Nikki Reed is giving fans a glimpse inside her home birth.
“This was one of the most transformative nights of my life, and walking through it again with these ladies was so sweet,” the “Twilight” star captioned a Thursday Instagram carousel of intimate photos.
In the snaps, she is seen in different positions during delivery with midwives Abby Vidikan and Johanna L. Storey by her side.
“To be honest, the reason I felt compelled to share something so personal is because I have this burning desire to highlight the value of midwifery care, and showcase the incredible wisdom that these women bring to the birth space and beyond,” Reed continued in her lengthy caption.
The actress, 35 — who announced the birth of a baby boy with husband Ian Somerhalder in late June — went on to say that she feels “so many women are left without support” before, during and after the birthing process.
“We need to change that,” she wrote. “With a culture that doesn’t nurture new mamas in the way it should and a healthcare system that doesn’t value the need for PP [postpartum] care, it is time to create a shift.”
Reed spoke out about her experience on the “Mother Daze” podcast — alongside Vidikan, who assisted in the birth of her son — detailing her labor and delivery with hosts Sarah Wright Olsen and Teresa Palmer.
For more Page Six you love …
The “Thirteen” star — who also shares daughter Bodhi Soleil, 6, with Somerhalder — noted that she wasn’t planning on using a midwife until “something in my plan still didn’t feel complete.”
“My first birth with my daughter, it was in the hospital and while it was unmedicated, which is what I was going for, it was still all kinds of chaotic, for all these different reasons,” she said.
“I didn’t realize that for this whole pregnancy, that little bit that I haven’t totally unpacked was in the back of my mind like, ‘Is this going to happen again?’”
As she planned her home birth with Vidikan, Reed said she became specific about what was wanted during the experience.
“We had a couple of meetups where Abby asked me what I wanted in my birth and I said, ‘I’m not sure yet,’” she explained. “One of the things I said is, ‘I really need a strong energy, like a masculine energy.’”
Although Somerhalder, 44, was scheduled to be out of town for work near the due date, he was ultimately present for his son’s arrival.
“Ian, in that time, was in a really soft landing place, a space that was really motherly,” Reed said, acknowledging her husband’s then-seemingly more maternal vibes. “And I got that.”
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
