Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder Will Take 'One Month of Silence' After Their Baby Arrives: 'No Visitors,' No Phones
While Nikki Reed and husband Ian Somerhalder‘s first child will soon make their grand arrival, fans will have to wait a little longer to meet the bouncing bundle of joy.
“We’ll take the baby’s first month for ourselves,” explains the pregnant star in the new issue of Fit Pregnancy and Baby. “After the baby arrives, we’re doing one month of silence. Just the three of us, no visitors, and we’re turning off our phones too, so there’s no expectation for us to communicate.”
The 29-year-old Twilight star says that she doesn’t want to feel pressured to share daily health updates and photos of her newborn. She adds, “You don’t get those first 30 days back, and we want to be fully present.”
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RELATED VIDEO: Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed Expecting First Child
In the wide-ranging interview, Reed – who announced that she was pregnant in May – further opens up about how she first discovered she was expecting, explaining that she “took the pregnancy test before dawn.”
“I didn’t have my glasses or contacts and I can’t see without them,” she says. “I was squinting, thinking, ‘Are there any more lines?’ I yelled to Ian, ‘Get up!’ He ran into the bathroom, read the test, and we were so excited.”
The happy couple – who wed in April 2015 – then watched the sunrise together, “just thinking, ‘Wow, we’re going to have a baby.’ ”
It was “months” before Somerhalder, 38, and Reed decided to share their baby joy with friends and family. In fact, the news became “this really cool thing, a secret with just each other.”
Also under wraps? The baby’s sex, which the couple is waiting to find out. Says the Sleepy Hollow alum of the decision, “It’s the greatest and only true surprise of your life.”
Either way, though, Reed will be ecstatic. “A close friend had a son and I remember thinking, ‘I hope I have a son one day.’ Then another friend had a girl and I thought, ‘How fun would it be to have a miniature version of yourself ?’ ” she says. “You can’t lose, no matter what.”
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When it comes to Reed’s delivery, however, she hopes for no surprises — and plans to have her doctor, doula and massage chiropractor by her side, “keeping me comfortable and informed.”
“I used to want a home birth, unmedicated and with a midwife. But now I know people who’ve had great experiences at birthing centers and hospitals,” she says.
“My doctor says, ‘Midwives always think nothing will go wrong. Doctors always think something will. Let’s find a place in the middle,’ ” explains the actress. “So Ian and I are looking at all options.”
RELATED: Surprise! Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed Expecting First Child
Somerhalder isn’t necessarily in a hurry for his wife’s pregnancy to end, though. As Reed explains, “Ian jokes that he wants to keep me pregnant forever,” adding, “Pregnant, I’m a better version of myself. I’m really chill and relaxed, which I think is the greatest blessing.”
Reed, too, has grown to embrace her changing shape, admitting, “Being pregnant has given me this new and powerful appreciation for my body.”
“Why do I suddenly have this layer of fat? Oh, it’s because my body needs to create breast milk,” she says. “Why am I hungry and thirsty? Because my body is creating amniotic fluid. I want to write my pregnant body love letters, it’s so f— cool!”
