Constance Marie Introduces Her Miracle Baby
 Alison Dyer for PEOPLE for use on CBB |
It’s no wonder Constance Marie is glowing with happiness. It took the actress over three years — including three attempts using the fertility drug Clomid in combination with intrauterine insemination and two failed efforts at in vitro fertilization — before reaching her goal of becoming a mother.
“She’s the sweetest pie and a big sleeper,” says Constance, 43, of daughter Luna Marie, named because “when she was born, she liked to be awake at night.” After undergoing a c-section on February 5th, the actress is “still in shock” at becoming a mom. “We waited so long for her, she can boss me around as much as she wants!”
Constance, best known for her role as George Lopez’s wife on The George Lopez Show, is eager to talk candidly about her experience.
“I was 38 ½ years old when we started trying to have a baby,” says Constance, whose fiancé is yoga coach Kent Katich, 45. “I thought it would be no problem, but the 3 ½ years it took us was the most difficult period of my life. It was a devastating journey, both physically and emotionally.”
After going the natural route for a year — “we thought ‘Great, we’ll get to have lots of sex!’” — Constance was thrilled when she finally became pregnant. But the first ultrasound revealed that the fetus had no heartbeat. “You’re feeling so much hope,” she says. “Then your heart sinks, and your hope drops.”
After a second miscarriage a few months later — “it was hard to go to work and be funny,” she recalls — Constance began using the fertility drug Clomid combined with intrauterine insemination, but still had no luck.
The couple eventually turned to in vitro fertilization. “For us, it was one step at a time down a long road of dealing with fertility issues,” she says about resorting to IVF. “It was not an easy decision. I don’t think anyone rushes into IVF.” The ovulation stimulants took their toll on Constance, she found. “It really affected my mood,” she remembers. “One time during an argument I screamed so loud it actually scared me. I thought, ‘Wow, I need a time-out!’”
A third attempt at IVF combined with acupuncture proved successful. “After a while, my normal attitude was that it wasn’t going to work out,” she says.
“When I finally got pregnant the third time [with Luna], I didn’t quite believe it. After three years of peeing on little sticks, I skipped the home pregnancy tests and waited until I got to the doctor to do a blood test. Only then did I believe it! When we saw the heartbeat it felt like a miracle. I feel so blessed. It was worth every moment.”
Now, Constance wants to share her experience in order to help other women, because she says she wishes others had been as candid.
“When we started trying, I thought it would be no problem. You read about high-profile people having babies later in life all the time, and you think,’ Why is it not working for me?’ But I realized there is a whole subculture that’s very quiet. Everyone’s decision is private, and I respect that, but I needed to share my experience. I’m very supportive of women getting to a place in life when it’s right for them to start a family. It’s important for women to take their time to come into their own. I only want to say we might not have as much time as we think we have.”
– Ulrica Wihlborg
On Monday, CBB will launch an exclusive gallery of Luna’s nursery, as well as family photos — be sure to check back!
- Posted on Apr 3, 09 at 2:30PM
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- 44 Comments
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:52 am
As someone who has struggled for over 3 years with infertility I am glad that a celeb is finally willing to share their struggle and not avoid this topic! It is something real and horriable and a lot of people are struggling and need to hear something positive! Glad she now has a beautiful baby girl to show for all her years of infertility!
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:08 am
I agree. While it is none of our (the public’s)business, it is so awesome that Constance is willing to be open about her experience with infertility. It is horrible, it does seem to last forever, there can be times without hope. I admit that I don’t want everyone under the sun to know I am dealing with infertility, but I hope to one day inspire others with my success story. Constance Marie is a beautiful person on the outside, and by sharing this story she is showing us the beauty inside. May God Bless Constance and her family.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
Awwww…the baby is beautiful. I love the name Luna, and I am so happy for Constance that her dream of being a mother came true.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 am
Congrats to her! I’ve also been dealing with infertility for 5 years now so I admire anyone who’s willing to share their story. Her baby is beautiful!
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
Thank you to Constance for sharing her struggle. While its ultimately up to each person to decide what they want to share, it does no one any good to pretend that its always easy for older Moms (and even young ones!).
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:18 am
What a beautiful baby! Agree with other comments about it being nice that she is willing to open up about her infertility struggle. I think people need to understand what an incredible miracle pregnancy and birth are, and that it isn’t a given. Lots of people struggle with infertility and not just the ‘old’ women.
