Lily Collins Shares First Photo of Herself with Baby Daughter Tove: ‘Utter Bliss’
Collins and her husband Charlie McDowell revealed in an Instagram post last week that they had welcomed a baby girl via surrogate
Lily Collins is giving fans a glimpse at her first days of motherhood.
On Monday, Feb. 3, just days after the actress, 35, announced that she and her husband, film director Charlie McDowell, 41, had welcomed their first child together, Collins shared a stylish photo of herself out with her baby girl.
In a photo shared on McDowell’s Instagram Stories, the new mom could be seen pushing her daughter, Tove Jane McDowell, in a stroller on a sunny tree-lined street. While the baby isn’t fully visible in the grainy film photograph, Collins can be seen wearing a coat, gym shoes and leggings as her husband snaps a photo from behind.
Reposting the photo to her own Stories, the actress captioned the photo: “Utter bliss.”
The couple first announced Tove’s birth via surrogate in an Instagram post on Friday.
“Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell,” Collins wrote in a joint Instagram announcement shared with her husband.
The new mom also shared a photo of the baby girl, lying bundled in a bassinet. A monogrammed blanket with her name written in gold was draped over the cradle.
“Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again,” the caption continued.
Tons of celebs were quick to share their excitement about the news of the Emily In Paris star’s first baby, including Amanda Seyfried, Katherine Langford, Billie Lourd.
“So happy for you both! 🕊🕊,” Langford wrote, while Seyfried, referring to the couple’s dog Redford, wrote: “This is perfect. So so happy for you four 😍.”
“Congratulations galore!!! So happy for you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️,” Lourd chimed in.
The news of the couple welcoming their baby through surrogacy sparked a debate online about the number of celebrities who have used the practice to expand their families. McDowell was quick to respond to critics, writing in a reply underneath their announcement post: “Thank you for all the kind messages and love. We are overjoyed and very grateful.”
“In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby — it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy,” he continued. “It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume. And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives.”
“That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper,” he joked at the end of the comment.
After sparking dating rumors in July 2019, Collins and McDowell made their relationship Instagram official a month later. They got engaged in 2020 and tied the knot one year later.