James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly were perfectly content with their five children, especially after Kimberly had experienced two miscarriages that she called “really harsh experiences.”
But then a little miracle occurred. Kimberly became pregnant again and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy in November.
The couple are also parents to Joshua, 10, and daughters Gwendolyn, 3, Emilia, 6, Annabel, 8, and Olivia, 11.
“Life is so full I don’t have the words,” she wrote in an Instagram post announcing the arrival of their sixth child. Five months later, James is reflecting on the couple’s little bundle of joy and expressing his gratitude for their son, Jeremiah.
During a 2019 episode of Dancing with the Stars, James, of Dawson’s Creek, revealed that Kimberly had suffered a miscarriage.
“My wife Kimberly and I went through every expecting parent’s worst nightmare. We lost the baby,” he said. “The little soul that we had expected to welcome into our family took a shortcut to whatever lies beyond.”
It wasn’t the first time the couple suffered a loss, and it wouldn’t be their last.
In 2020, around 17 weeks, about the same time as her previous pregnancy, she miscarried. As a result she needed a blood transfusion. She also had one after her previous miscarriage.
Later in the year she went on The Make Down podcast and discussed her miscarriages.
“I understand that I am very blessed to be able to birth five children. I’ve also had five miscarriages, two of which were really harsh experiences,” she said.
When asked if they considered having anymore children, she commented about how women are expected to bounce back after suffering such a profound loss. She added that she was taking the necessary time to heal, but wasn’t going to rule anything out.
“Listen, the possibility is there, if my body agrees to it. I do not take birth control — big surprise! And, in fact, I will not take birth control,” she said. “But I need to feel really good in my body if I’m going to explore that option, and right now I’m not there.”
Following their losses, the Van Der Beek family moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas for a different lifestyle. And it was there that they were blessed with their sixth child.
The couple decided to keep Kimberly’s pregnancy secret until they shared the news on Instagram.
Recently, James shared a photo of a 5-month-old Jeremiah and reflected on the past few years that had been filled with loss.
“Thank god for the surprises. For the detours. For those times the universe heard my plans and said: ‘Yeah, that’s cute… try THIS,’” he wrote on Instagram. “We weren’t trying for more kids. We were done. But fortunately, this chunky little angel knew better.”
“And when I hold him, I’m reminded of the benevolent forces out there likely laughing at my agenda and waiting for me to toss my ‘clarity’ for an upgraded reality.”