I actually covered it when Kenya Moore announced her pregnancy earlier this year. It wasn’t because I have some kind of interest in this particular Real Housewife (I couldn’t care less), but I found it interesting that she was pregnant with her first child at the age of 47. Some people second-guessed her pregnancy announcement, and assumed that because of her age, she was definitely using a surrogate. She was not. She and her husband Marc Daly went through IVF. Well, Kenya gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Sunday. But the last weeks of her pregnancy were full of medical drama:
Kenya Moore is a mom! The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum, 47, gave birth to daughter Brooklyn Doris Daly at 9:39 a.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 4, PEOPLE can exclusively report. The baby girl weighs 5 lbs. and 12 oz. It’s the first child for Moore and husband Marc Daly, who gave their daughter a name that holds special meaning.
“Brooklyn because that’s where we met and fell in love, and Doris after my grandmother who passed away last year and who raised me,” Moore tells PEOPLE. “Mom is doing well and “Brooklyn is very alert and active,” but the happy news also comes after scary few days for Moore.
The former Miss USA, who conceived through in vitro fertilization, gave birth via emergency cesarean section after revealing on Oct. 27 that she had tested positive for preeclampsia — a pregnancy complication that caused her to gain “17 lbs. in ONE week due to severe swelling and water retention, high blood pressure, and excess protein in urine.” Preeclampsia typically develops suddenly in women who previously had normal blood pressure after the 20-week pregnancy mark, according to the Mayo Clinic. Left untreated, preeclampsia can have fatal consequences. The most effective form of treatment is delivery, something Moore said she was considering.
“This is NOT normal,” Moore wrote on Instagram. “Baby is fine but if [test] come back higher #babydaly will have to come same day. Staying positive. To my pregnant sisters please go to your visits and tell the doctor of any drastic changes. Thank God I have great doctors.”
She’s very lucky that she had great doctors and great medical care, because this could have been a life-altering experience in a bad way. Preeclampsia can happen to any pregnant woman, regardless of health, age, fertility, diet, whatever. It’s not like Kenya’s geriatric pregnancy led to preeclampsia, although I would guess that her advanced age made her a much higher risk for complications. I’m glad she pulled through and everyone is doing well. As for the name Brooklyn Doris Daly… it sound like a newspaper? Get your copy of the Brooklyn Doris Daly, read all about it!
Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN.
Congrats to Kenya. Doris is a great name. Hope it makes a comeback as old-timey names come back into fashion.
She’s full of cray cray, but I’m happy for her & baby twirl.
I don’t know that Preeclampsia is caused, or made more likely by, a geriatric pregnancy. I had severe Preeclampsia when I was pregnant with my first child at age 32 and had to be induced early. Two months ago I had my second child a week after turning 42, and I didn’t develop Preeclampsia, or any other complications, at all. (Those are just my own individual experiences though and might not mean much on the grand scale of things.)
Demographically, it’s most common in the very young (teenage pregnancies), first-time pregnancies, and geriatric pregnancies (specifically over age 40).
I’m glad your second pregnancy was smoother–preeclampsia is terrifying.
Giving birth at any age is never easy but at 47 it’s so risky. Glad to hear though that she and the baby are ok.
I’m not a fan of Kenya’s by any means, Pregnancy at 47 is very risky. My daughter is named Brooke and my grandmother was named Doris. I wish the baby much health and happiness.
That’s quite the coincidence!
Preeclampsia truly is so scary! I experienced a completely normal pregnancy and then in the last month the swelling was just unreal. I put on 40 pounds of water weight in a little more than 2 weeks. I felt like Violet from Willy Wonka when she blew up in to a blueberry and had to be rolled away!
I got amazingly lucky my son came naturally the morning I was due to be induced and was born in a record 12 minutes from arriving at the hospital. Unfortunately after giving birth sometimes it is necessary for severe preeclampsia to need to go on IV Magnesium Sulfate to prevent seizures from high blood pressure and that stuff is extremely unpleasant and really puts a damper on the first days with your baby.
My baby ended up discharged from the hospital before me but my doting fiancé was kind enough to camp out in the hospital with me so my son could stay in my room and after some water pills when I finally went home everything was completely normal. As serious as preeclampsia can be as long as it is treated properly it can be handled with no lasting damage.
Pregnant ladies out there if you notice abnormal sudden swelling let your OB know ASAP because your life could literally be in danger.
My God, her poor feet… that’s +3 putting edema if I’ve ever seen it. Yikes.
I was in the pre-eclampsia club too- I have a slight heart defect, though, so it was going to happen regardless. But getting pregnant at 47 friggin years old is a very bold move, pre-eclampsia be damed. Some women are kinda made for it, though. My bestie just had her second child at 43! She sailed through her pregnancy like it was nothing- go figure.
My God, her poor feet… that’s +3 putting edema if I’ve ever seen it. Yikes.
I was in the pre-eclampsia club too- I have a slight heart defect, though, so it was going to happen regardless. But getting pregnant at 47 friggin years old is a very bold move, pre-eclampsia be damed. Some women are kinda made for it, though. My bestie just had (via cesarean) her second child at 43! She sailed through her pregnancy like it was nothing- go figure.
Kenya is off kilter but I’m glad she and the baby are okay.
Congrats to Kenya and her husband. So happy everything came out okay.