Paula Deen Reveals Son Bobby and His Wife Claudia Welcomed Triplets Nearly 4 Months Early
Bobby Deen is a dad!
The chef and TV personality and his wife Claudia entered parenthood when they welcomed triplets — son Linton and daughters Olivia and Amelia — in mid-October, his mother and former Food Network star Paula Deen announced.
The triplets’ arrival came nearly four months before their due date.
“I’m just going to share a little bit of what’s been going on at my house and why I’m kinda a little late on things,” Paula, 71, explained in a Facebook video shared Oct. 27.
“Bobby and Claudia’s babies came. She was 26 weeks and four days, so they’re pretty early. And if you didn’t know, Claudia was carrying triplets. To grandma, they’re just beautiful,” Paula shared.
When it came time to decide on monikers for their new additions, Bobby, 48, and Claudia paid tribute to some very special family members — including grandma Paula.
“It’s two girls and a boy. It’s Linton, Olivia and Amelia. Amelia was named after me — Amelia Ann, because my middle name is Ann. And Olivia was named after Maria — her name is Olivia Maria, and Maria is Claudia’s mother. Linton will make the fourth generation carrying the Linton name. It comes from their great-great grandfather. Bobby and Claudia covered all the bases,” explained Paula.
At the time of filming the video, Paula said that the triplets were “a week old today.”
“Today’s Tuesday. They were born last Tuesday and they weighed in, two of them, Linton and Olivia came in at 1 lb. 12 oz. and Amelia, my little namesake, she was the hefty one at 2 lbs.,” she explained.
Although Paula assured that her three new grandchildren are “all doing well,” the infant trio will remain in the hospital through the New Year.
“It’s going to be a long ride for these precious three angels, but we’ve got complete faith that God’s got His arms wrapped all around them and He’s going to see them through this until they can come home. It looks like that might be January, so they’ll have to stay in the hospital about three months,” said Paula, who added, “This family is so very blessed and Bobby and Claudia are really, really proud parents.”
According to a photo on Claudia’s Instagram Story, she revealed that the couple did IUI, which is intrauterine insemination.
“Intrauterine insemination (IUI) — a type of artificial insemination — is a procedure for treating infertility,” according to Mayo Clinic. “Sperm that have been washed and concentrated are placed directly in your uterus around the time your ovary releases one or more eggs to be fertilized.”
On Oct. 23, Claudia shared a side-by-side comparison photo of her 26-week bump and her postpartum tummy.
“26 weeks pregnant with triplets vs. 2 weeks postpartum Although I couldn’t reach my 50-60lbs weight gain goal because my babies decided to arrive way too soon I’m proud of the 36lbs I gained while trying to fatten them up!” said Claudia, who revealed that she’s “lost 22lbs and have 14 lbs left to reach my pre-pregnancy weight.”
Reflecting on the time since she and Bobby welcomed their babies into the world, Claudia gave a sweet shout-out to her husband while revealing that the “past month has shown us the true meaning of love and happiness.”
“Our lives have been changed forever in the best possible way Without this man none of this would be possible and couldn’t feel more blessed to have him by my side,” she captioned a smiling photo on Instagram last week of herself and Bobby.
“He makes everything so much easier, he puts things into perspective and lifts me up every time I’m feeling down,” she wrote. “Thank you God for another day of life!”
Radar first reported the news.