Mandy Moore is opening up about the circumstances that led to the "unexpected" conception of her baby on the way.
The This Is Us actress is currently expecting her first child, a son, with husband Taylor Goldsmith, and she tells Romper in a candid new cover story that she consulted a fertility doctor before becoming pregnant, initially believing surgery would be necessary before she could carry a child. The Silver Landings singer says doctors "suspected" endometriosis.
"I was fully prepared to go have surgery and fix my uterus and hopefully get rid of the endometriosis, if it was there," Moore, 36, recalls. "It was nice to have a plan and to know 'Okay, well this is why I haven't been pregnant yet.' "
But as Moore geared up for her appointment, her doctor told her she was ovulating and suggested having sex the next few days despite there being a slim chance of conceiving.
"So I was like, all right, whatever," she says. "And lo and behold … "
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Pregnant Mandy Moore's Baby Bump Photos
"I guess I understand why doctors tell you, like, 'Oh, just try for a year, and then if nothing happens, you can start sort of investigating,' " Moore continues. "But I was like, man, I wish I had known before. It would have been a game changer had I had that information."
Moore tells Romper she kept her expectations low, even when she learned of her pregnancy.
"Because of this issue with my uterus, I was very hesitant to believe it and put any stock in it," she says. "I sort of was holding my breath until 12 weeks."
The star says Goldsmith, 35, has been reading up and learning from fatherhood books — though she thinks he's been cut out to be a parent for a while.
"I think he's been suited to be a father for pretty much his whole life. He's been gearing up for this," the mom-to-be shares. "Like in the morning, it's funny, I'll reach for my phone and he'll reach right for whatever baby book he's reading."
Adding of Goldsmith, who would normally be out on the road if not for the pandemic, Moore says, "We wouldn't have spent this gestation period together — he would have been touring. And it would have been fine, but having this experience together makes me feel even more solid and even more excited to be a parent with him."
Moore adds that she wants to "raise an intelligent, feminist, loving, compassionate young man, who respects women, and who understands boundaries."
Mandy Moore Details Feeling 'Nauseous' and 'Weepy' in Third Trimester of Pregnancy: 'What the Heck'
A little over a year after Moore and Goldsmith got engaged, the two were married in an intimate backyard ceremony in November 2018. The pair announced their pregnancy news in September, revealing that their baby boy is due "early 2021."
Since becoming pregnant, Moore says to Romper that singing, for her, has changed, and she often sings a tune for her baby.
"Singing feels so different right now, with this dude in my belly," she says. "I don't find myself feeling stressed out about how my voice sounds, or am I hitting the right notes? It feels good to just open my mouth and sing right now, which is weird, but I like it."
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