Lauren Conrad is the definition of cool, calm and collected.
The fashion designer graces the July covers of Parents and Fit Pregnancy and Baby, where she speaks in detail about the moment she learned she was expecting—and why she's not nervous about going into labor. "I always thought, 'Someday, I'll have a family.' But it wasn't until I was married that it was a real conversation. I think your 20s are about figuring out who you are and finding a career," says Conrad, who wed lawyer William Tell in 2014. After they got married, the couple "wanted a couple years" to themselves. "When you're a mother, you're no longer your own top priority, and that idea was a little scary to me. But we're ready for a baby now."
Though their parents put some "emotionally playful but persistent" pressure on them to have a baby, the newlyweds wanted to wait until the moment was right. And the timing couldn't have been better—even if it was up to chance. "I tried to plan my pregnancy down to the month," the Hills star confesses. "My first lesson about motherhood was that you can't plan everything."
Aside from her husband, Conrad says, "The first person I told about my pregnancy was my best friend, because my initial reaction was to freak out—in a good way. I wanted to be able to tell our parents later in a calmer, celebratory fashion. But my girlfriend has known me since we were in elementary school, so she was my choice for a freak-out." She shared the news publicly via Instagram just after the New Year. "I started showing fast, and it was tricky to hide. I wanted to share the news with everybody, and posting my sonogram felt like the simplest way to do it."
Conrad hasn't "had crazy cravings," but did have some aversions. "For a while I couldn't eat meat," she says. And she's ready for the day when she can eat her favorite foods again. "I must have been eating more cheese and wine than I realized, because I've really been missing them."
"Early in my pregnancy I was nauseous all day and having difficulty putting on weight, which was funny because I've never had that issue in my entire life!" the mom-to-be says. "My mom told me to start drinking milkshakes and my doctor said to go for it—to have a daily milkshake."
Conrad "really wanted" to have a boy, and she's getting her wish. Until he arrives, she's taking things easy—as if she'd do it any other way. "Last night I ordered a book on putting together a birth plan. My main concern is doing whatever's right in the moment. My friends have said, 'Have a plan, but don't be so committed that you're unwilling to change if you need to.' I'm not worried about the pain that comes with giving birth," she tells the magazines. "Maybe I'm just naïve, but it's pretty low on my list of concerns. I feel like women have been doing this forever."
Whether Conrad will share photos of her son via Instagram and Twitter is, at the moment, still up for discussion. "I'm going to have to figure out how much of motherhood to share on social media. Obviously you want to protect your child in every way you can. At the same time, my brand is based on being accessible and sharing the milestones of my life, and I'm so excited about it all," says Conrad, who just released a Kohl's maternity line. "I'll find a middle ground."