Caitriona Balfe’s surprise: The Outlander actress is a mom!

We all got some exciting news today as we scrolled our Instagram feed. The lovely actress who plays our beloved Claire Fraser is officially a mom. That’s right, Caitriona Balfe had a baby!

Caitriona shared the news on Instagram with a photo of her holding her new son’s hand. All of our hearts stopped and melted at the same time.

There were no indications or hints that she was pregnant, so this came as a big shock for us Outlander fans! It’s not that surprising that no one knew though. Caitriona and her husband, Tony McGill, are private when it comes to their personal lives. We’re lucky she even chose to share this news with us!

You may have noticed that she hasn’t been on social media much for a while and that’s because she was “cooking up this little human.” Can’t say I blame her!

Here’s some of what she said in the Instagram post:

"I’m in awe of him already and can’t help stare and wonder at all the possibilities of who he will become, where he will go and what he’ll do on the big adventure of his life."

Caitriona Balfe is a mom!

When I came across the picture I couldn’t believe my eyes. It wasn’t until I read the caption that it started to sink in, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. I’m so excited for Caitriona and I’m sure you’re all feeling the same way!

Of course, her Outlander family has shared in the excitement as well. Caitriona Balfe has received congratulations and well wishes from many of the show’s cast including Sam Heguhan, Sophie Skelton, Lauren Lyle, Cesar Domboy, Graham McTavish, Steven Cree, Duncan Lacroix, and Maria Doyle Kennedy.

In the post, Caitriona is also asking people to join her in helping some of the charities she supports that aid children — World Child Cancer, Choose Love, UNICEF, and the UN Refugee Agency.

What does this mean for Outlander Season 6?

Obviously, this won’t affect filming for Outlander Season 6. Filming started on the sixth season in January and wrapped in June. We don’t know if Caitriona just gave birth, or if she’s chosen to share the news now. But we can assume it’s been very recent, which means Caitriona was filming Season 6 while pregnant.

That’s probably one of the main factors as to why the sixth season was shortened to eight episodes instead of the original 12. Filming with COVID-19 precautions was already a huge challenge for production. Add in Caitriona’s pregnancy and filming in a way that has to hide that meant the production team had to adjust how they approached this season.

I do think the pandemic was the main reason, but Caitriona’s pregnancy most likely played a role. Since filming wrapped early, we get a new season quicker than if there were 12 episodes and Caitriona gets to spend some extra time with her little one!

Can we all just send a big thank you to Caitriona for filming while pregnant? COVID-19 is scary enough, but doing so while pregnant can add another layer of worry. I have no doubt everyone took extra care of her, but it couldn’t have been easy.

So thank you to the amazing, Caitriona, and congratulations!