Chrissy Teigen welcomed daughter Esti Maxine back in January of this year. Chrissy and John Legend did IVF to conceive, and I believe they also used IVF for Luna Simone and Miles Theodore. Esti is Chrissy’s rainbow baby, the baby she had after a miscarriage. She was devastated when she lost Jack and she was incredibly cautious during her pregnancy with Esti. My point is that Chrissy has had a lot of reproductive drama and she grieved Jack’s death deeply, which might explain why she and John arranged for a surrogate to carry their son while Chrissy was pregnant with Esti. Chrissy and John announced the birth on social media:
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have a new member of the family! The Cravings cookbook author, 37, and the EGOT winner, 44, have welcomed a baby boy via surrogate, she confirmed on Instagram Wednesday in a lengthy post.
Son Wren Alexander Stephens was born on Monday, June 19.
“We want to say thank you for this incredible gift you have given us, Alexandra,” she said, referencing their “most incredible, loving, compassionate surrogate,” whom Teigen got the chance to be pregnant alongside for a time. “And we are so happy to tell the world he is here, with a name forever connected to you, Wren Alexander Stephens.”
“Our hearts, and our home, are officially full. And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you.”
Once again, I think people use the term “surrogate” when they really mean “gestational carrier.” To some, it’s a distinction without a difference, but from my understanding, a gestational carrier is not providing any genetic material, and I would assume that’s the case here. Given Chrissy’s IVF treatments for her previous pregnancies, they probably had embryos in storage, and they likely implanted one of those embryos into the gestational carrier. And much like Hilaria Baldwin, Chrissy and John chose to implant their embryo in another woman while they were already expecting. I’ll admit, I don’t really get that? Maybe the argument is “we want the siblings to kind of grow up as twins.”
Anyway, I do love the name Wren. I assume “Alexander” is a gesture to their surrogate/carrier Alexandra. Chrissy posted an Instagram carousel explaining the journey they went through to get here.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- Chrissy Teigen, John Legend attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Celebrating the 95th Annual Academy Awards Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 762324178, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Chrissy Teigen attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.,Image: 763054445, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Chrissy Teigen, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (L-R) Chrissy Teigen and John Legend attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.,Image: 763054460, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (L-R) Chrissy Teigen and John Legend attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.,Image: 763054599, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
I say good for them. She didn’t have a miscarriage, she had a still birth. It’s deeply traumatic, and given her challenges it’s understandable that she would be cautious to think she could carry to term again. I am not a big fan of hers but in cases like these, I’m thrilled for them.
100% & glad to see this as top comment. Chrissy gets dragged here a lot and she is imperfect but she and John and their kiddos deserve joy. They must be so relieved! And ofc they will always love and miss Jack. No one should have to go through that.
My heart goes out to Chrissy & John for their loss and is filled with joy for their new addition and the love they surely have for all of their children.
@Bee – very well said – yes it’s true none of us are perfect though some may be more imperfect than others , still we can all feel human pain. We have one child (were not able to have more) and he is on the autistic spectrum. Some of the deepest sorrow a parent can feel is when you go through all the trials and tribulation with your child. And some of the greatest joy is also found in those shining moments your child has whether small or great.
Thank you for explaining. I am so happy for them! And I love the middle name in honor of their gestational carrier. As it should be.
🍼 💕
Little Wren is adorable! Good for them!
I think surrogate is used instead of gestational carrier because of how Nicole Kidman was dragged when she used a gestational carrier and stated so. I remember it was people said it was like renting or womb and they were very uncaring to use that term and it was dehumanising etc
My understanding is that they were going through the surrogacy process and she decided to try pregnancy herself one more time. She had been through the worst and was willing to accept whatever the outcome was. Brave.
It doesn’t surprise me at all that women are simultaneously trying for their own pregnancies and gestational carriers. Or multiple gestational carriers. One thing I know from friends who’ve been through this is that having to wait through all the failed attempts is heartbreaking and takes up years of your life. If they’d had the money to go simultaneous, I’m sure they would have.
She seems messy, but the kids always seem happy. I’ve had friends like that (and friend’s moms growing up) and wish this family all the best.
This is the difference to me (not that they need my approval or care, lol!) in this situation vs. Hillary the Baby Collector. Chrissy and John were probably already midway through the surrogacy/gestational carrier process and either decided to try again themselves or were surprised by a pregnancy while engaged in the process, so they continued with both. Completely different from just wanting to make sure you got a girl to encap your 7 under 10 baby obsession.
I am so glad that they were able to welcome a healthy baby, and hope all involved are doing well. I have such compassion for Chrissy after the loss of Jack, and wish them all well. She obviously loves her family a great deal.
I’m happy for them. I didn’t realize until yesterday how against people are against surrogacy. When I mean people I mean MAGA’s. They literally were calling it the sale of human children. She was being dragged for it. They were also calling her a pedophile. These people are unhinged
MAGAs hate women who don’t want children and try to avoid pregnancy, and they hate women who DO want children and therefore try to have children by alternate means.
It’s almost like they just hate women.
That makes no sense as all the MAGA people are pro-life. And wouldn’t they be screaming that Chrissy’s embryos are viable and human the minute they are conceived? So, why would they be calling her a pedophile? Those people are idiots.
I follow Christy on IG. She can be problematic but it’s obvious she loves her kids, her dogs and John. I think Jack’s death really affected her and so I wish them nothing but the best with their family.
MAGA people are pro-life when it suits them. Donald Trump wanted his daughter Tiffany to be aborted but her mother refused. This is common knowledge, but it didn’t stop millions of nitwits from voting for him.
She went to the same IVF clinic that I’m going to 🙂 Hoping to get some of that good luck sent my way for our embryo transfer in July!
Sending good wishes your way for a successful transfer/pregnancy/birth! <3 <3
All the best wordnerd! Sending you positive energy and hoping the universe blesses you next month! xxx
Wishing you all the best, Wordnerd! Sending all the positive vibes your way for a successful transfer. 💜
Having two children so close together might allow her to breastfeed them both (no idea if she is, I’m just speculating). If she really values that experience, the scheduling makes more sense. I know she can be problematic, but I don’t judge her reproductive choices: she can afford her children, they seem happy, and it’s not like pregnancy has been an easy road for her.
I kind of wonder with timing if it was a matter of worrying that if Esti was also lost, her arms wouldn’t be empty for long. Both children were equally wanted, but the heartache possibly mitigated in whatever small way by the close timing, perhaps. So many mothers who have lost babies talk about the empty arms….Wren would never be a replacement, of course, but a consolation, if the worst had happened again.
Not sure of all the timing, but she said the gestational carrier/surrogate had a miscarriage prior to Wren – I assumed because she mentioned that it was one of John & Chrissy’s embryos – so that could explain why the overlap in the pregnancies.
I am happy for them all. God bless. More happy news, please!
I am so happy for her and her beautiful family. He is a beautiful little boy. He will be so well loved. As an angel Mom too I hope this helps heal her heart and pain.