Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Welcomes Her First Baby

Two-time US Women’s World Cup Champion Carli Lloyd has brought home something even more precious than a gold medal—her first little one!

The former USWNT player and her husband Brian Hollins shared the arrival of their baby girl with the world on October 23. “Harper Anne Hollins. October 18, 2024. So very grateful for this amazing blessing in our lives. By far the hardest thing I have ever endured but the best thing I’ve ever done,” Lloyd captioned a photo of her newborn wearing a sweet “Hello World” onesie.

In the second part of her caption Lloyd also thanked her “amazing” birth team and doted on her baby girl. “We just can’t get enough of this little peanut. We love love you so much and will do our best to give you the tools necessary in life to be a good human being!”

The Fox Sports studio analyst first announced the big news that she was expecting on May 1 and shared her two-year-long fertility journey with the world. “In the summer of 2022, Brian and I thought it was time to try to get pregnant and see where it would lead us. My whole life revolved around defying odds and proving people wrong. Soccer taught me how to work hard, persevere, be resilient, and never give up. I would do whatever it took to prepare, and usually when I prepared, I got results,” she wrote in an intimate article penned for Women’s Health.

“But I found out that I didn’t know much about this world. I was very naive to think that we wouldn’t have any issues getting pregnant. And so it began. The casual whatever happens, happens turned into disappointment month after month. I was starting to feel like this was a race against the clock—my 40-year-old biological clock.”

After months went by and she struggled with not being able to get pregnant, Lloyd said she was initially “ashamed and embarrassed” to have to turn to IVF, but as time went on, she realized that many women were going through a similar struggle, just one that wasn’t so visible.

“I fought it so much up until this point. As a woman, I wanted to get pregnant naturally because that’s what our bodies are supposed to be capable of. I felt like my body let me down. But at that moment, I was ready to take the next steps,” she wrote. "There’s a stigma that comes with needing help or needing to go through fertility treatments. It isn’t talked about enough, but it’s just a different process ​​to get to the same end goal: becoming a parent.”

Finally, after approaching her third round of IVF with a “totally different” mindset, the US Women’s National Team Alum got the exciting news that she was pregnant. “It has been a rollercoaster of a journey to get to this point. We are beyond excited to be parents. I couldn’t have gotten through this without my amazing husband, Brian. He truly kept me going," Lloyd wrote in an Instagram post announcing that baby Hollins would be arriving in October 2024.

In her post, Lloyd thanked her friends, family and fertility team for all their love and support. At the end of her announcement, the expectant mom was also careful to acknowledge the fact there are still thousands of hopeful parents waiting for their moment. “My story is currently a happy one, but I know there are other women who are facing challenges in their pregnancy journey. I see you and I understand your pain. My hope is that more and more women will speak up about this topic because their stories helped me. I also wish for more resources, funding and education around fertility treatments. There is much to be done and I hope I can play a role in helping,” she added.