30+ Hollywood Stars Share What Their Pregnancies and Deliveries Were Really Like

Hollywood is all about glitz, glamor, and high-end fashion. Meanwhile, pregnancy is about morning sickness, bloating, and stretchy pants. So… it’s a slightly different experience. Which begs the question, what happens when those two worlds collide? Well, these celebs have been open and honest about what pregnancy is really like — and it’s not what we were expecting!

Kourtney Kardashian absolutely loved being pregnant! And in true Kardashian style, she allowed the birth to be filmed. In another on-brand move, Kourtney used her blissful pregnancy as a way to sell products.

She advertised on her Instagram how wonderful being pregnant was and all the things she used to help the process. The main thing promoted, which is free, was staying active during pregnancy as that helped her feel healthy throughout the entire nine months.

Katie Holmes had a rough go with her labor since she had to follow the rules of Scientology the entire time. Holmes had to be as silent as possible while giving birth (so that the baby could be born in a peaceful environment) and was forced to go home the next day.

At least the pregnancy seemed to be a lot more pleasant. Katie has said that being pregnant is “a dream come true. I feel great, (being pregnant) is so beautiful.”

Having a baby with Nick Cannon may be a rite of passage for women everywhere these days, but Mariah Carey was the OG Cannon baby mama. At the time, Carey shared how difficult it was to enjoy being pregnant while famous because she really wanted to experience that stage of her life privately.

After hiding her baby bump for as long as she could, Mariah finally revealed, “At this point, there is no choice. I either talk or I hibernate.”

When you’re not the one who’s pregnant, it’s easy to feel out of touch with time. Sometimes, time flies — and other times it goes really slowly. When you’re pregnant, though, you know exactly how long you’ve had a bun in the oven.

While pregnant, Chrissy Teigen’s fans began to get impatient and commented that it seems like the model has been carrying forever. Teigen shared their sentiments, responding with, “How do you think I feel thank you.”

We’ve all heard the expression ‘fake it ‘til you make it,’ and as it turns out, that can work for feeling good while pregnant too! Kate Winslet had to utilize her acting skills a bit while she was with child, as she didn’t feel particularly blissful or glowing.

In fact, Winslet says that she felt more like a “large red London bus” than anything. The actress has said that pretending to enjoy pregnancy helped her get through it.

Tia Mowry’s pregnancy was no walk in the park, as the actress had morning sickness every single day. Yikes! Despite being continuously nauseous, Mowry was ecstatic to be pregnant, especially because she’d struggled with fertility issues.

In fact, it took Tia a while to even believe that she was going to experience pregnancy at all! She shared, “I was in denial, to be honest with you. I probably went through 20 pregnancy tests […] I wanted to be super positive before I got too excited.”

Jessica Simpson was brutally mocked by the public for gaining a significant amount of weight during her pregnancy, but we’re willing to bet that at least half of her critics would’ve done the same.

Simpson was aware of and wasn’t happy about her new figure, but she couldn’t exercise — or even walk at all — due to the pain she was in. Pregnancy left the singer/actress with excessive swelling in her ankles, sciatica pain, bronchitis, and anxiety. We’re sure that the public ridicule certainly didn’t help.

Some women choose to give birth at home, and some prefer hospitals. And then there’s Teyana Taylor, who didn’t get a choice because her baby wanted to come out early. The singer ended up giving birth in her bathroom, with her fiancé getting home just in time.

Taylor has aptly shared that “Every pregnancy is different.” That’s most certainly true for her, as Teyana’s first pregnancy was a breeze but she was constantly ill and exhausted during the second one.

Hilary Duff’s pregnancy left her needing to take a break from having kids. The actress suffered extreme pain — the type that makes you double over — which was, understandably, terrifying.

Given how much she didn’t enjoy the experience, it makes sense that when she did get pregnant again, Duff spoiled herself. Hilary declared, “When I was pregnant with my last child, it was the first time I ever had Taco Bell.” Hey, if Taco Bell makes it bearable, you eat all the Taco Bell you want!

Unfortunately, none of Kim Kardashian’s pregnancies were easy. The reality star was in pain throughout one pregnancy, and the other had so many complications that she needed five surgeries afterward. Due to the health issues Kardashian faced, she’s been advised to use a surrogate for any future children.

Kim shared that during pregnancy, “I hated how I felt. I hated how I looked.” She added that the entire ordeal of expanding her family “was really, really crazy.” But, was it as crazy as Kanye?

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was known for being extremely out there with her shenanigans on Jersey Shore. While she’s certainly classed it up since then, she’s still a truth-teller. Snooki revealed that pregnancy is “pretty disgusting” as there are constantly bodily fluids leaking out of you.

