Aly Michalka, the 34-year-old musician and actress from Aly & AJ, is expecting her first child with filmmaker husband Stephen Ringer. The couple, married since 2015, eagerly anticipates this new addition to their family.
“It’s been a really easy pregnancy, which I feel really lucky and blessed to have experienced,” Michalka, who’s due in May, tells the source.
Discovering her pregnancy in September, the iZombie star received the news just a day before she and her sister, AJ Michalka, performed a sold-out concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
“In another world, I could have waited to take a test another day, but for whatever reason, I was like, ‘I’m past a week being late, and I should just take the test,’ ” she says. “And then it was just like, ‘Oh my gosh. We play this huge show tonight, and now I’m holding in this huge secret.’ ”
Aly promptly informed 39-year-old Ringer, but she held off sharing the news until after the concert. Despite her usual openness with sister AJ, Aly wanted to preserve the special significance of the night, not wanting the revelation to overshadow the already hectic and meaningful evening.
Following the show, Aly treated AJ to dinner at Pace in L.A. to reveal the big news. Aly teased, “There was a special guest at the Greek that you didn’t know was there,” and when AJ inquired, Aly touched her stomach, announcing, “There’s a baby.” AJ’s enthusiastic reaction paved the way for sharing the joy with the rest of the family.
Aly Michalka’s pregnancy marks the joyful milestone nine years into her marriage with Ringer. Despite their longstanding desire for a family, the couple opted to wait until after her return from touring last year before embarking on the journey of planning for parenthood.
“It was nice that it ended up happening quickly, but also I think that took us by surprise in a way where we were like, ‘Oh, we thought that maybe this would take us eight, nine months to get pregnant or a year,’ and it didn’t,” she says. “Recently, it’s started to feel really real just because I’m now starting to show — and I took my belly ring out, which means that the stomach is really popping out.”
Aly Michalka’s pregnancy has been free of abnormalities. Her cravings include tacos and birria, but nothing “crazy.” Seeking guidance on what to buy and how to prepare, Aly turns to her mom, Carrie, and several pregnant friends for valuable advice.
“It’s been really smooth sailing so far, and I was lucky I didn’t get any nausea at the beginning. I’ve just been just trekking away as usual,” she says. “I have to drink a lot more water and eat a lot more protein than I’ve had to in the past, which has been a struggle for me. But I’m trying to do it daily and be on top of it.”
Aly Michalka relies on Natalist for various products, including pregnancy tests and belly oil, and she’s now partnering with the brand. Prior to the collaboration, she discovered the items in a pharmacy and observed that Natalist’s values resonated with hers.
“They’re plastic neutral, which is really nice. Whatever plastic they’re putting into their product, they’re making sure that they’re working with a company that extracts plastic from the ocean,” says Aly. “It’s actually a really cool brand that is the first of its kind out there for fertility stuff.”
Approaching her due date in approximately three months, Aly Michalka has been actively engaged in baby name discussions with Ringer.
They’ve settled on three potential names for a boy and three for a girl. Aly emphasizes the desire for a unique yet classic name, aiming to avoid eye-rolling reactions and leaning towards names with a literary or musical vibe.
Despite widespread curiosity, Aly Michalka and Stephen Ringer plan to keep the baby’s gender a surprise until birth, eschewing traditional gender reveals. Aly envisions a parenting journey with Ringer, confident in his ability to be a nurturing father. She emphasizes the importance of cultivating a diverse food palette for their child, steering away from the simplicity of chicken fingers and plain hamburgers.
On a more serious note, Aly Michalka emphasizes instilling a “thoughtful and kind” perspective in her child, acknowledging their privilege growing up in Los Angeles with two white parents. She values early conversations about privilege to foster empathy for diverse perspectives.
Aly and AJ plan to resume touring, taking the child on the road, and are actively writing a new album, with Aly anticipating sharing her thoughts on motherhood in the lyrics.