Reality TV personality Kristin Cavallari just got incredibly honest about childbirth. She shared the "brutal" truth of bringing her first son, Camden, into the world, calling it a truly tough experience.
Kristin, 38, is known for shows like The Hills and Very Cavallari. On a recent Tuesday, August 26th episode of her podcast, "Let’s Be Honest," she looked back at her journey to motherhood. Camden, now 13, was born in August 2012. Kristin remembered thinking she was in labor at first, but it was a false alarm. The real contractions started two days later.
"It was brutal," Cavallari recalled on the podcast. "The contractions were really strong, I have to say."
Her then-husband, Jay Cutler, 42, tried to help by timing the contractions. But he kept telling her they weren’t close enough together to head to the hospital. Kristin laughed as she remembered her reaction: "I was like, ‘You know what, screw you.’ ‘Literally, screw you.’"
The couple eventually called Kristin’s doctor. After she had another contraction during the call, the doctor told them to come in. When they arrived, Kristin noticed her doctor seemed a "little nervous" but didn’t know why.
Jay later explained the reason for the medical team’s worry. When they first got to the hospital, they couldn’t hear Camden’s heartbeat. "And thank goodness I didn’t know that, because I would’ve gone crazy," the Uncommon James founder added.
Kristin went on to say that she got an epidural, just as she did with all three of her children. She has no regrets about that choice.
"I think I would do things differently today, if I were having a baby today, but at the same time, I remember thinking in that moment, ‘I have nothing to prove. I know I’m strong, and right now I am dying. I want the epidural,’" she explained. She added, "So, even though in my mind, in my ideal head, I’m thinking, ‘If I had a baby today, it would be a water birth, and I would do it naturally,’ I was actually dying. I mean, I was really dying with Cam. And I think, at the end of the day, we should never judge other mothers, other women, for their birth plan and what they end up doing, because pain is different for everyone."
The reality star also shared that the epidural didn’t take away all the pain. "It took away the contractions, but it didn’t take away the literal feeling of my vagina splitting in two. Splitting in two!" she said. "I was still truly suffering."
Despite the tough moments, Kristin described Camden’s labor as "relatively easy." She only pushed for about 20 minutes. She even joked about the sensation: "It feels like you’re shitting the baby. That is, literally, what it feels like."
Kristin chose to be induced for the births of her two younger children, Jaxon (11, born in 2014) and Saylor (9, born in 2015).
For Jaxon’s arrival, Kristin was worried about potential traffic in Chicago. That’s where she and Jay lived while he played for the Chicago Bears.
"I can say that was a pretty easy experience," she remembered, noting she only pushed twice. "I also don’t really remember the feeling of my vagina splitting in two… Thinking back on this experience, it was really easy, but really easy."
With Saylor, Kristin decided to be induced because her due date was close to Thanksgiving. Jay was scheduled to be out of town. The Bears were playing the Green Bay Packers that day. She ultimately had Saylor the Monday before the holiday so Jay could be there. Kristin and Jay later separated in 2020.
"I’m sorry, but I don’t want to have a baby just with my mom. I love my mom, but I don’t want her in the delivery room," the Uncommon James founder explained. "There was no one else I wanted to be with except my husband at that moment. And I didn’t want to do it alone… I’m sorry, but I want my husband there."
While Kristin emphasized that she respects every parent’s birth choices, she offered some advice for those expecting. She suggested taking plenty of time to recover and using all the resources the hospital offers after birth.
"I lived in those cold pads in the…" she recalled.