It was a particularly eventful Mother’s Day for “Survivor” champion Kenzie Petty as the former castaway welcomed her second child with her husband, Jackson, on Sunday, May 10.
The baby, named River, was welcomed to the Petty family just 19 months after Kenzie gave birth to her first son, Beau, in September 2024.
Beau’s birth, by comparison, followed just months after Kenzie won $1 million on Season 46 of “Survivor” in May 2024, and approximately one year after she tied the knot with photographer Jackson Petty in September 2023.
Kenzie Petty Introduces Fans to Baby River in Mother’s Day Post
“Gonna be pretty hard to top this year’s Mother’s Day present,” Petty wrote on Instagram alongside a carousel of photos of her holding her newborn son in her hospital bed. “Welcome to the world, sweet boy.”
“Forever grateful for this amazing Mama,” Petty’s husband wrote in a separate Instagram post announcing the birth of Beau’s little brother. “We welcomed our son River into the world yesterday at 6pm on the dot and have been over the moon since.”
“Survivor” stars and fans alike flooded Petty’s comments section to congratulate the former “Sole Survivor” on Baby River’s birth.
“Another one!!!” exclaimed franchise legend Parvati Shallow, while former castaway Rob Cesternino added, “Happy Mother’s Day for real!!! Congrats.”
“LITERALY SCREAMING!” wrote another fan in the comments, with others adding messages like “the best birth hospital photos to ever exist” and “so happy for you and your little family!”
In a video posted on Monday, May 11, Petty explained the events leading up to River’s birth, delivering the message from her hospital bed while holding her newborn son in her arms.
“I love giving birth so much. Endlessly grateful to have had two incredible unmedicated experiences. Forever blown away by my body, my amazing husband, my sister and best friend, the greatest absolute doula of all time, and my midwives,” she wrote in the caption. “It’s truly such a blessing to close the chapter on my birthing journey with another wonderful story to share.”
Kenzie similarly revealed some additional details about Baby River in the video, including that he was born just 11 minutes after her water broke. After his arrival, River weighed in at 9.6 pounds and 21 inches long.
Inside Petty’s Turbulent & Meticulously Documented Pregnancy
CBS/GettyIn the months leading up to Baby River’s arrival, Petty meticulously documented her pregnancy on social media, uploading videos outlining her experience raising a one-year-old and operating a successful salon in Charlotte, North Carolina while carrying her second child.
Along the way, Kenzie, then eight months pregnant, was involved in a scary car accident that landed her in the hospital for treatment, though she later assured her followers that both she and the baby were “safe and sound.”
“Hey so just a PSA for everyone to really pay attention when you’re driving cuz I just got rear ended and it ended me up in the hospital!!!” she wrote in the March 27 post. “We just got home after almost 32 hours, some scary moments, and keeping a close eye for the rest of my pregnancy. It’s hard to be a funny haha girl when things go not funny haha very quick, but I just really feel the need to make a lil PSA cuz you truly never know when it’s gonna happen to you.”
While the journey similarly included plenty of baby bump pics and preparations for River’s arrival, one of Kenzie’s final posts before the baby’s birth saw the “Survivor” winner thank her family, friends and fans for their undying support along the way.
“I’ll see y’all on the flip side,” she wrote in the April 29 post. “Taking a break from this app until I bring baby bean Earthside…It’s been amazing to share this journey with you! I just wanna spend some time with my boys before we round out the Petty house with another one. Thank you for every message of encouragement and love, thank you for every good vibe! I’ll be back after I push a Punkin out of my body.”
