For Mandy Moore, the road to welcoming daughter Lou was filled with unexpected turns. In many ways, life is mirroring art for Moore.
Just like Rebecca Pearson, the devoted mom she played on NBC’s “This Is Us,” she’s now raising her own little crew with all the love, honesty, and warmth her on-screen character was known for. But this journey wasn’t as easy as it looks.
The singer-actor, 42, appeared on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast on Tuesday, June 2, opening up about her decision to try IVF before the surprise arrival of her third child, daughter Louise “Lou” Goldsmith.
Mandy Moore Opens Up About Her IVF Experience Before Baby No. 3
GettyMoore, who conceived her first two sons naturally, said she turned to IVF as what she called “an insurance policy” — a way to have an embryo ready whenever she and husband Taylor Goldsmith felt the time was right for baby number three.
Things took an unexpected turn. “So, I did a round of IVF, and it was unsuccessful; we didn’t get any viable eggs, no embryos,” she shared.
“And I was like okay, well this just settles that. If this is something that is meant to be, it will happen naturally.”
As it turned out, motherhood had other plans. Lou arrived in 2024 as a happy surprise, with Moore revealing that the pregnancy was entirely unexpected but warmly welcomed by her family.
“And then Lou just had to show up,” she said with a laugh. “And she showed up very, very surprisingly. We were not trying, but obviously we were open to it because of the IVF of it all.”
Raising 3 Kids and Cherishing Every Moment
Gus is 5, Ozzie just turned 3, and Lou is the newest and youngest addition to the family. Moore pointed out that Lou and Ozzie are just under two years apart. “I had three kids in three-and-a-half years,” she said with a sigh.
It was a lot, by any measure. But Mandy says she felt fortunate throughout each pregnancy.
“I do feel lucky that energetically, pregnancy was very easy for me,” she said.
“I didn’t suffer from any sort of postpartum symptoms and stuff, so I feel like I had a relatively easy journey all things considered.”
Mandy Moore on the Greatest Gift of Her Life
Through every unexpected turn, Moore has remained candid about the joy her children have brought to her life.
In May 2025, the actress marked her first Mother’s Day as a mom of three with a heartfelt Instagram post, describing motherhood as “the single greatest gift of my life.”
“While you’re never off the clock worrying or stressing or planning, the quiet, unmistakable joy triumphs over everything else,” she wrote.
“I’m endlessly grateful to the moms in my life who model what it takes, lend an ear, make the best suggestions, and generally make me feel less alone on the journey.”
Looking back, Moore has made it clear that every challenge along the way was worth it.
Speaking about sons Gus and Ozzie, she shared, “I am so grateful and so happy with these two guys,” before their family grew once again with Lou’s unexpected but cherished arrival.
