Even though the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a near-halt, The Bachelorette’s Emily Maynard had a really big year. And now, she’s starting to open up about all that went on and why she kept some things, like her fifth pregnancy, a secret.
Bachelor Nation didn’t learn that Emily was pregnant until days before she was due. The Bachelorette alum stayed quiet about her big baby news until October 16, when she shared a baby bump picture that perplexed her fans.
Then, on October 21, Emily shared the news that she had given birth to a baby girl named Magnolia Belle.
Now we’re learning that Emily Maynard’s year was even busier than we thought after she shared a bit of 2020 in review via her Instagram stories.
Here’s what we learned about this Bachelorette star.
Emily Maynard had Bell’s Palsy in September
In her monthly highlights, Emily shared things like her baby’s first ultrasound in May. But it was her September reveal that has many Bachelorette fans buzzing.
Emily shared that she dealt with a bout of Bell’s Palsy during her last month of pregnancy. As if the third trimester of pregnancy isn’t already difficult enough, she had to deal with drooping and muscle weakness on half of her face.
She even shared that she had to wear an eye patch while waiting for the Bell’s Palsy to pass.
Here’s why Emily Maynard kept her pregnancy a secret
The Bachelorette fans found out that Emily Maynard was pregnant right about the time she was in the hospital in labor. She posted a picture of herself dressed in a hospital gown and let her fans know at that point that she was about to welcome another child.
It was a move that confused many fans, who thought that it was odd to keep news like that quiet for so long.
However, Emily isn’t the first reality star to do something like that and many probably recall back when Kylie Jenner was pregnant with her daughter Stormi. Despite tons of pregnancy rumors, she also kept the news to herself until her baby was born.
And it may be a growing trend too. We just learned on Christmas Day that Married at First Sight star Jasmine McGriff also hid a pregnancy in 2020 and only told her fans about it a few days after her baby boy was born.
As far as why Emily Maynard chose to keep her pregnancy a secret, she said it was just a “fun” surprise.
In her Instagram stories, Emily wrote, “Lots of questions why I chose not to tell people about my pregnancy. Honestly no real answer or plan.”
She went on to explain, “Lots going on in the world at the time and social media/news gave me anxiety so I just never put it on Instagram. After a while we decided it would be fun to just surprise everyone with a new baby!”
It certainly was a surprise! Now, Emily Maynard and her husband Tyler Johnson are enjoying their big family and she has resumed sharing a bit more with fans.
The Bachelorette is currently on hiatus.