Joanna Gaines says her surprise pregnancy at 40 was ‘a gift’

Joanna Gaines didn’t necessarily envision herself being 40 years old and pregnant, but that’s exactly the way things worked out. Eight years after welcoming their fourth child, she and her husband Chip Gaines found themselves with another baby on the way.

They announced the birth of their fifth child, Crew Gaines, on Instagram on June 23 in a sweet post:

“Our baby boy, Crew Gaines, is here and we couldn’t be more in love. He made an unexpected (and speedy) entrance into the world two and a half weeks early — which is fitting given he was a sweet surprise from day one,” the proud mom wrote on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkY-Wuml9Wq/?taken-by=joannagaines

While her fifth pregnancy might not have been part of the plan, the mom opened up about becoming pregnant at 40 in an essay she wrote for her print magazine, Magnolia Journal, calling the experience “a gift” for many reasons.

“It’s sweet how, even in the most unpredictable ways, we’re given exactly what we need for that exact moment in time. It wasn’t something I could have anticipated. But being pregnant and ‘forced’ to slow down has been a gift,” she wrote.

The Gaines’ announced their plans to stop filming their reality TV show “Fixer Upper” back in April. When they decided to take a break and focus on their family and other projects, they hadn’t yet found out Joanna was pregnant.

“With our little ones getting bigger, we had this gut feeling that it was time to step back and focus on them and our businesses here in Waco, Texas,” she wrote for her Magnolia website. “And although that’s why we thought we decided to step away from the show, we now realize with this little one on the way that there was a bigger plan in place for us all along.”

Baby Crew definitely had something else in mind for the family! Since his birth, he’s been a welcome addition. Based on the photos of the family online, he’s given them all a reason to cuddle a little more:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Blwekrtl6po/?taken-by=joannagaines

The mother-of-five has slowed down to take in the little moments with her newborn son. They love sitting on the front porch of their home during the summer:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlON_XLHcCX/?taken-by=joannagaines

In her essay for the print magazine, Joanna Gaines wrote, “Since Crew’s birth, I have a new understanding of the reality of the phrase ‘it takes a village.’” When the baby is not in his parents’ arms, he’s being taken care of by his older siblings:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BleVR9oljKI/?taken-by=joannagaines

Joanna Gaines also noted that she has got a newfound confidence as a mom this time.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m a little older, but this time around I am more comfortable in my own skin, sure that I can do this,” she wrote. “Confident that I was made for this very thing in this very season.”

All in all, this team of seven seems to be settling in to their new way of life just fine.