Entertainment

James Van Der Beek Announces Arrival Of Surprise Baby

by Valerie Williams
James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek on the red carpet posing and smiling together
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for A24

James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly welcomed son Jeremiah after experiencing two late-term pregnancy losses

James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly shared the wonderful news on Monday that they’ve welcomed a son following two late-term pregnancy losses. A few things to know before proceeding: the baby’s name is Jeremiah; the announcement includes a precious video with one of the Van Der Beeks’ older kids that’s so cute it might make you ovulate; and James gives some incredibly important information about the procedure that helped the couple welcome a child after their devastating prior losses.

“Humbled and overjoyed to announce the safe, happy arrival of Jeremiah Van Der Beek ❤️ (We’ve been calling him Remi, btw – not ‘dinosaur’ 🥰),” Van Der Beek captioned the announcement of the couple’s sixth child. The first slide is the aforementioned video featuring the couple’s daughter Gwendolyn. The Dawson’s Creek actor felt the need to remind his audience that his new son is not named Dinosaur because his little girl says that’s what she calls him. No judgment little sis, dinos are awesome.

Van Der Beek shares that he and his wife “kept this one quiet” after experiencing two consecutive late-term pregnancy losses. The pair were very open in sharing their heartbreak when those losses occurred, no doubt helping countless parents feel less alone in their own experience. Jeremiah joins brother Joshua, 9, and sisters Gwendolyn, 3, Emilia, 5, Annabel, 7, and Olivia, 11.

This post wasn’t just a baby announcement. Van Der Beek also posted some super important information about the likely reason Kimberly’s last two pregnancies ended in losses — and the solution their new doctor provided that ended in Jeremiah’s birth. “…we found a doctor here in Texas who diagnosed the last two as having been caused by an: ‘incompetent cervix’ (I asked him what kind of misogynistic old dude invented that term and he laughed – which made me like him even more. Now it’s called a #WeakenedCervix),” Van Der Beek writes.

Firstly, yes, that term is absolutely terrible, and here’s what it means. Second of all, thanks to this doctor’s correct diagnosis, Kimberly was able to have a healthy pregnancy. “A simple surgical cerclage was done, removed at full-term, @vanderkimberly gave birth naturally on the ranch… and here we are,” he explains. “The medical books say to only look at a cerclage as an option after three late-term losses. Our doctor recommends considering it after one. Spread the word.”

Van Der Beek thanks his circle of friends and family for keeping the pregnancy news quiet, wishing “respect and karma” for those who made sure the family enjoyed privacy as they waited to welcome Jeremiah. And now, many couples will likely be thanking Van Der Beek for sharing what his family went through in the hopes of sparing others the same pain.