Every baby is a star, but some are born into the limelight, and in 2011, there was no shortage of Hollywood deliveries.
We recap the year’s new celebrity moms, month-by-month, from a posh baby to the ultimate diva twins.
Miranda Kerr and husband Orlando Bloom started off a year of celeb babies by welcoming son Flynn, 9 lbs., 12 oz., on Jan. 6. Kerr shared, “I gave birth to him naturally; without any pain medication and it was a long, arduous and difficult labor, but Orlando was with me the whole time supporting and guiding me through it.”
Samantha Harris of Entertainment Tonight welcomed Hillary Madison, 7 lbs, 11 oz, on Jan. 19. She was happy to lose her baby bust: “That’s something that I usually lack, and I’m okay with that. I’ve decided that cleavage is for the men, but in practicality, if you asked most women out there, dealing with a large bosom is difficult.”
Penelope Cruz and husband Javier Bardem welcomed son Leo Encinas on Jan. 22. The first-time mother told Vogue, “From the first second, you feel so much love. It is a revolutionary experience. When you see that face, you are transformed forever.” The only downside so far: “‘Some nights you sleep more, some nights less, but you don’t care.”
Christina Applegate and fiancé Martyn LeNoble welcomed daughter Sadie Grace, 7 lbs., 8 oz., on Jan. 27. The cancer survivor had been self-conscious after undergoing a double mastectomy, but when daughter Sadie was born, she stopped caring about her scars. “It was such a liberating and beautiful moment,” she told People, when the nurses put Sadie on her chest. “[That’s where] she feels the most comfortable and where she’s the happiest,” she says. “She’s healed me in so many ways.”
Rachel Zoe and husband Rodger Berman welcomed son Skyler Morrison, 6 lbs, 12 oz, on March 23. Zoe wore Chanel to the hospital to give birth, saying: “If I’m going to be a mess, I’m gonna be a glamorous mess.” The fashionista’s son has an $87,000 nursery.
Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon welcomed twins Moroccan Scott and Monroe on Apr. 30, their fourth wedding anniversary. The babies were born via C-section at 35 weeks. Carey put on 70 lbs but finally took it all off with a1,500-calorie-a-day menu and by working out three times a week. “It was a huge blessing to be able to have the babies,” Carey told Us Weekly, “But I felt trapped in my body because I couldn’t move.”
Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki welcomed son Bear Blu, 7 lbs 15 oz., on May 5, whose name was a suggestion by her mother-in-law. “He had crazy amounts of hair,” she told Us Weekly. “He’s really calm.” The actress said, “I didn’t leave the house at all for six weeks after his birth. I wanted to soak in every moment of his scrumptiousness.”
Jennifer Connelly and husband Paul Bettany welcomed daughter Agnes Lark on May 31 in a birthing pool at their New York City home. Other stars who’ve had a water birth: Gisele Bundchen, Charlotte Church and Ricki Lake.
Pink and Carey Hart welcomed daughter Willow Sage on June 1. “My life was once whiskey, tears and cigarettes,” the singer tweeted. “Now it’s snot tears and the color of poop. I do miss the whiskey, though!” She told Ellen DeGeneres why she waited to tell anyone she was pregnant, “I was just really nervous and I have had a miscarriage before.”
Natalie Portman and fiancé Benjamin Millapied welcomed son Aleph on June 14. His name is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and it also means the “oneness of God.” The actress waited until the baby was born to shop for him: “I think it’s a Jewish thing to be kind of superstitious. You don’t do any of the baby stuff before the baby arrives.”