Gypsy Rose Blanchard explains why she will not post photos of daughter
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the woman who spent more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree murder for plotting to have her mother killed after years of abuse, says she won't be sharing photos of her new daughter, whose birth was announced earlier this month.
Blanchard, 33, explained her decision in an Instagram story post Sunday, days after she and her partner Ken Urker announced the arrival of their first child on New Year's Day.
"To everyone asking, No, I will not be posting pictures of Aurora," she wrote. "I understand everyone's excitement and we appreciate the support, but we value the privacy and safety of our daughter."
"We continue to express love towards our supporters and thank you for following our journey ❤️," she added.
Urker shared an Instagram photo on Jan. 1 announcing the birth of the couple's daughter. In the image, Blanchard is seen in a hospital bed holding the newborn as Urker stands alongside the bed with his hand on the baby.
"Welcoming 2025 with the greatest gift of all 👼," Urker captioned the photo.
A representative for Blanchard confirmed to ABC News at the time that Blanchard and the baby were "doing well."
Blanchard first announced her pregnancy in July, sharing a photo collage on Instagram of her alongside Urker and holding an ultrasound picture.
In the caption, Blanchard wrote, "We are proud to announce we are expecting our first child in January 2025💗."
Blanchard shared more about her pregnancy in an interview with ABC News' Juju Chang in July.
"I'm excited," she said at the time. "At first, I was very nervous. But I'm very excited."
Blanchard's new role as a mother comes just over a year after she was released from prison in December 2023.
Blanchard served more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree murder for plotting to have her mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, killed.
Dee Dee Blanchard allegedly abused her daughter for years by convincing Gypsy Blanchard and the public that her daughter was extremely sick when she wasn't.
The case garnered national headlines and was even made into a Hulu streaming series titled "The Act" in 2019. Patricia Arquette won an Emmy for playing Dee Dee Blanchard in the series.
Gypsy Blanchard's life in the first six months following her release from prison was captured on camera for a Lifetime docuseries titled "Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup."
In her July 2024 interview with Chang, Blanchard reflected on what she thought it would be like to become a mother.
"I understand that with my past, there's gonna be a lot of people that kind of question if I even should be a mother or even have children in my care," Blanchard said.
"I know that I'm not perfect. I know that I have made mistakes in the past. And I will probably make minor mistakes going forward," she continued. "But at the same time, I do know right from wrong. And learning from past mistakes is a growth that comes with time."
Describing how she planned to raise her own child, whom she later announced would be a girl, Gypsy Blanchard added, ""My mother did not want to see me meet those milestones that every child should have, like going on a first date, a prom, you know, a bike ride."
"All of those little milestone moments that make life worth living, I didn't get to have that," she said. "And so I want my child to have all of the things that he or she could ever want in life."
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Editor's note: This article has been updated to include a new statement from Gypsy Rose Blanchard about her daughter's privacy.
