Penn Badgley and Domino Kirke are going to be parents — but the road wasn’t an easy one.
In her pregnancy announcement on Instagram Monday morning, Kirke, a birth doula, shared a photo of her baby bump and revealed that she and her You actor husband of three years previously endured “two miscarriages in a row” before the current pregnancy, leading them to feel “ready to call it.”
“I stopped trusting my body and started to accept the fact that I was done,” wrote Kirke, who’s also mom to son Cassius Riley, born in 2009. “As a birth attendant, I’ve seen and heard it all. It takes everything I’ve got to detach lovingly from the losses I’ve been present for and be in my own experience.”
“When I was pregnant at 25, I knew nothing. I had no community. I dove in blissfully unaware about birth and its mysteries,” she continued. “Now, with 10 years worth of experience to pull from, I treasure my birth community and the knowledge I have.”
Kirke addressed her unborn child in conclusion, writing, “You’re already teaching us how to stay in the day in a way we’ve never had to, little one. Thank you.”
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The former Gossip Girl star, 33, began dating Kirke, 37, in 2014. They married in February 2017 during a small courthouse ceremony attended by the bride’s family members, including sisters Jemima Kirke and Lola Kirke.
Lola shared a family snap from the day on Instagram with the caption, “When someone gets married in a courthouse, it’s really an open invitation to everyone but the beautiful bride to explore all that fashion has to offer. Here, I try a look simply called ‘Pants,’ as Cassius goes for ‘That Dude from #incubus‘ and Jemima experiments with ‘Off to Therapy!’ Congratulations @dominokirke. We love you.”
Badgley (who has studied the Bahá’í faith) opened up about his affection for his wife in a September 2018 interview with PEOPLE, saying, “I don’t think I could truly value human love until I developed divine love.”
“[Domino and I] very much had a romantic beginning, and I think that you discover in marriage that what sustains a marriage for decades — there are less and less people who can tell us this — but I think it has something to do with [divine] love,” added the star.
Badgley praised his wife in honor of her birthday this past December, captioning a photo and video featuring the mom-to-be, “Happy birthday, Dom. A super-brief review of your invisible qualities: A truly radiant soul, you seem to spark alight almost everyone you meet, like a 99% success rate. It’s really impressive, and quite mysterious.”
“You encourage others to be honest, and brave, and gentle, and expansive. Your great capacity for empathy is obvious, something anyone can get warm by like a glowing stove,” he added.
The star continued, “Your desire to be of service to others is miraculous. It is in your DNA. In pictures as a very young child, you exude it — a great care and sweetness; an invitation. You make others happy by you. For me, it is a joy to witness you when you are happy. For you, I always hope to be a source of joy. I’m really glad we’re married.”
The baby on the way will be the first child for Badgley. Kirke shares Cassius with her ex-boyfriend, musician Morgan O’Kane.
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