Claire Holt has given birth to her second child.
The former ‘Vampire Diaries’ star and her husband Andrew Joblon welcomed daughter Elle into the world after the 32-year-old actress endured a 27-and-a-half-hour labour, and the pair are "so grateful" for their new arrival.
Claire took to Instagram to share a snap of herself holding her little one, and she added the caption: "She’s here. Our sweet girl, Elle. After 27.5 hours of labor, she flew into the world and expanded our hearts. We are so grateful for our healthy baby and cannot wait for her to meet her big brother. (sic)"
Andrew posted a picture of the happy couple – who also have 17-month-old son James – with their newborn, and he praised Claire as his "hero and a true warrior".
He wrote: "Baby Elle has finally made her appearance after 27.5 hours of labor. @claireholt again proved to me she is my hero and a true warrior – I love you with all my heart. Thank you so much for birthing this sweet little girl in a challenging year. All the women out there, no debate from me, you guys are the superior gender and it’s not even close!! 9.12.2020 – my heart is full (sic)"
Last month, Claire admitted she felt "so anxious" about potential postpartum struggles ahead of Elle’s birth.
She wrote: "35 WEEKS. I’m excited to meet this little girl but I’m SO anxious about losing it again. The recovery, sleep deprivation, feedings, 2 kids 17 months apart, a pandemic… It’s a lot.
"I know how lucky I am and I know each stage is temporary, but I’m still feeling stressed about how I’ll cope mentally. I think it’s important to share that I have always had help. I never want to pretend that I do it on my own (I am completely in awe of women who do). That being said, I still felt overwhelmed, embarrassed/guilty that I was struggling, and not at all like myself after I gave birth. (sic)"
The ‘Originals’ star admitted in July she had "really struggled" with postpartum anxiety after the birth of her first child James.
She wrote at the time: "Breastfeeding was incredibly difficult, he suffered from a cow’s milk protein allergy (which he has thankfully grown out of), his sleep was pretty much non existent, and I felt so overwhelmed.
"I had friends with babies and I was so grateful for their advice, but I certainly didn’t want to call or text at 2am with my endless list of issues. (sic)"