On her journey to becoming a first-time mom, Ireland Baldwin has hit a few bumps in the road. In a candid new Instagram post, Ireland opened up about how difficult pregnancy has been so far — as it turns out, it's nothing like what she imagined it would be.
Ireland announced her news at the end of 2022
On New Year's Eve, the model — who is the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger — shared a photo of a sonogram on Instagram to fill her fans and followers in.
This will be her first child with musician RAC. So far, Ireland, 27, has seemed so excited about this new development.
Now she's opening up about the realities of pregnancy
Writing in the hopes that by sharing her story, someone else experiencing something similar would feel less alone, Ireland opened up about how "hard" pregnancy is, even when the baby involved is so wanted.
"It takes so much out of you. I wasn't ready for that," she admitted, adding, "I always wanted to have a child of my own with someone who would treat us right and love us unconditionally … but I underestimated just how hard pregnancy would be on my mind and my body."
She went on to say she's been struggling with "severe health anxiety"
All of these body changes, pains, and sensations have ramped up her anxiety, which feels like her "brain and thoughts are going to war every single day."
Fortunately, she does have the support of her boyfriend, who she says is "everything and more" to her, but it's hard for her to be far away from family and watching friends fade away as she enters this new stage of her life.
She ended her post on an optimistic note
"Even through all of this, none of this reflects on how excited I am to be her mom," she wrote. "My career isn't going anywhere and if it is, f–k it. The friends that mattered most will be there and you'll have more room for new friendships. All of this is still worth it but it's ok to admit how hard and scary it all can be. You are not alone."
She's so right — it is worth it, but it's a wild experience unlike any other.
Things could get easier for her soon
If she's just coming out of the first trimester — one of the most brutal periods of pregnancy — she may be pleasantly surprised at how much easier the second trimester is, especially since this is when some of the most difficult symptoms (like morning sickness) can begin to fade away.
Being pregnant and becoming a parent are huge life adjustments, and good for Ireland for being so candid about the way it has affected her so far.
