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Jennifer Love Hewitt knows the secret to a successful labor: keeping her husband happy!
During a Monday night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the new mom joked that she had a great support system when she delivered her daughter Autumn James — all thanks to her stash of snacks.
“This is the thing, too, if you are in labor, feed your husband and they are wonderful. He can’t be hungry — you need them!” the Criminal Minds star, 35, explains.
But there was a silver lining to taking care of Brian Hallisay.
“If he passed out or something bad happened out of being hangry, then I don’t get what I need, which is my rock,” she says. “I had pudding for him and snack bars … it was great!”
Hewitt’s tasty treats worked: Hallisay was so “solid” during the delivery that Hewitt is convinced he has found a new career. “He should be a male doula,” she says.
“I was really worried that I was going to get that face — ‘Mmm, what’s happening here?’ — and I’m not good at the faces so I would’ve been like, ‘What does that mean? What does that mean!’ But he was just like, ‘This is great. I am so proud of you right now. This is awesome, you look beautiful.’ “
Hewitt adds, “I was really proud of him. He’s that guy anyway, so he’s impressive in that way, but he was great.”
The couple chose to keep the baby’s sex a surprise and while Hewitt was ecstatic to welcome a daughter, she admits her decision to wait until the delivery didn’t sit well with others.
“People are mean to you. And you’re like, ‘I’m a pregnant lady. You can’t be mean to me! ” she says.
“And then they guess, which is insulting for the woman because they’re like, ‘Oh, well, you’re really carrying in the backside.’ I’m like, ‘I have been carrying in the backside since I was 15 … this is not pregnancy!’ “
Says Hewitt, “I just avoided people most of my pregnancy and after … and I was happy!”
Now her baby girl is 10-months-old and the actress is spending her days trying to corral her wobbly walker — a “terrifying” task that comes with its fair share of war wounds.
“I have bruises everywhere from falling over [the gates],” she shares. “You’re holding the baby and you have to lift up and then swing it … it’s impossible!”
With Jimmy Kimmel noting that Autumn has hit the milestone early, the proud mama jokes, “She’s an over achiever, which is awesome. Just like me!”
Criminal Minds premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. on CBS.
