Mandy Moore recalls being told she had ‘slim chance’ of getting pregnant

Mandy Moore thought she’d have a difficult time getting pregnant before conceiving her two boys.

On Tuesday, the actress reflected on her uncertain road to motherhood and being told she had a “slim chance” of conception in a candid Instagram post.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Before bringing my two boys into the world with my love, @taylordawesgoldsmith, I was a mom to many many cats and at times, just as many dogs,” she began alongside a throwback video of her much younger self sitting on a couch with a cat under each arm.

“But there was a time when I thought I might not be able to have kids,” she continued.

“I remember when the doctor told me there was a slim chance of getting pregnant… and then lo and behold to our surprise, I became pregnant with Gus.”

She reflected on her road to motherhood alongside a throwback photo (seen above) of her smiling with two cats by her side as a child. Instagram/mandymooremm

The “A Walk to Remember” star, 39, went on to call motherhood a “beautiful, messy, sleepless gift.”

It turns out that Moore, who shares her boys, August “Gus,” 2, and Oscar “Ozzie,” 1, with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, prepared for her real-life role as a mother through her “This Is Us” character of Rebecca Pearson.

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The “Dr. Death” actress went on to call motherhood a “beautiful, messy, sleepless gift.” Instagram/mandymooremm

“Playing Rebecca on #ThisIsUs actually prepared me for it a bit — like changing a diaper for the first time and running around set with ‘triplets,'” she wrote in the vulnerable post.

“Being a mom on This Is Us to triplets at various stages of life and now being a mom to Gus and Ozzie, well, I’ve learned that as hard as you try and as good intentioned as you may be, it is impossible to ‘get it right’ all of the time.”

She wrapped up her candid note with a touching quote from the Pearson family matriarch.

Moore concluded her post by sharing that her “This Is Us” character of Rebecca Pearson helped prepare her for parenthood. ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

“‘It’s my job to keep standing there with my arms wide open, waiting for you to maybe someday fall inside if you needed it,'” she wrote.

“And if you do, I’ll love you. And if you don’t I’ll love you too — because that’s what it means to be a parent. You’ll see one day.'”

Moore enthusiastically concluded, “And to that I say, Rebecca, I see it!”

Moore shares her boys, August “Gus,” 2, and Oscar “Ozzie,” 1, with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith. Instagram @mandymooremm

Moore previously opened up about the shock she felt when she learned she was pregnant in a 2021 interview with Romper.

She revealed at the time that she had planned to get surgery to “fix” her “uterus issues” and potential endometriosis before learning of her pregnancy.

“Because of this issue with my uterus, I was very hesitant to believe it and put any stock in it,” she recalled. “I sort of was holding my breath until 12 weeks.”

Moore has opened up about her “uterus” issues that could have prevented her from getting pregnant in the past. Instagram @mandymooremm In a 2021 interview with Romper, she said she was “holding [her] breath” at the beginning of her first pregnancy because of her prognosis. Instagram/mandymooremm

Since then, she’s been open about the highs and lows of parenthood.

“Breastfeeding is not always smooth sailing (clogged ducts, timing life around feedings, pumping for when I’m at work, etc… ) but nursing this baby boy for the past nearly 6 months has been a beautiful, messy and an oh so rewarding experience I will treasure forever,” she wrote in an August 2021 Instagram post.

“I’m grateful to my body and the tremendous support I’ve had around me (especially in the beginning days and weeks when I had no clue what I was doing) for allowing me this time to nourish my sweet guy.”

Moore has been open about the highs and lows of motherhood as a working mom. mandymooremm/Instagram

After she gave birth to Ozzie, she gushed to Parents magazine that the transition into a family of four had been “dreamy.”

“The second we brought Ozzie home, [Gus] just wants to kiss him,” she remembered.

“He wants to be close to him. … He’s actually been very sweet about it and really gentle.”

And in a March 2023 chat with E! News, the “Candy” hitmaker got real about the challenges of being a working mom.

In 2023, she revealed she hasn’t written off having a third child. Instagram/mandymooremm

“I honestly don’t know if you can do it all but as a mom, as a working mom, I’m trying my level best,” she noted.

“And I try to just sort of have grace for myself and recognize that each day is going to throw a different obstacle my way and just to sort of find my way through it. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

She admitted, however, that she hasn’t ruled out a third child.