Mandy Moore has been praised for normalising the realities of having a baby after she shared intimate photos from her son’s birth.
The 38-year-old actor and singer took to Instagram on Thursday to share pictures from the moment her second child, Oscar “Ozzie” Bennett, was born on 10 October. In the first image, Moore cradles her newborn son on her chest just moments after giving birth. The This Is Us alum is seen beaming from sheer joy, while Ozzie was still covered in amniotic fluid.
“One month with our Ozzie,” she captioned the post. “I’m still able to access everything about that moment, which simultaneously feels like one second ago and also unimaginable to fathom life before.”
The Walk To Remember star went on to thank her team of doctors, labor and delivery nurse, and her double-time doula and photographer for “holding space and allowing for such a transcendent birth experience.”
“Baby boy came into this world to the soundtrack of Willie Nelson’s ‘Stardust,’” she added. “Good choice, sir!”
The other images included in the candid post showed baby Ozzie after he was all cleaned up, along with a picture of the singer’s husband, Taylor Goldsmith, meeting his son for the first time. The fourth image showed Moore lying in her bed and surrounded by hospital professionals. In the last picture, Moore is seen holding Ozzie while he seemingly looks up at his mother.
Moore’s post received thousands of comments from friends and fans who praised the mother of two for posting such raw imagery from her son’s birth. Many users thanked Moore for normalising the birth experience, while others were grateful that she was able to capture such a precious moment.
“That first picture,” commented Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey, along with several crying eye and heart eye emojis. “And the song choice!!!”
“The first pic,” said one fan. “This is motherhood.”
“Thank you! Thank you! For normalising birth and sharing photos!!” said someone else.
“The first picture is amazing. It’s so intense for us, moms!” another fan wrote. “I’d like to have pictures like that of the very first minutes!!! All in my head and my heart!!”
One user commented, “That first pic is everything,” while someone else said: “Isn’t motherhood beautiful!!!??”
Mandy Moore announced the birth of her second child in an Instagram post on 21 October. She shared three black and white photographs of the parents with their baby, along with the caption: “Ozzie is here! Oscar Bennett Goldsmith arrived a little late but with much aplomb (and an easier/speedier delivery than his big brother, much to the delight of his parents).
“Every adage is true: our hearts have doubled in size and the immediacy of the love is astounding. He is beyond words and we are so grateful for our family of four!”
The pictures, which were taken in the delivery room, show Moore dressed in a hospital gown while holding Ozzie to her face. In another image, she is seen smiling while cradling the newborn. A third picture shows Goldsmith topless and holding Ozzie to his chest.
The couple, who married in 2018, are also parents to their one-year-old son, Gus. She was previously married to musician Ryan Adams from 2009 to 2016.
Back in June, Moore announced that her family was growing when she shared a photograph of her eldest child wearing a T-shirt that read: “Big brother.”
“One incredibly seminal chapter of my life just ended and the next one, as a mother of two, is about to start… and are we ever so deeply grateful and excited,” Moore wrote, before revealing that they were expecting another boy. Tour is gonna be slightly different than I expected but I can’t wait and Gus is gonna be the BEST big brother!!”
Later that month, Moore announced she had to cancel her tour to focus on her baby’s health.
“I know that I have to put my family and my health (and the health of my baby) first and the best place for me to be right now is at home,” she said at the time.
