All About Gina Rodriguez's Son Charlie
Gina Rodriguez welcomed her first child, Charlie Ray, in 2023
Gina Rodriguez is candid about motherhood.
The Jane the Virgin alum welcomed her first child, Charlie, with her husband Joe LoCicero in early 2023.
In a May 2023 interview with PEOPLE, Rodriguez opened up about her guilt as a mom and how she sometimes struggles with the feelings that come with taking some time for herself.
"I think now that I'm a mom, I look at these moments as being a little selfish at times. If I go out for an hour to work out or to grab a taco, or to just read, I feel so much guilt because I miss my little man so much," she said. "It's something that I'm working on because I know it's not selfish. I know it brings me back to one. I know it makes me more present with him."
Related: Who Is Gina Rodriguez's Husband? All About Actor Joe LoCicero
At the time, Charlie was only a couple of months old but her experiences as a parent were already making her reflect on what her own mom did for her when she was growing up.
"I'm like, 'How did you do it? Oh my God, how did you do this, Mom?' We didn't have the privileges that I have today," she said. "My mom had three girls. She was working and cooking and cleaning and helping us with schoolwork."
From filming while pregnant to his first year of life, here’s everything to know about Gina Rodriguez’s son, Charlie.
Rodriguez announced her pregnancy via Instagram
Rodriguez announced her pregnancy in a sweet montage of herself and her husband on Instagram. She shared the post on her 38th birthday in July 2022.
“This birthday hits different,” she wrote in the caption. In one of the clips, the actress was teary-eyed and holding a positive pregnancy test.
Pregnancy made Rodriguez feel like a “superwoman”
The Not Dead Yet actress told PEOPLE in August 2022 that being pregnant had led her to a newfound appreciation for all parents.
"I'm very excited and overwhelmed and feel like a superwoman," she said. "I feel like every day is bizarre and different, and I have so much appreciation for every human being that has brought a child onto this planet. Anytime I see somebody with a child, I'm like, 'Congratulations, you're a superhero.' ”
She continued, "I'm trusting my body and I'm trusting that I have incredible human beings around me to protect me and help me and support me. I have incredible women that have taught me so much — so many mothers that I'm learning from."
Rodriguez was pregnant while filming Not Dead Yet
Rodriguez's team had to get creative while she was filming Not Dead Yet during her pregnancy.
"It's my first time experiencing this, and [the cast and crew have] been so loving and supportive of me, you know, accidentally getting pregnant right before the show started," she said in January 2023 during a panel at the Television Critics Association Press Tour. "Me and my husband are obviously very excited about it, but it definitely wasn't planned."
She also revealed the unique ways that the show’s creative team hid Rodriguez’s pregnancy from behind a plant or refrigerator to a shot in a cubicle or with a costume.
"I'll never forget, because each day I felt like, 'I'm so big, I can't imagine hiding [this]' and now I look back and I'm like, 'That was nothing,' " she said. "I was so afraid."
He was born in early 2023
Rodriguez and LoCicero welcomed their son Charlie Ray in early 2023. She later opened up to PEOPLE about experiencing a hip injury during childbirth that she was still working off in April 2023.
"During pushing, I said, 'I feel like my leg is falling off,' and they were like 'Push into the pain,' and then I heard a loud pop, and I was like, 'That pain, you mean?' " she said. "And I kept pushing and kept going until my little man came out."
She added that her hip was in severe pain for a while after, and only walking it off was helping.
While Rodriguez didn't share Charlie's exact date of birth, in April 2023, the Not Dead Yet star casually revealed her son’s name in an Instagram post promoting an episode of the show.
"My three favs, my baby Charlie, Not Dead Yet (NEW EPISODE TONIGHT with the great Paula Pell) and getting back to dancing (you are incredible Sasha Farber🕺🏽💃🏽 and yes, I am breastfeeding while ballroom)," Rodriguez wrote.
The mom told PEOPLE the significance of her son’s name, revealing that both his first and middle names were inspired by deceased family members. "So Charlie holds a lot of beautiful ancestors in his name," she said.
He had a “difficult experience” in the NICU
After he was born, Charlie spent some time in the neonatal intensive care unit after having a “little more difficult experience” in his early days.
"And to think now ... of course now I'm going to cry. To think now that we have this healthy, vivacious, loving, so loving little boy ... there's so much gratitude in the journey,” Rodriguez told PEOPLE in February 2024. “It's laughs and tears."
Rodriguez called him “so freaking adorable”
When Charlie was a few months old, Rodriguez spoke to PEOPLE about her son’s personality. She said every day there were new changes as he learned how to smile, laugh and hold eye contact.
"He's starting to giggle. Every day is a new something. I swear, sometimes it's a nap and he wakes up and there's a new something, and you're just mind-blown," she said. "He's so freaking adorable, and you just want to eat him up."
Rodriguez threw a "rager” for his 1st birthday
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in February 2024, the actress revealed that Charlie’s 1st birthday party was a huge celebration.
"We had a rager," she said. "It was basically his first wedding. It felt right, on the worst day of the entire [week], but that didn't stop us."
The party was held “indoors and half outdoors” and it happened to fall on a day when the weather was less than favorable, but that didn’t put a damper on the festivities.
“Everything I planned was outside and so about five days prior I was like, 'I'm getting tents. Nobody's going to stop me,' and we had tents and it was great,” Rodriguez explained.
She also had "Charlie merch," which were pins made "from my favorite pictures of my little man." She gifted Kimmel some of the special gifts, explaining, "I went a bit far."
"We expect you to wear it nightly, but it's not a big deal," she joked.
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