For Bravo viewers, seeing Kristen Doute cry is nothing new. However in the present day, on a shoot with Us Weekly to introduce her one-week-old daughter, Kaia Lily, with associate Luke Broderick, the tears are totally different. She’s not devastated or indignant — the brand new mother is crying tears of pleasure.
“I really feel actually fortunate, actually lucky. Actually, I couldn’t have dreamed this,” Doute tells Us. “She is essentially the most good factor I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The arrival of child Kaia is simply the most recent chapter within the ongoing reinvention of the girl previously referred to as the wildest waitress at Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR. Doute, 42, first grabbed public fascination again in 2013 as an authentic forged member of Vanderpump Guidelines. Her tempestuous relationship along with her live-in boyfriend, costar and coworker Tom Sandoval was the stuff of actuality TV desires (and real-life nightmares), and her time on the present featured quite a few heartbreaks and roller-coaster friendships. In 2020, Doute’s contract with the present was not renewed. She lived largely underneath the radar, coaching her deal with her clothes line, James Mae, till March 2024, when she made her TV comeback on the VPR spinoff The Valley; in November of that 12 months, she revealed that she was pregnant after present process intrauterine insemination. (She had skilled a miscarriage in 2023.)
Now on season 2, she and fiancé Broderick, 33, have develop into fan favorites, and, dare we are saying, the present’s voices of cause. Her calm, safe happily-ever-after is an virtually unbelievable transformation — however that is Doute 2.0. In between diaper adjustments, she advised Us about her fertility journey, the delivery particulars, the costars she’d belief most along with her bundle of pleasure (and who she wouldn’t), and the way she went from Loopy Kristen to Loopy About Kaia.
Kristen. Congratulations! How are you feeling now that Kaia’s lastly right here?
Everybody advised me that though being pregnant was exhausting, the second you give delivery, you don’t give it some thought anymore, it’s all value it. They’re proper!
You tried for a child for therefore lengthy — are you pinching your self proper now?
It’s loopy that we’ve got an precise human. She’s ours, she’s right here and I’m like, “We simply take her house now?” It’s wild.
How are you doing?
I’m good. I imply, I’m exhausted. The drained factor isn’t any joke. Perhaps a day and a half in the past, Luke and I had this method down: We’re like, OK, she’s napping; when she will get up, the bottle, the diapers are prepared, all good to go. We have been like, we bought this, and we high-fived. Then final evening I wakened, my boobs have been exploding, I’m lined in milk, she’s screaming and crying, and we’re each like, “Oh my God, what can we do? What the hell can we do? Oh my God!” Don’t rely the chickens earlier than they hatch. It’s irritating since you don’t need her to be upset and also you don’t know tips on how to repair it quick sufficient. We’re all figuring issues out collectively.
Simply the three of you.
We’re not filming in the mean time, so we’re actually fortunate that we’ve got this time to spend as a household and never have to depart the home. We have now somewhat time to regulate. I really feel very lucky for that.
What’s been the perfect a part of motherhood to date?
Each single second is totally different. When she opens her eyes for longer than two minutes, it’s so thrilling. These little tiny issues are simply the largest deal.
How was your supply?
I used to be actually afraid of giving delivery. I used to be induced per week early; [I’m 42, and] my physician mentioned… he doesn’t prefer to go previous the due date whenever you’re over 40. Complete labor was possibly 14 hours, which sounds loopy and lengthy, however it felt like I used to be there for a couple of hours. I had an epidural, so I felt completely nothing, which was phenomenal. That was my plan. It was like, Gimme all of the stuff, I don’t need to really feel ache, I’m not that lady that’s going to do a pure house delivery. After I had dilated from a 4 to a ten, they mentioned, “Let’s do a observe push… OK, she’s coming, don’t push any extra! We’re grabbing your physician, it’s go time!” Similar to that, it was prepare, rock and roll, right here we go. I pushed for 9 minutes and there she was.
Wow!
The 9 minutes felt like two minutes. Luke was holding my hand, everybody was saying, “Push, push, push.” And I don’t know if I’m even doing the precise factor — I feel I’m doing it? After which she’s mendacity on my chest. It was simply good. Luke minimize her umbilical twine, they went to weigh her — she reached over and grabbed the facet of the weighing station and tried to roll herself over at minutes outdated.
She’s already superior! Your openness in regards to the expertise is such a fantastic factor for girls — particularly since, in fertility phrases, anybody over 35 is classed as “geriatric.”
I’m past geriatric. I’m a senior citizen at this level.

You give individuals hope.
On The Valley this season, you’ll see our fertility journey. We bought pregnant two weeks after we wrapped filming. You’ll see us meet with our physician, and me wrestle with the phrase “infertile.” It was actually troublesome to listen to as a result of, in my thoughts, it means we are able to’t have a child, however it actually simply means [that it] takes you a 12 months or extra to get pregnant. It’s not as scary because it sounds.
Many individuals might be grateful you’ve been so candid about your struggles.
To every their very own, but when it’s one thing a lady feels comfy sharing, I completely push everybody to take action. The extra girls’s tales I learn, it made me really feel safer and extra comfy to share [mine]; and the extra I shared, the extra suggestions and gratitude we bought from girls all around the world.
