{"id":598973,"date":"2026-09-13T10:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T10:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/598973\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T10:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T10:06:16","slug":"miscarriages-to-miracles-shortland-street-star-rebekah-randells-redemption-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/598973\/","title":{"rendered":"Miscarriages to miracles: Shortland Street star Rebekah Randell\u2019s redemption baby"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RebekahRebekah and Bevan’s path to parenthood hasn\u2019t been easy. Photo \/ Amalia Osborne<\/p>\n

When Rebekah discovered she was pregnant again at the end of last year, excitement was tempered by fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beginning was really turbulent,\u201d she recalls, after experiencing cramping and bleeding early in the pregnancy. \u201cWe weren\u2019t optimistic that it would last. We were trying to protect our hearts and didn\u2019t allow ourselves to get excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pregnancy also coincided with Rebekah\u2019s six-week return to Shorty, where she reprised her role as Dawn Robinson. Keeping her pregnancy secret while battling relentless morning sickness made for some long days on set.<\/p>\n

She laughs, \u201cI loved being back, but I felt horrible! I was throwing up all the time, but I didn\u2019t tell anyone what was going on. I\u2019m sure everyone just thought I was a zombie.\u201d <\/p>\n

As the weeks passed and the bleeding settled, Rebekah slowly began allowing herself to hope. It wasn\u2019t until the all-important 20-week scan that she believed she and Bevan were going to welcome another baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could finally acknowledge that this was real. I\u2019d put up such a big wall because I wanted to protect myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RebekahRebekah with Isla and Bonnie. Photo \/ Amalia Osborne<\/p>\n

On January 14, it was finally time to meet their baby, whose sex they had kept as a surprise.<\/p>\n

After Isla was born via emergency Caesarean, Rebekah had an elective C-section booked at Auckland Hospital. Understandably, she arrived feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement. But she and Bevan were delighted to find the same anaesthetist on duty from two years before when Isla was born. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t believe it!\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019d been saying wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if Henry was there again, because he\u2019d made a scary situation so much easier. And then there he was, and suddenly I felt much more confident and reassured that we\u2019d be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just before noon, their 3.2kg baby girl was born.<\/p>\n

\"Bonnie\u2019sBonnie\u2019s middle name, Christine, honours Bevan\u2019s mum. Photo \/ Amalia Osborne<\/p>\n

\u201cI got the absolute best surprise of my life when they told me she was a girl,\u201d laughs Rebekah. \u201cEveryone was convinced it was a boy. It took Bevan a few seconds to process because he\u2019d already started imagining taking his son out for a beer one day. But he\u2019s such a natural girl dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonnie\u2019s middle name, Christine, honours Bevan\u2019s mum, making her name even more special.<\/p>\n

Introducing Bonnie to Isla was a moment Rebekah had dreamed about throughout her pregnancy<\/a> and she couldn\u2019t have asked for a sweeter big sister. She was relieved that Isla took the change in her stride, with no sign of jealousy. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made sure to involve Isla in everything so she\u2019s never felt left out. She\u2019s been incredible \u2013 really loving and so helpful. Today Bonnie did a huge spew and before I knew it, Isla was saying, \u2018I\u2019ve got it, Mum,\u2019 and running off to get the wipes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe actress’s two daughters already adore each other. Photo \/ Amalia Osborne<\/p>\n

The sisters already adore one another. While energetic Isla is always on the go, Bonnie is more content to quietly observe the world around her, especially when her big sister is making her laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching them interact is the best feeling in the world,\u201d says Rebekeh. \u201cIsla can make Bonnie giggle and it just melts my heart. Bonnie thinks her sister is the funniest person.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most beautiful thing about siblings is you get to share everything with them. And then when you\u2019re older, you\u2019ve got each other for life. I love that Bonnie won\u2019t know a life without Isla, and that they\u2019ll always have each other and be there for each other. Sisterhood is so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having experienced pregnancy loss, Rebekah says she\u2019s learnt to see building a family as a journey rather than something guaranteed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you\u2019re open about miscarriage, you hear so many other people\u2019s stories. You realise fertility isn\u2019t always straightforward and having a family is a journey rather than something that just happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those difficult experiences have only deepened Rebekah\u2019s gratitude for the kids she has today. While she\u2019ll happily audition for acting roles when the right opportunity comes along, for now there\u2019s nowhere she\u2019d rather be than at home with Isla and Bonnie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being a mum so much. Isla\u2019s not in daycare, so it\u2019s me and the girls every day. We do playdates, dance, we go for fluffies and Playcentre, and I genuinely love it. I love it all!<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there are toddler tantrums, and days when everyone\u2019s crying and you\u2019re completely overwhelmed. But I can\u2019t imagine life without them. It\u2019s the best job in the world. There is nowhere else I\u2019d rather be right now. And I know when I\u2019m 80, I\u2019ll be like, \u2018Those were the best days of my life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rebekah and Bevan’s path to parenthood hasn\u2019t been easy. Photo \/ Amalia Osborne When Rebekah discovered she was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12617,95,9526,6794,1558,200503,12415,23159,25255,3381,9539,14032,299,3602,156,17515,2740,28559,48834,6093,295222,24081,111,54769,139,69,109482,172766,295223,2879,295224,52591,8466,117811,5411,27886,2737,5424,10467,1961,61,1849,1316,6123,102,26157,379],"class_list":["post-598973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-absolute","tag-and","tag-another","tag-baby","tag-been","tag-bonnie","tag-braced","tag-challenging","tag-colic","tag-complete","tag-content","tag-daughter","tag-dream","tag-earlier","tag-entertainment","tag-experience","tag-former","tag-herself","tag-isla","tag-little","tag-miracles","tag-miscarriages","tag-new-zealand","tag-newborn","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-opposite","tag-randell","tag-randells","tag-rebekah","tag-rebekahs","tag-redemption","tag-second","tag-settled","tag-shortland","tag-sister","tag-star","tag-street","tag-struggled","tag-this","tag-to","tag-welcomed","tag-when","tag-while","tag-with","tag-words","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}