She even shared that she’d wet herself routinely while pregnant. Ah, Snooki, it’s nice to see you haven’t changed too much. As a side note, Polizzi has compared herself pregnant to herself after a night of partying too hard. Take from that what you will.

Like many celebrities, Kate Hudson wanted to keep her pregnancy hidden. And as many stars do, she found that feat to be impossible. The actress was constantly ill throughout pregnancy, suffering morning sickness, hair loss, and acne. Hudson has shared, “They say girls make you sicker and that, for me, has been the truth.”

While this was the case for Kate, it’s worth noting that there’s no scientific evidence that the gender of the baby affects the symptoms a woman experiences during pregnancy.

Amy Schumer’s pregnancy was anything but easy, as the comedian was diagnosed with a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum, which occurs in roughly 2% of pregnancies. The rare circumstance causes the mother to experience nausea to the point of debilitation.

Schumer is extremely vocal about what she went through, explaining, “With a pregnancy, we’re supposed to make it look easy and I just really reject that, so I wanted people to hopefully feel better and educate other women about what might happen if they get pregnant.”

After suffering losing a baby partway through pregnancy, Porsha Williams was understandably worried throughout her entire pregnancy with her daughter Pilar Jhena McKinley. Rather than being able to enjoy the various stages of pregnancy, Williams found herself constantly thinking about the baby she had lost six years prior.

Thankfully, Pilar was born healthy and without complications. We’d say Porsha can rest easy now, but any mother knows that being worry-free simply isn’t on the agenda for parenthood.

We’ve all heard of a pregnant woman’s water breaking, something which is usually a dramatic scene in movies. Well, not every mom-to-be experiences that. Moreover, in extremely rare cases, the baby is born still inside the amniotic sac!

That’s how Jessica Alba gave birth to her daughter Haven, who wasn’t exactly ready to leave her home — and ended up taking it with her. Alba explained that the unusual birth inspired her daughter’s name saying, “She came into the world in her ‘safe haven.'”

Beyoncé and Jay-Z sparked controversy when they allegedly took over an entire hospital floor to welcome Blue Ivy to the world, preventing other expecting parents from accessing certain rooms. In fact, one father said he was unable to see his newborn twins due to the power couple’s takeover!

However, the hospital claims, “We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children.” Maybe we just have different definitions of the word ‘disruption?’

In stark contrast to certain other celebs, Carrie Underwood doesn’t see herself as any different than other pregnant women. During pregnancy, the American Idol alum revealed, “I feel good. I just have a strange job.”

She continued, “I feel like I’m a working mom, pregnant, I got my stuff to do, you know, it’s just an interesting job I have, but I’m just like every other pregnant lady trying to go to work.” Maybe other singers should take notes?

They say motherhood changes you, and that seems to hold true for Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow uncharacteristically criticized promoting unrealistic lifestyle expectations by calling out the social media trend of women posting photos of their perfectly flat stomachs shortly after they’ve given birth.

Gwyneth said, “More power to the lady with the washboard [abs] but that is totally the exception and then now we’re being fed all of these other images of what we’re supposed to look like all the time — babies, no babies, whatever.”

Sadly, Khloé Kardashian has faced fertility issues, making the healthy birth of her daughter True extra special. However, the reality star has been warned against trying to carry more children, which led her to the decision of using a surrogate for her second child.

As if that weren’t enough to go through, Kardashian’s then-partner/the father of the baby, Tristan Thompson, was unfaithful — and Khloé found out right after the surrogate got pregnant. Clearly, men like Thompson will never understand what women go through.

Something that we often don’t anticipate when we think about pregnancy is a change of voice, but it can actually happen due to all the hormones. Kristen Bell discovered this while she was pregnant — and recording lines for the animated film Frozen.

The discrepancy was so big that Bell had to re-record some parts after she gave birth so that her character Anna’s voice wouldn’t randomly change to a lower register from scene to scene.

Most people try to find the right time to get pregnant and, while that’s certainly a good idea, the moment will never be absolutely perfect. Zoe Saldana experienced this during her pregnancy as producers were unhappy with the actress’s news and wanted to drop her from projects.

Unfortunately, this seems to be one thing that celebrities and regular folk have in common. Saldana warned her fans, “Let me tell you something, it will never be the right time for anybody in your life that you get pregnant.”

Melissa Joan Hart has three children, but she’d have more kids if it weren’t for those pesky nine months that come beforehand. The actress has said, “I would have had seven babies if I didn’t have to be pregnant.”

Hard has shared that she particularly hates needing to change her lifestyle, particularly her diet, throughout pregnancy. She’s also cited feeling constantly exhausted as one of the reasons she doesn’t intend to get pregnant again.

Unfortunately, Tamar Braxton had some difficulties getting pregnant and a tough go of pregnancy itself. The singer had a condition in which her skin was extremely itchy throughout the pregnancy, and she says that nothing really helped it.

