On Friday, Justin and Hailey Bieber announced they have welcomed a baby boy, who they named Jack Blues Bieber. The name has a special meaning, tying into family history and traditions.
Jack is the middle name of Justin’s father, Jeremy Bieber. The pop star didn’t grow up with his dad, who separated from his mom soon after he was born. But they have since developed a relationship he clearly wants to honor in the next generation of Biebers. Additionally, a lot of the Biebers have first names that start with J, meaning everyone shares the initials “JB.”
The couple revealed they were expecting in May through photos and a video they shared on Instagram taken during their vow renewal ceremony in Hawaii. In the images, Hailey is wearing a white dress that showed off her baby bump; however, in an interview with W Magazine in July, the model said she had kept the news private until quite late in her pregnancy.
“I was honestly able to keep it quiet because I stayed small for a long time. I didn’t have a belly, really, until I was six months pregnant, which was when I announced it. I was able to wear big jackets and stuff,” she shared. “I probably could have hid it until the end. But I didn’t enjoy the stress of not being able to enjoy my pregnancy outwardly. I felt like I was hiding this big secret, and it didn’t feel good. I wanted the freedom to go out and live my life.”
The desire to keep the pregnancy a secret as long as possible was partially motivated by her bad experiences with her marriage being in the spotlight.
“People have made me feel so bad about my relationship since day one,” Hailey said. “‘Oh, they’re falling apart. They hate each other. They’re getting divorced.’ It’s like people don’t want to believe that we’re happy,” she says. “I used to try to act like it hurts less and less. I’ve tried to think that you get used to it at a certain point, that this is what’s going to be said and this is how people are going to be. But I realize that it doesn’t actually ever hurt any less.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