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Luna is beautiful and Constance is just glowing. I’m so happy that she and her fiance were finally able to become parents after struggling for so long.
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:53 am
Oh Luna is such a doll!!! I’m really happy to see that Constance opened up about her infertility strugles, of course it is not any of our business but it is nice to see that she is or will be giving hope to the people who are strugeling the same way she was.
I wish them all the best:)
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
I know a lot of my friends wanna wait until there mid 30’s to have kids, and they have no idea just how hard it can be if you wait. We see the Salma’s and Tina Feys…but we rarely here about the struggles. I wanna wait quite a while but I definitely keep these IVF stories in mind.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Congrats to Constance!!! What a beautiful little girl. Infertility is such a struggle, it is so nice to hear about the success stories. YAY for her and her family!
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 pm
How do we find out who the Acupuncturist was & how to find one in our area? New York
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Thank you, Constance, for sharing your story. And congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
im so happy to see a celeb be outright and honest about their infertility. as a mom who struggled for 3.5 yrs as well, it’s refreshing to know you arent alone.
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Does anyone know the difference between intrauterine insemination and IVF? I’m a little bit confused as I assumed they were the same thing…
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Luna is a cutie but I don’t like the name Luna but Marie is a lovely name
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Patrice: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a very simple process in which the semen is donated by either your partner or anonymously, it is “washed” so that the strongest and healthiest sperm are left, and inserted into the woman’s uterus through a catheter. It is timed perfectly with the woman’s ovulation, usually with the help of Clomid or some other drug. Basically, nature takes it’s course from there. For most women it is a painless process.
Invitro Fertilization (IVF) is a process in which the woman is given drugs to help her ovulate as many eggs as possible, the eggs are retrieved and then outside of her uterus they are placed with the sperm to make embryos. The viable embryos are either placed back into her uterus, or frozen for future use. There are lots of other more complicated procedures they can do check for viability, each adding to the expense of the procedure. IVF is much more expensive than IUI. Neither has any guarantee of success. Some women use donor eggs for IVF, which also adds to the expense.
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Many women don’t choose to wait until they are older; some are older when they marry or find the right partner. I have heard people talk about how women wait to establish careers nowadays to start a family, and this may be true for some women. Most of the 35+ new Moms I know have either married later, struggled with infertility, or both. (In my case, it was both)
To find an acupuncturist, you can go to acufinder.com. I highly recommend acupuncture for dealing with both the stress/depression of infertility as well as getting pregnant.
The difference between IVF & IUI: in IUI (also know as artifical insemination), the sperm is introduced into the uterus and if all goes well, fertilization happens inside the woman’s body. With IVF, the eggs are harvested from the woman’s body, fertilized, and then they are put back into the woman’s body. At that point, *hopefully* they implant. It is not a given that they will.
Good luck to all of you who are struggling with infertility. I wish your peace and success.
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Good point, Paula, both IVF and IUI are expensive (if not covered by insurance), and neither guarantee success.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Some of have no choice but to wait. I am going to be 35 this year I don’t want to have a kid without a husband. Finding the husband has been the biggest problem. The men I have dated the past 10 years have been jerks. I never planned to be single at 34 but this is what happened. Thankfully, if I can’t conceive I will adopt.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I’m so happy for her and jealous at the same time. I would love to have a baby. That said I still feel joy for her : )
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I’ll be 28 in June. Me and my guy plan on starting in two years. I hope everything is OK. My bestfriend is a year younger than me and she and her husband have been trying for 2 1/2 years.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Constance seems sooo happy! Congrats to the new family. And Luna is just precious!
I’m glad that she is willing to share her struggles. I don’t have children yet, nor am I ready to, but in any situation it helps to know that someone else has been there. I’m glad she understands that. It shows that she has a good heart.
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Luna is just precious!
I’m so happy for Constance that her dream of mother came true. She seems so happy.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:49 pm
She does look very happy and calm, you can see it in her eyes, and the baby looks so cute and chill. Congrats to them
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I love her as an actress and i’m happy her dream of being a mom could come true.
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Beautiful baby and it’s indeed refreshing to hear a celeb open up about her battles with infertility. While I’m sure Constance is not the first celeb to go through that, her openess is admirable. I don’t care for the name Luna though. I can see the name being a target for cruel ridicule like “Looney.”
