Congratulations are in order! Shay Mitchell announced the arrival of her beautiful baby girl on October 20 with her boyfriend, Matte Babel. The 32-year-old took to social media to announce the exciting news.
“Never letting go,” the brunette beauty captioned a photo of her holding her daughter’s hand. She didn’t share any other details in the sweet post, but the actress has been very open about her pregnancy journey so hopefully, that continues into motherhood.
We couldn’t be happier for the Pretty Little Liars alum — especially after she overcame a tragic miscarriage in order to grow her family. “Although it was an amazing year, it didn’t come without some hardships,” the brunette beauty wrote on her Instagram Story in January 2019. “We all have to deal with various struggles and challenges in life. And sometimes it’s easier to only showcase the good times on social media, which is what leads many people to criticize it for its lack of authenticity. Having so many people follow me on Instagram and read my posts is both incredibly humbling and incredibly uplifting.”
She continued, “The support and affection that so many of you show me lifts me up during even my darkest days, one of which happened last year after I miscarried and lost the child of my hopes and dreams.” While it is extremely devastating and unfortunate that Shay miscarried in 2018, we’re glad she successfully delivered her baby this time around.
Shay first announced the news she was pregnant in June by putting her growing baby bump on display in an Instagram photo. “Does this mean I’m allowed to drive in the carpool lane at all times now?” she captioned the pic. She also shared a YouTube video documenting her pregnancy journey so far and revealed why she kept the news so low-key. “When you’re in the public eye, there’s some things [sic] you want to keep a secret until you feel ready … this for me, has been the hardest,” she said at the time. “This is going to be really fun and awesome when I’m not trying to hide it anymore.”
The following month, she posted another YouTube video of her epic gender reveal and it was nothing short of entertaining. She found out she was having a girl when two power rangers — the pink and blue one — battled it out, leaving the pink one to win. During the video, the couple looked anxious. “I’m not ready for this,” Matte said, adding that he thought they were having a son. “I thought it was a boy for the longest time,” Shay admitted. “Obviously, I’m super happy. It’s just like … it’s crazy.”
What’s crazier is that their bundle of joy is finally here. Congrats to the lovely couple!