Hilary Duff said that her son, Luca, joined her as she was giving birth to her daughter, Mae.- Duff welcomed Mae, her third child, in a water birth at home in March.
- Duff said Luca came into the room just as she was "pulling the baby out."
Hilary Duff was joined by a very special guest during her recent
The "Younger" and "Lizzie McGuire" actress opened up about giving birth to her third child, daughter Mae Bair, on the April 15 episode of the "Informed Pregnancy" podcast.
She told the podcast host, Dr. Elliot Berlin, that her husband, Matthew Koma, her mother, a doula (who was also her birth photographer), a friend, and three midwives attended her home birth in March.
Duff said that her water broke around midnight but her contractions didn't get going until the following afternoon.
But once her contractions started, Duff said on the podcast that the actual birth "happened so fast," Luca almost missed it even though he was at home.
"Luca made it right as I was pulling the baby out and Banks [her 2-year-old daughter] came in right after that," Duff told Berlin.
Duff shares Luca with ex-husband Mike Comrie. Duff and Koma are parents to daughters Mae and Banks.
Duff says that she's had chats with Luca about menstruation and childbirth
Duff told Berlin that she'd prepped Luca ahead of time on what to expect when he joined Duff during Mae's birth.
"It was kind of important for me, because I'm really big on being open and honest with him about how strong women are and how childbirth looks," Duff explained.
"He knows all about periods and you know, it's important for me to normalize that conversation with him for all the women who are going to be in his life," she continued.
"I think that sometimes a 9-year-old boy is like, 'Well, men have bigger muscles,' and, yeah, but we bring life into this world. We move a baby through our body," Duff added.
Duff, who also owns a company that makes organic tampons and pads, said that she thought it was important for her to talk to Luca about childbirth so that someday, down the line, he is respectful of whatever decision his future partner might make for their birth plan.
"If that's at home, that can be at home. If that's in a hospital, it will be at a hospital. There's many different ways," Duff said.
Luca also joined Duff when she gave birth to Banks in 2018
Duff also gave birth to Banks at home in October 2018 with Luca by her side, with one crucial difference: Back then, Luca was allowed to skip school and stay home with his mother all day.
"Luca was so pissed because I made him go to school because that's always the deal," Duff told Berlin. "He gets to skip school while I'm in labor."
While giving Architectural Digest a tour of her Los Angeles home in September, Duff gave viewers a peek at the tub in her bathroom where she gave birth to Banks.
"I had her right here in this room and it was very peaceful," Duff told Architectural Digest at the time. "A lovely way to meet my baby for the first time."
It is unclear if Duff delivered Mae in the same tub.