Lauren Alaina Shares the ‘Scary’ Birth Story of Her Daughter Beni
Country music artist Lauren Alaina experienced a challenging childbirth.
“Our birth was a bit chaotic,” Alaina, 31, shared on the April 8 episode of Bobby Bones’ “Father Knows Less” YouTube show. “Every time I pushed, Beni’s heart rate dropped, and no one could determine the cause. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her head twice, under her shoulder, and between her legs. So each push pulled on it.”
Alaina gave birth to her daughter Beni Doll in June 2025, her first child with husband Cameron Arnold. At that moment, the American Idol finalist was uncertain why Beni’s heart rate had decreased.
“I felt that something was wrong. I was incredibly frightened,” Alaina remembered. “It was truly terrifying… I was told not to push until the doctor arrived. I refrained, and when the doctor came in, he explained the steps they would take to deliver her.”
Her doctor informed her that “forceps” and a “vacuum” were available if they needed assistance with the delivery.
“They were explaining this to me, and I looked at my husband, utterly terrified,” she said. “It’s frightening as it is, but when that started happening, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ She was so low in the birth canal that they would have had to push her back for a C-section, making that option unfavorable. We were left to choose the best from bad options.”
Despite her fears, Alaina pushed so her medical team could “evaluate” the safest way to deliver Beni.
“He said, ‘Okay, what we’re going to do is I want you to push as hard as you can to check her head’s position, then relax, and we’ll repeat to help her out,’” Alaina recalled. “I looked at my husband, and something changed in me. I pushed her out. They didn’t need to use any tools.”
Alaina recounted that she “pushed twice” before her baby emerged.
“I was terrified she wouldn’t be okay, but then I heard her,” she said. “I saw the doctor untangling her. I asked, ‘Is she alright?’ My husband was crying uncontrollably, and they placed her on my chest. At first, she didn’t cry. They suctioned her mouth, and then she [screamed]. I’ve never heard a more beautiful sound. My life changed in that instant.”