What do you want you possibly can inform your previous self, who was not sure whether or not motherhood was in her future?
If it’s God, the universe, no matter you consider in, it’s a must to belief the plans and take it day-to-day. It’s straightforward to suppose the worst, particularly after us having a being pregnant loss the 12 months earlier than, and to begin duping your self into considering that is not possible. Nevertheless it’s a a lot more healthy mindset to say, “That is going to be good, we’ve got one another’s backs, every little thing’s going to be superb.”
And now it’s! Would you do it once more?
We’d like to have a second child, if that’s attainable for us. I’m positive we’ll need assistance once more with our fertility physician. I hope we’re that fortunate, however I do know what to anticipate somewhat bit extra subsequent time round.
Did you ever doubt you’d get pregnant finally?
After our being pregnant loss, I used to be like, That is it. Luke and I had talked about this. I’m eight years older than him — what if we attempt each very last thing and none of it really works? He might go marry a younger lady that could be a super-fertile Myrtle and never should take care of my geriatric infertile ass. However he was down to stick with me. He cherished me. He was like, “We’ll determine it out.” I really feel fortunate.
How else did he help you?
Luke lives in impartial. I’m not somebody who lives in impartial, I’m roller-coaster excessive and low, tremendous pleased or actually anxious. He’s very even-keeled, and that’s how he was all through. He was there to maintain me calm.
What was your lowest second?
We had a scare round 13 weeks. I began bleeding; we needed to go to the ER and so they [called] it a attainable miscarriage, though we heard the heartbeat and noticed her on the ultrasound. You go house and the newborn might nonetheless not make it, in order that was terrifying.
That’s so scary. What sort of dad is Luke to date?
He’s so scorching, it’s silly. He’s superb with all of our buddies’ children, however seeing him together with his personal daughter and the way in which she is with me, even at per week outdated, versus the way in which she is with him… I really feel like she feels his power. She’s very calm with him. He holds her, tears are gone.

Are you trying ahead to some spontaneous intimacy now that you just aren’t in your schedule to conceive?
Luke’s like, “You realize you’re essentially the most fertile proper after having a child, so we are able to go for No. 2!” No matter is within the playing cards for us is what’s going to occur. One week in, I’m simply excited about Kaia. I can’t think about not giving her all of my love, affection and a focus. However I additionally know if we would like a second one, we shouldn’t wait a very long time to attempt. I’ve solely had one being pregnant and I perceive the place you’re so grateful and humbled to be a vessel for this child, however on the similar time, you need to be a model of your self once more.… I would love my physique again and I [like not being] pregnant, however on the similar time, I actually desire a second one.
How would you describe your bond with Kaia?
I really feel so extremely linked to her. I don’t even have phrases. I hope I’m not a helicopter mother, as a result of that’s so my model. She appears precisely like Luke, but when she has my character, there’s nobody higher on this earth to lift somewhat Kristen than me. I understand how to get her to hear and what’s going to make her insurgent. However I need her to be extra adventurous than I’m. I need her to be much less anxious. I need her to be much more like Luke in these methods.
What’s the largest lesson that motherhood has taught you to date?
Endurance. I’m an especially impatient particular person, however along with her, it’s utterly totally different. Like, all I’ve is persistence and charm for her. We’re all simply studying collectively.
Will you elevate Kaia in L.A.?
As soon as she’s a school-age, we need to be elsewhere. We’d each prefer to be nearer to house, the Midwest. Nashville is the thought in our head, however we’ll see.
Are you stunned to be a fan favourite on this season of The Valley?
I’m very humbled that the viewers say they love this new period. The previous hasn’t been so cute. I began TV once I was in my late 20s, however I did quite a lot of questionable issues in my 30s as effectively. I’m stoked that they’ve given me this chance to indicate who I’m now.
Will Kaia be on the present?
Sure! It’s going to be the perfect video yearbook ever for us to movie season 3. The manufacturing firm and community are so respectful of us being new mother and father and what meaning. I’ve talked to [VPR costar] Scheana [Shay] about when she filmed with Summer season, similar with MJ [Javid] from Shahs [of Sunset]; she filmed along with her son when he was days outdated. So I’ve had these conversations [of] what that was like and if it was exhausting on their our bodies, their minds, their feelings and everybody’s been like, “You realize what, you sort of don’t even give it some thought.”
What about as she will get older?
We haven’t talked about that in-depth but. I’m proud, I need the entire world to understand how stunning she is, and the way excited we’re, however we’re additionally very protecting and I’m not going to be sharing each waking second of our lives both. There are some issues which can be only for us.
When she asks about her mother’s earlier actuality TV days, how will you clarify that a part of your life?
I’m not shying away from any of that. One of the simplest ways to be taught is simply to be sincere about life. Like, listed here are errors and right here’s actuality and that is the way you develop. That is the way you develop into a greater particular person. She will watch Vanderpump Guidelines when she’s 28; that’s how outdated I used to be once I began actuality TV.
Bravo’s Subsequent Gen NYC options the youngsters of Actual Housewives, would you let Kaia participate in one thing like that?
I actually don’t suppose our daughter would ever come to us and say she needed one thing like that. [Laughs]. So I’m not likely frightened about it. However no.
For extra on Kristen, watch the unique video above and choose up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.