Hunter McGrady details labour experience before announcing arrival of first child: ‘Women are amazing’

Model named son after her late brother, Tynan, who died in May

Hunter McGrady announces birth of first child (Getty Images for Sports Illustra)

Hunter McGrady has revealed she has given birth to her first child, a son, after praising the strength of women while documenting parts of her birthing and labour experience.

The model, who welcomed the baby with husband Brian Keys on Sunday, documented the birth on Instagram, where she revealed prior to the delivery that she had to undergo a procedure called a “Foley bulb induction”.

A Foley bulb induction is used to induce labour, and sees a doctor insert a catheter into the cervix. Once inside the womb, the doctor inflates the balloon with a saline solution, according to Healthline, which dilates the cervix.

According to McGrady, who revealed on her Instagram Stories that she received the procedure, it reminded her that “women are amazing”.

“Just got the Foley balloon put in because things were going slow and holy moly, can I just say women are amazing,” she captioned a selfie of herself in a hospital gown, according to a screenshot shared by Mother.ly. “Literally we all deserve awards, I’m sending you all awards ASAP whether you have had a baby or not, you get an award.”

Shortly after sharing her experience, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model announced the birth of her son, sharing an album of photos to her Instagram account along with the caption: “I’ve never known this kind of love.”

In the sweet post, the new mother also revealed she and Keys had named their newborn Hudson Tynan Keys, a name chosen to honour her late brother Tynan, who died on 1 May at age 23. In the caption, the model referred to the newborn as the “healing we desperately needed,” before adding that she “can’t wait to tell him how special his middle name is”.

The arrival of McGrady’s son comes after she previously opened up about being both pregnant and grieving in May.

Sharing a photo from her maternity shoot, the 28-year-old wrote at the time: “Pregnancy and grieving. Two things you don’t think would ever happen simultaneously. It’s the loss of one life and the gain of another.”

In the emotional caption, the model also expressed her fear about having “a baby in a world without my brother in it” and that she would have to learn “how to mourn and be a good mother and hopefully navigate the two”.

However, according to McGrady, during her pregnancy, she also found comfort and peace in the knowledge that “my brother will live on through my son”.