Up close and personal! Shay Mitchell filmed her labor and delivery for the Almost Ready finale, released on Monday, October 21.
The video opens with a fresh-faced Mitchell realizing her water is breaking. When she arrives at the hospital, she’s in pain and nervous until they check the baby’s heartbeat. Fast forward to 13 hours of labor and she’s having steady contractions. Matte Babel is by her side, snacking away, which makes the actress jealous. “I would’ve jammed [snacks] down before I realized I could only have clear foods,” she says.
With not enough progress the doctors start Mitchell on Pitocin to help speed up her labor. Still, nothing happens (except a lot of pain) for several more hours. Finally, with her doula and Babel by her side, Mitchell decides to get an epidural at 23 hours. At 33 hours, it’s finally time to push.
When the baby girl finally arrives, the new mom cries, exclaiming, “Oh, it’s so crazy.” Mitchell closes out the video saying she thought pregnancy was such a journey, but she’s now realizing the new journey she and Babel are on as parents.
The Pretty Little Liars alum, 32, announced her and Babel’s baby girl’s birth on Instagram on Sunday, October 20. “Never letting go,” the actress captioned a close-up shot holding her daughter’s hand.
Since she previously suffered a miscarriage in 2018, Mitchell hid her pregnancy until she was six months along. “Does this mean I’m allowed to drive in the car pool lane at all times now?” she wrote alongside a topless baby bump shot in June.
Her boyfriend, 39, added with a post of his own: “Watching the both of you grow over the past 6 months has been the most beautiful thing in the world. The strength, vulnerability and grace you’ve had during this pregnancy has left me in awe, you’re going to be an incredible mom. We’re lucky to have you, love you.”
Keeping her news from the public, though, led to “severe” prepartum depression, the Bliss author revealed earlier this month. “As long as I can remember, I’ve heard about postpartum depression,” Mitchell told Hatchland. “However, to be depressed at the beginning came as a shock. The isolation and anxiety I experienced was crippling. I thought I was going out of my mind and questioned why nobody ever talked to me about this phase. I’ve been fortunate since sharing the news of my pregnancy to have some amazing conversations with other pregnant women and moms and know that all these feelings are ‘normal.’”
After she debuted her budding belly, Mitchell went on to share every step of her pregnancy journey on her YouTube show, from her action-packed gender reveal to her strip club baby shower.
The Dollface star even told Us exclusively in July how Babel was doting on her. “[He gives] massages,” she said at the time. “Not very long ones, but I’ll take them when I can get them. He’s … supporting my wants to continue working throughout this whole process, so that’s always good.”
