Millie Bobby Brown shares emotional moment she learned about adopting her daughter
Almost a year on from becoming a mother for the first time, Millie Bobby Brown is now walking her fans through her emotional adoption journey.
The Stranger Things actress appeared on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast this week (13 Jul), where she reflected on where her interest in adoption came from, as well as the exact moment that she and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, discovered that a baby girl had been chosen for them.
Brown, 22, shared the unexpected news last August that the couple had welcomed a daughter, a year after she and Jake secretly tied the knot at Villa Cetinale, a luxurious 17th-century Baroque estate in Tuscany, Italy.
"This summer, we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption," she wrote on social media at the time. "We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy.
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"And then there were 3. Love, Millie and Jake Bongiovi."
Since then, however, Brown has kept her experience with motherhood largely under wraps - that was, until this week, when she sat down with Shetty to detail the heartwarming process.
What spurred Brown's decision to adopt?
"You've spoken about knowing that adoption was always going to be part of your journey," Shetty began. "And I think I read somewhere - you can correct me if I'm wrong - about how, at one point, you studied social work.
"You were looking into what the process looked like, and you learned about it. Walk me through that journey, because I think it's so refreshing and unique. People want to be mothers, but not everyone wants to adopt."
Brown then replied: "I had, I guess, a lot of adopted friends growing up. I was someone who, I don't know, always wanted to be a mum; that was always a goal, but for me, adoption was, like, the first thing I always wanted to do.
"I don't necessarily think I have some amazing elaborative answer, but when it's in your heart, it's in your heart. That was always something - I just thought that was going to be part of my journey."
The Enola Holmes front-woman continued: "I didn't necessarily know when, but then I studied social work for two years, and I loved it.
"[I] was learning primarily about adoption, which is when I really piqued my interest, and learning from the social worker's perspective, which I think is very interesting. Kudos to all social workers and what they do; I think it is so amazing and unbelievable.
"Changing the trajectory of children's lives forever is a beautiful thing, so my hats off to you. So, learning about that was amazing."
Brown added: "And then, I started my dog rescue simultaneously, kind of by accident. Like, I just started fostering dogs. Then, I changed my degree to a vet tech, because I started vaccinating and microchipping these rescue dogs."
She went on to describe the educational switch as 'very fruitful' at the time, claiming it spurred her to continue reading books and taking up courses on adoptive and birth mothers.
"And then, we kind-of started our journey," Brown recalled. "I would say Jake was kind of in from the jump. That's maybe why I married him; it's just the kind of person he is - we were just so aligned.
"You know, sometimes to be with someone you have to show them how you are and they show you how they are. But we were aligned, there was no explanation needed.
"It was great to know that we wanted to start a family, still rooted in love, but through adoption. I think that's such a special thing."
What did the process look like?
The British star went on to describe the process of bringing home her daughter as 'long' and 'rightfully so'.
"It's very thorough," Brown continued. "That's probably the longest part - is just getting through all of that. And then, getting the call, I mean.
"I will never forget it. It was the most surreal feeling and yet, we both knew in that moment that we'd found each other. I have a picture of him, and he has a picture of me. It was just like, 'Oh, my goodness, this is our girl, like 100 per cent, no doubt'."
She went on: "We were talking to someone, another adoptive mother. There are two ways to have a baby - one through your stomach and one through your heart. My girl was through my heart.
"It was just the most magical phone call, and no questions asked, I just knew we had found a baby, and she found us."
Topics: Millie Bobby Brown, Celebrity, US News, Parenting
Rhianna Benson