On her own timeline. Ashley Tisdale got candid about her journey to starting a family with husband Christopher French shortly after confirming that she is pregnant with their first child.
“I’M PREGNANT!!!! Wow, it feels so good to finally share this news with you guys! Where do I even begin?” the High School Musical star, 35, wrote in a vulnerable note posted to her blog, Frenshe, on Friday, September 18. “For YEARS it has been the question from everyone since I got married. At first, I rebelled against it, and like clockwork, after I got engaged EVERYONE (and I mean everyone!) asked when I was getting married. Then, once I was married, everyone was asking when I was having kids. To be honest, it just felt invasive.”
Tisdale and her husband, 38, tied the knot in September 2014 after meeting through mutual friends two years earlier. The Disney alum admitted that she “wasn’t ready” to be a parent right away and wanted to enjoy her time as a newlywed for as long as possible.
“I wanted to be selfish and have Chris all to myself for a while. Honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” she wrote. “As you know, going through my mental health journey, it wouldn’t have been the right timing for such a huge life change. I’m not naive about how a baby changes everything, as I have a niece and plenty of friends with kids. I’m glad I worked on myself before we decided to make this decision.”
The New Jersey native has spoken openly about her struggle with anxiety after growing up in the public eye and thinks her pregnancy came at just the right time.
“After six years of marriage, we built a strong foundation,” she said of herself and French. “I gave it to God and the universe and honestly didn’t feel stressed about it and then it happened very quickly. I’ve had my highs and lows during quarantine and have to say I’m so grateful for this gift.”
On Thursday, September 17, Tisdale debuted her growing baby bump in an Instagram slideshow and received loving messages from famous friends Vanessa Hudgens, Lea Michele and Haylie Duff. Though she’s thrilled to be on this journey with her husband by her side, the “He Said She Said” singer admitted that it “hasn’t been an easy trimester” so far.
“I definitely fall somewhere in the middle where I didn’t just have nausea, but threw up a couple of times and felt like I’ve had stomach flu for three months,” she wrote on Friday. “I’m excited about this new adventure, and I’m being very optimistic with every step. … Chris and I are so excited and are fully embracing and celebrating this monumental moment. I love you guys and I’m so excited to have you part of this ride!”