However, Braxton still wants more children, but probably via a different method. She’s referred to any future mini-Tamar’s by saying, “I don’t know how they’re [going to] get here but I would really love to have some more.”

You may think you’re tough, but are you deliver-your-own-baby-while-in-labor tough? Well, Busy Philipps is! The actress opted for natural childbirth in a hospital, so there were doctors available. However, when the opportunity presented itself, Philipps chose to be hands-on (literally).

Busy aptly said, “During the days and weeks afterward, I felt like I could do anything in the world; there was nothing in this world that you could present before me that I could not conquer.”

While some women feel exceptionally beautiful during pregnancy, others just feel… blah. Unfortunately, Meghan Markle falls into the latter category, as the actress has said, “I just waddled around, I was just tired. I was so tired.” We completely understand her, as it’s hard to feel attractive when you’re body is changing rapidly — even if those changes are normal and expected.

The part we’re maybe less sympathetic about is when Markle complained that being pregnant while famous has impacted her well-being. Because she and Harry just want privacy! Cue the Netflix special…

Hilaria and Alec Baldwin have always wanted a large family but sadly struggled to get pregnant. Once they managed, though, they made up for lost time and have had a whopping seven children! That being said, experiencing pregnancy in your late 30s is no joke.

Baldwin revealed, “As I begin the final trimester of this pregnancy, I feel my body slowing down.” She added that exercising while pregnant has helped keep her healthy. Well, you certainly don’t go through all those pregnancies without learning a thing or two!

While most women worry about not getting time off work after having a baby, Ellen Pompeo couldn’t wait to get back to work. The actress chose to take only four weeks of maternity leave, but her reasons make us wonder if she felt compelled to resume filming before she was ready.

Pompeo said, “I felt like I needed to work while I had this opportunity. The writers and producers were really gracious and wrote my scenes so I could pre-shoot them.”

One of the unpleasant aspects of pregnancy is all the dietary restrictions — something to which Zooey Deschanel is no stranger. The actress has expressed, “You can’t have sushi. You can’t have cheese that tastes good.”

Unfortunately, the list goes on, “You can have a little bit [of coffee]. I would have like four cups a day, and now I can have half a cup, which is a total joke. A total joke! It keeps expanding. It feels like every week I find out something else I’m not supposed to eat.”

Nikki Reed’s approach to pregnancy is an extremely healthy one. While it’s completely understandable to focus on the ‘what’ when it comes to changes in one’s body, Reed chooses to focus on the ‘why.’

The actress has said, “Being pregnant has given me this new and powerful appreciation for my body. Why do I suddenly have this layer of fat? Oh, it’s because my body needs to create […] milk. Why am I hungry and thirsty? Because my body is creating amniotic fluid.” Yes! A pregnant body is powerful and beautiful!

Katherine Heigl is known for her work in rom-coms, and it seems that her real life turned into a bit of a comedy as the actress found herself in some awkward situations while pregnant. Heigl confessed, “The thing that really got me was the indigestion. […] I never stopped burping.”

She went on, “And I felt terrible about it, but there was just nothing I could do — I would be in the middle of saying something and I’d just start burping.” Hopefully, the people around her were understanding about it.

A very common symptom of pregnancy is a heightened sense of smell. This is due to the increase of estrogen and it’s experienced by two-thirds of pregnant women in their first trimester. Amanda Seyfried is certainly no exception, as she joked, “I can smell electricity. I swear to God I can smell the TV.”

The actress pointed out that people’s body odor was particularly difficult for her to withstand. So, if you know you’re going to be around a pregnant woman, take extra care to put on sufficient deodorant!

Everyone knows to never mess with a woman during her time of the month or while she’s pregnant. Molly Sims admits to being the poster child for the latter, as she acted “crazy” during pregnancy. Hey, no judgment here, Molly — who wouldn’t be a little emotional while creating a whole human being?!

The model explained, “Here’s the number one thing you don’t say to a hormonal girl: ‘I just don’t understand why you’re being hormonal. I don’t understand why you’re being emotional.'” Take notes, people!

Being a model, Brooklyn Decker is used to needing to look flawless. While she’s always beautiful, Decker did suffer from acne during pregnancy, an experience which she sarcastically referred to as “effin awesome.”

On a more serious note, Brooklyn pointed out that people don’t talk enough about the effects of childbirth, and women aren’t sufficiently prepared. She said, “You don’t actually talk about stitches and bleeding and blistering and the pain.” Decker even called the amount of blood she lost “really shocking!”

Evangeline Lilly seemed to have an easy enough pregnancy as, at the time, the actress exclaimed that she felt “great!” However, Lilly found it a bit more challenging to be pregnant while fulfilling her Hollywood obligations.

