the best for you and your beautiful baby!