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:36 am
Her story warms my heart. I am so happy for her and if her openness encourages other women with the same or similar circumstances, good for her. I’m glad to know that her story helped others. Her baby is indeed beautiful and congrats to her.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:30 am
Well, Constance is living proof that IVF doesn’t always result in twins! I hate that, when celebs have twins, people always assume it was IVF or other fertility treatments, but when an older celeb has a single baby, no one says a word! Double standard?
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:18 am
Im 22 and my husband and I have been trying for 3 years (in June) and we have now been put on the IVF waiting list in Scotland but that is like 12 – 18 months long as we cannot afford to go private. Hopefully this time next year I will have a little baby growing in me!
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:37 am
Congrats to Constance and Kent on the birth of their beautiful baby girl! Constance’s openess and honesty about their fertility struggles is very much appreciated. Fertility (or lackthereof) is a very personal struggle and often a very lonely one – so thankyou Constance for sharing your story.
After 6 years of infertility, my hubby and I are hoping for our miracle baby too!
Lissette – wishing you all the best with your journey.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
Thank you Jo!! Hopefully soon we’ll achieve our dream. Wishing you well!
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Such a beautiful baby. I’m really happy for her and always liked her show.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
congrats on the baby and it is good to that u are happy
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Helllllllo everybody! It’s me, Constance Marie! WOW! I really want to THANK YOU all for your feedback! It is so awesome to read all of your comments and your questions! Fertility issues (ugh!) are so prevalent now. I am glad to know a lot of you can understand why it was so important for me to share my experience. I am now on FACEBOOK, so please check out my discussion board, and we can , well, discuss! I look forward to hearing your comments, so just click the link and you will be on your way.
Take care,
C
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1505712&id=62690293388#/pages/Constance-Marie/62690293388
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Constance for talking about her struggles with infertility. As someone who has (unsuccessfully) tried IVF seven times, I always appreciate when someone in the public eye can shed some positive light on the process, especially when there is such confusion and negative press over a process that really has helped millions of couples complete their families. Now, if we could only stop the press from constantly referring to embryo transfer as “implanting”, I’d be really happy!
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Luna Marie is a beautiful name. What a blessing to the family she is!
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:43 pm
I love the name Luna! It’s unique but not weird, and feminine.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:48 pm
“Now, if we could only stop the press from constantly referring to embryo transfer as “implanting”, I’d be really happy!”
Why? Is this offensive? Incorrect? I didn’t know this was inappropriate terminology.
April 4th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Grr she took my baby name!
I love the meaning of Luna!
April 5th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Constance’s story sounds like my own and I finally got pregnant with clomid and had a baby who is now 14 the third time I was pregnant. I had a son with clomid two years later but wasn’t able to get pregnant a third time with clomid and insemination, but I am so blessed! Good luck Constance! The baby is beuatiful!
April 5th, 2009 at 4:31 am
CONGRATS CONSTANCE MARIE & FAMILY ON little LUNA!
I too have struggled & applaud Constance Marie in being open & discussing her difficulties & the many years of trying. I had no clue that my time was as limited as it was. I too saw the high profile pregnancies & asked my gyno about it. All any of them ever said is that “you’d better get started.” Little did I know that when I was ready with beau, I had too few follicles & my FSH was too high. There is no guarantees in life, & I regret my ignorance. It haunts me daily & adoption, doner eggs & IVF are not options for me because of the costs. I’d sell everything I own to have the money, but with this economy (& now being laid off from high tech), the situation lfor me looks bleak.
Please…people come out & discuss your difficulties, teach these things in school, legislate that gyno’s would be more forthcoming & proactive in teaching their patients & as you read this, please reach out to those young women in your life & tell them the facts early. I want them to have the choices that I did not have!
Best of luck to those trying & blessings to those who brought home little ones!
April 6th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Paula: Thanks! You cleared things up for me
April 6th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hi Sam,
Sorry, “implanting” is not offensive, it’s just one of my (and many of my friends) little bugaboos. Technically, the fertilized eggs (either embryos or blastocysts depending on the day/number of cells they are at transfer) are transferred into the uterus. Implanting MIGHT happen after transfer, if the embryo snuggles into the lining and begins to grow. There is no guarantee that a transferred embie will implant; I’ve had 11 that have refused. Hmmm… maybe I’m a little too bitter
Sorry if I offended anyone!
April 9th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I’m glad all her hard, sometimes daunting, work paid off and she was blessed with that beautiful baby. And hey, Constance Marie is nothing to snuff at either, she’s looking great post-baby!