James Van Der Beek announces 6th child after wife's past miscarriages: 'There needs to be zero shame around it'
James Van Der Beek has some amazing news to share with the world -- his wife's expecting their sixth child!
"Thrilled beyond belief to announce that another little bundle of joy has picked us to be their family," the actor and "Dancing With the Stars" contestant wrote on Instagram Monday.
He also explained why he let "Dancing" cameras film his wife Kimberly during the ultrasound, something shared in a previous post.
"We chose to have our first ultrasound on camera with our #DWTS crew capturing the result - something I NEVER thought we’d ever do... but @vanderkimberly and I have been through three of those first appointments to discover either no heartbeat, or no baby, and she wanted to share this moment," the actor added.
Van Der Beek has been passionate in the past about miscarriage after sharing that his wife has suffered three in the past. He's not only been supportive, he's voiced loudly how much he hates the word, the stigma that comes with it and how even the slightest blame could be put on the mother when it's not her fault.
"Miscarriage (a word that needs a replacement - nobody failed to “carry”, these things sometimes just happen) is something that people rarely talk about, and often go through in secret. But there needs to be zero shame around it, or around giving yourself the time and space to grieve," he wrote Monday.
He added, "We decided to put ourselves out there - not knowing what we’d find - in an effort to chip away at any senseless stigma around this experience and to encourage people who might be going through it to open themselves up to love & support from friends and family when they need it most. Happily, for us - this time- we walked out with tears of joy."
Kimberly posted a message of her own on Instagram, adding, "I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you. Thank you for all the warmth and love you’ve been sending."
Last year, Van Der Beek opened up about his wife's three miscarriages, absolutely pouring his heart out onto social media, supporting his wife and all women who have gone through a similar experience. This lengthy message came after the arrival of the couple's fifth child.
"Wanted to say a thing or two about miscarriages... of which we’ve had three over the years (including right before this little beauty)" he wrote on his Instagram. "First off -- we need a new word for it. 'Mis-carriage,' in an insidious way, suggests fault for the mother -- as if she dropped something, or failed to 'carry.' From what I’ve learned, in all but the most obvious, extreme cases, it has nothing to do with anything the mother did or didn’t do. So let’s wipe all blame off the table before we even start."
He also held nothing back about the pain he and his wife of almost a decade have had to endure through these trials and tribulations.
"Second... it will tear you open like nothing else," he continued. "It’s painful and it’s heartbreaking on levels deeper than you may have ever experienced. So don’t judge your grief, or try to rationalize your way around it. Let it flow in the waves in which it comes, and allow it it’s rightful space. And then... once you’re able... try to recognize the beauty in how you put yourself back together differently than you were before."
