Joanna Gaines Reflects on "Surprise" Pregnancy at 40: "This Time Was Different"

Fixer Upper star opens up about her baby boy Crew

By Jess Cohen Aug 02, 2018 4:08 PMTags
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Joanna Gaines is opening up about her new baby boy, Crew Gaines.

The Fixer Upper star and husband Chip Gaines welcomed their fifth child just over a month ago. Chip made the baby announcement on social media in late June, telling their fans, "And then there were 5. The Gaines crew is now 1 stronger! 10 beautiful toes and 10 beautiful fingers all accounted for, and big momma is doing great! #blessedBeyondBelief." Baby Crew joins the couple's eldest children Drake, 13, Ella, 11, Duke, 9, and Emmie Kay, 8, in the Gaines family.

Now, Joanna is reflecting on welcoming their new baby boy into the world in the fall issue of her and Chip's magazine, The Magnolia Journal.

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Joanna Gaines Calls Her Fifth Pregnancy a "Total Surprise"

"Welcoming our fifth child to our family this summer has reminded me more than ever that despite my own doubts and insecurities, I am built for these things, including being a mom to five kids," Joanna writes in her editor's note. "It has also prompted me to consider this theme in a completely new context. My perspective about being made ready has been mostly through the lens of inner strength and the often difficult journey many of us travel to recognize that we've already got what it takes to do great things."

"These past weeks, though, in a season where I simply can't do everything in order to be present for the very thing I'm feeling most called to, I have witnessed so vividly the power of our community and the range of skills and capabilities of those around me," Joanna continues. "I'm learning that in these instances my part is to receive with gratitude rather than pretend I've got it all handled."

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Joanna Gaines Shares the Special Tradition Chip Gaines Continued With Baby No. 5
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Joanna also talks about the adversities she faced during her fifth pregnancy in an essay called "Made for This."

"I am 40, and pregnancy this time was different," she writes (via People). "I have always really enjoyed being pregnant — I tend to feel my best during those nine months. This time I felt a little more worn out than usual."

Joanna—who admits in the magazine that she "truly believed she was done" having kids before Crew—later adds, "It's sweet how, even in the most unpredictable ways, we're given exactly what we need for that exact moment in time. It wasn't something I could have anticipated. But being pregnant and 'forced' to slow down has been a gift."

To read more about Joanna and Chip's new addition to the family, check out The Magnolia Journal.