James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly welcome baby boy after multiple miscarriages

Actor James Van Der Beek shared some wonderful news on social media this week. On Nov. 22, he announced his wife, Kimberly, recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy!

“Humbled and overjoyed to announce the safe, happy arrival of Jeremiah Van Der Beek,” the proud new papa confirmed on his Instagram account. “We’ve been calling him Remi.”

The arrival of a new child always brings out congratulations and cheers, but this bundle of joy is extra special for two reasons. First, the couple kept the pregnancy secret, so the baby news was a big surprise. Second, the little boy is a rainbow baby for the couple.

A rainbow baby is a term given to a child born after a previous pregnancy loss such as miscarriage, stillbirth or death after delivery. The rainbow baby is “a beautiful reminder that a rainbow typically follows a storm and…usher in love and light after a period of darkness,” according to The Bump.

The Van Der Beeks have five other children: one son, Joshua (age 9), and four daughters — Olivia (age 11), Annabel (age 7), Emilia (age 5) and Gwendolyn (age 3.) James posts on social media about his kids and fatherhood often:

However, the couple suffered two devastating miscarriages before the arrival of their new son, according to Van Der Beek’s post. That is why they kept their baby news a secret.

“After experiencing late-term #pregnancyloss twice in a row (both at 17+ weeks), we kept this one quiet,” Van Der Beek wrote in his post. “Truthfully, I was terrified when I found out.”

The “Dawson’s Creek” star went on to explain how the couple found a doctor in Texas to help the couple have the best chance to have another healthy baby. Following a diagnosis of a weakened cervix, Kimberly had a procedure to help strengthen it to help her carry Jeremiah full term.

“A simple surgical cerclage was done, removed at full-term,” Van Der Beek wrote. “@vanderkimberly gave birth naturally on the ranch… and here we are.”

The new baby and mom are doing well according to the post and Van Der Beek shared an inspiring message about their newest addition to the family.

“Each child brings their own energy, their own manifestation of consciousness, their own lessons,” his post said. “The ones we lost each gifted us with different pieces of the puzzle… leaving us that much more grateful for the ongoing master class we get to enjoy with this sweet, wise little one.”

Congratulations to the entire Van Der Beek family on your precious new arrival!