Mariska Hargitay had her first biological kid when she was 42 years old. After numerous more unsuccessful tries, she realized that the only option to create the big family that she and her husband desired was to adopt children. Take a look at the steps she took to adopt a child.
Mariska Hargitay was born on January 23, 1964. She attended college and concentrated in theatre, and she made her debut in the 1984 production of “Ghoulies.” Before obtaining the part of Detective Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 1999, she had a recurrent role in the medical drama “ER.”
She performed all of her own stunts, and as a result of all of her hard work, she rose quickly through the ranks to become the television actress with the highest salary. Her successes were capped off by the fact that she was awarded both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance.
In addition, Hargitay appeared in the film “Plain Truth” in 2004 and went on to become an activist. She started a charity that she dubbed the “Joyful Heart Foundation” with the intention of assisting people who had survived experiences of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence.
In addition to breaking the record for portraying Olivia Benson in the longest consecutive seasons of any character on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” she also directed the show’s 400th episode.
Hargitay, who had her first kid with her husband, Peter Hermann, in 2006 when she was 42 years old, had previously tied the knot in 2004. Their son, who they have given the name August, was delivered through a Caesarean section. Then she said,
“August brought about a sea shift in everything! You know, I believe that everything in life matters more to me now that I’ve become a mother later on in life. Every day brings a new depth, new riches, and a more profound experience.”
The delighted new mother at the time thought that having her kid made life more precious since it helped her understand the importance of everything a little bit more.
Because of her advanced maternal age, Hargitay had difficulty becoming pregnant again after she had her first child. Meanwhile, her son yearned for younger siblings. Additionally, both she and her husband were from large families, so having a large family was something they had always desired for their own.
Hermann and Hargitay always planned to become adoptive parents in addition to having their own biological children. As a child who experienced the loss of her mother at a young age, Hargitay came to understand that a mother need not always be biological.
The process of Hargitay and her husband to adopt a child started when they made contact with an “excellent” and perceptive adoption lawyer. They went door to door, dealt with a few false starts, and tried their hand at a few other instances that were unsuccessful.
When the couple came upon a pregnant young lady who was about to have a daughter, it gave them a reason to have hope. Following going through a number of screening procedures, they decided to set up a meeting with her, and after the encounter, Hargitay was overjoyed.
Hargitay and the birth mother were in contact with one another for a month before the birth mother decided to phone Hargitay to inform her that it was time to deliver the baby. When Hargitay arrived at the hospital, the staff immediately handed the baby over to her.
She and Hermann spent two wonderful days getting to know the baby and even decided on a name for her before the birth mother reconsidered her decision. Hargitay found out about it, and she remarked, “It was awful.”
“But…what here’s I’ve learned about life: it was most likely the best and happiest conclusion that could have been imagined. I mean, it was such a difficult time for us, but it must have been really joyous and completely appropriate for her.”
The fact that Hargitay had a hand in the process made her feel privileged, and she saw it as a great benefit that she was able to contribute to the formation of a partnership.
Despite the fact that their first effort was unsuccessful and very upsetting, the pair continued to look for additional opportunities. They were looking to adopt a daughter since their son, August, expressed interest in having a sibling.
A new lady who was also expecting a child was brought into the conversation between the pair. When they eventually came to an agreement on a plan, Hargitay had the impression that the occasion was too perfect to be real.
The lady who gave birth to the child was of African-American descent, but the adoptive parents and the birth mother saw her ethnicity as irrelevant. The birth mother had no problem with the idea that white people would raise her child.
Initial medical assessments indicated that the birth mother would give birth to a male; however, it turned out that the findings were incorrect and the birth mother really gave birth to a girl. Hargitay was not only there in the birth room, but she actively assisted in the delivery of the child.
They picked the name Amaya for their daughter because it means “princess,” “warrior,” and “night rain” in a variety of languages. Prior to the birth of their child, the parents made the decision that they wanted their daughter to have the same initials as August.
They were completely unprepared for the birth of their third kid. After they had Amaya adopted, August expressed interest in having a sibling, and Hargitay said that the time was right for them to have a family at that point in their lives. In her words:
“A miracle took place, and our second son, Andrew, landed in our backyard after falling out of the sky,”
They had just begun to adjust to the idea of having a new member of their family when their good friend Andrew passed away, and soon after that, their lawyer contacted them to tell them that they were going to have a baby boy who was two months early and quite frail.
The little boy had just recently been discharged from the neonatal critical care unit, and he was now available for adoption. The couple decided to go to the hospital to see the birth mother, who had gone through a lot by the time they did.
The whole event took place quite quickly, and in only a few of days, they welcomed a new member into their family. Andrew is the name that Hermann and Hargitay gave their son in memory of a buddy who passed away.
The actress, whose family comes from a variety of backgrounds, has said that her children are unique and do not react the same way to the same things. Due to the fact that Andrew was born preterm, he participated in “Big Muscles” lessons.
His growth and sense of equilibrium improved as a result of the class. Amaya is a very musical person; in the presence of music and drumming, she becomes animated and begins to dance.
On the other hand, all of them were enrolled in swimming courses since water is a concern for any parent, and Hargitay wanted to ensure that all of her children understood what to do while they were in it. In addition to this, she is very interested in finding out what each kid enjoys doing so that she can encourage and assist them.
August took great pride in his job as an elder brother and always wished there were more children in the house. It seemed as if he desired another sister so that the family might have an even distribution of males and females.
According to Hargitay, who has strong feelings toward her family and is a mother who is very involved in her children’s lives,
“My children have helped me become a better parent by instructing me to pay more attention to what they have to say. My kids are my instructors, and my spouse is the compass that guides me through life.”
Hargitay is of the opinion that she would never have wanted it any other way due to the fact that their family is the ideal one for her, and despite the difficulties, they had had in the early years of attempting to adopt a child.
