Mary Lou Retton's Daughter McKenna Kelley Opens Up About the 'Birth We Didn't Plan for' After Welcoming Her First Baby
Mary Lou Retton's Daughter McKenna Kelley Opens Up About the 'Birth We Didn't Plan for' After Welcoming Her First Baby
Kayla GrantFri, June 5, 2026 at 7:09 PM UTC
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McKenna Kelley and Braden Doughty welcome their first baby.Credit: McKenna Kelley Doughty/Instagram -
Mary Lou Retton's daughter, McKenna Kelley, welcomed her first baby, daughter Jones Harper Doughty, on Tuesday, May 12
McKenna revealed that she endured 36 hours of labor before having a C-section, describing it as the "hardest 36 hours of my life"
The baby's first photo featured her in a pink custom outfit with her initials monogrammed on it
Mary Lou Retton is a grandma again!
The gymnastics superstar's daughter, McKenna Kelley, 29, welcomed her first baby, daughter Jones Harper Doughty, with her husband Braden Doughty, on Tuesday, May 12, sharing the news with a joint post on Instagram. The post included a first look at her baby girl dressed in a pink custom outfit with a monogram of her initials embroidered into it.
"Jones Harper Doughty 🩷 8lbs 1oz, 21 inches 5/12/26," she began in her caption. "A full day & a half of labor that ended in a c-section and yet the Lord met us every step of the way."
"The birth we didn't plan for became everything we could've asked for," she continued. "The hardest 36 hours of my life led us to our sweet girl. She is everything and more. We love you Jonesie girl! 🎀."
McKenna Kelley Doughty's daughterCredit: McKenna Kelley Doughty/Instagram
Later in the month, Kelley shared more snaps of her daughter's first moments earthside as she opened up more about her birth experience.
"Our girl 🩷 'The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.' Proverbs 16:9," she began her caption. "From the day we got two pink lines we prayed so intentionally for the birth we desired."
"I did all the prep, the courses for an unmedicated labor and delivery. 24 hours and 30 minutes of an unmedicated induction with just about every single intervention possible," she continued. "My body just didn't give, and we delivered miss Jones via c-section hours later. On paper, not a single thing we specifically prayed for happened. But spiritually? The Lord met us through every contraction, every intervention and answered our prayers in a way that my 'perfect birth' couldn't have."
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She went on to share that she believes her birth experience was only preparing her and her husband to become "the best parents" for their daughter.
"It's a funny thing to think that though we are parents now, we don't stop being children of God," she wrote. "Braden, myself and Jones are all children of God, and I believe with every ounce of myself that our birth experience was designed for us to be the best parents for Jones, and for Jones, this is the beginning of her walk in life and with Christ."
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McKenna Kelley Doughty and Braden DoughtyCredit: McKenna Kelley Doughty/Instagram
While the doting mom admitted she'd never do an unmedicated birth again, she explained she doesn't "regret a single moment."
"Would I attempt unmedicated again? A million times no 😂 (I will be asking for the epidural before I'm even pregnant next time thank you very much) but man, I don't regret a single moment," she said. "Brutal? Yes. Temporary? Yes. Starting postpartum absolutely exhausted and cut open 7 layers? Yes. But thankful. So very thankful that the Lord's plans always prevail."
The couple first announced their pregnancy on Instagram back in October 2025, sharing an adorable video in which they captured the reactions of their family and friends to the exciting news.
In the video, she could be seen sharing the news with her older sister, Shayla, 31, who welcomed a baby of her own last February, and her younger sisters Skyla, 26, (who also welcomed a baby last July), and Emma, 23. She was also seen sharing the news with her dad, Shannon Kelley, who was married to Mary Lou Retton for 27 years, between 1990 and 2017.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