The actress complained, “I have to say, high heels and doing a red carpet is starting to ache.” So, don’t wear them! You’re pregnant! Wear sneakers or slippers — even Crocs would be acceptable for a pregnant woman, but only for a pregnant woman.

Olivia Wilde found that becoming a mother provided a new perspective. The actress explained that pregnancy “gives you more empathy because you look at everyone and you think, ‘You were a baby!'” It seems that a lot of Twitter users need to experience parenthood, as Wilde faced backlash while riding the subway pregnant.

Olivia rightfully tweeted disappointment that no one offered her their seat, and the responses basically consisted of, “No one asked you to get pregnant.” Well, no one asked you to be a jerk either, but here we are.

A lot of women get annoyed when men say “we’re pregnant” as a way of announcing they’re going to be fathers. As much as men deserve credit for fatherhood and supporting their partners through pregnancy, the kudos for pregnancy and labor belong solely to the woman.

Mila Kunis seems to agree with this sentiment, as she used her own pregnancy to school the public about this issue. The actress clarified, “We [women] can’t have anything, because we’ve got your little love-goblin growing inside of us. You’re not pregnant, we are.”

It’s obvious that Cardi B’s baby took after her mom when it comes to a love for dancing. While pregnant with Kulture, Cardi expressed that there was a lot of activity going on in her belly.

The singer said, “This been going on for hours. I been trying to take a nap and I can’t. Like I don’t know what’s goin’ on. It’s like she in the club or somethin’ in there.” Well, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Despite a lot of women claiming they felt gorgeous when pregnant, Kelly Clarkson doesn’t believe the hype. The singer admitted, “You’re not attractive when you’re pregnant. Everybody tells you [that] you glow and your hair is pretty and your nails are pretty.”

She continued, “My nails are short, my hair still falls out — it’s not all lush and beautiful — and I have no glow. Unless it’s, like, something left over from a bad throw-up. It’s horrible.”

Ciara’s pregnancy was plagued by soreness and difficulty moving. The singer explained, “My body was so achy, I thought I was going to need a cane at the end of my pregnancy, to be honest. I was penguin walking throughout the house at the end.”

She explained that keeping her mental health on point helped with the physical downsides. In fact, Ciara credited being creative and working on music as something that carried her through the nine months.

Like so many other women out there, Emily Ratajowski doesn’t want to hear about how “we’re pregnant.” The model clarified, “I am ultimately alone with my body in this experience.”

She went on, “There is no one to feel it with me — the sharp muscular aches in my lower abdomen that come out of nowhere while I’m watching a movie or the painful heaviness of my breasts that now greets me first thing every morning. My husband has no physical symptoms in ‘our’ pregnancy.” Well said!

Everyone knows that a woman’s belly gets bigger while pregnant, but it truly isn’t just the stomach that grows — despite what bad movie costume prosthetics will have you think. Eva Longoria is well aware of this, as the actress says her whole body got enlarged, specifically her thighs and chest.

For those who may need some guidance on how to deal with expanding, Longoria said that doing yoga throughout her pregnancy helped with both weight management and back pain.

Like many of her fellow celebs, Katy Perry experienced swelling in her hands and feet — not just in her stomach — while pregnant. Additionally, the singer found that her cravings were all too real.

In fact, Perry’s need for hot sauce was so strong that it simply couldn’t wait until she got home! Katy confessed, “I like, literally, never cared for spice, and now, I have to carry Tabasco sauce in my purse.” Well, if nothing else, it shows initiative!

For those who want more than one child, it’s worth figuring out how you’d like to space out your pregnancies, depending on how easy or difficult the experience is for you. Maya Rudolph timed things in such a way that she felt like it was just one long, never-ending pregnancy!

The actress said, “I think I’m 25 months pregnant. [I’m due in] two more months… in dog years, so that’s 25. Honestly, because it’s my third, I feel like I’ve been pregnant for like six years, seriously.”

Jaime Pressly didn’t enjoy being pregnant as she “hated being fat.” Um, Jaime, being fat and being pregnant are not the same thing! We get it, though — she didn’t like taking up more space than she’s used to. That wasn’t the only thing Pressly didn’t like, though.

The actress revealed, “I had this hideous ‘pregnancy mask’ skin discoloration, which completely covered my face […] This may sound arrogant, but I’m used to looking hot, I just wanted to cry all the time.” Ooof, so much for the glow.

While all the issues of pregnancy — like weight gain, feeling tired, morning sickness, etc — are very real and should be validated, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the important thing is the health of the mom and baby.

Christina Perri knows this better than anyone, as the singer suffered tragic struggles with bringing a pregnancy to term. Perri gave a message of strength to all women by saying, “I am here and whole and walked through it all and I promise you can too.”