Angelina Jolie on Pax, traveling, pretending to give birth, and gauging when it's time for a 5th child

Angelina Jolie has done a new interview with the UK’s Mirror and talked happily about her family life with Brad Pitt, and her four children: Maddox, 5 1/2, Pax, 3 1/2, Zahara, 2 1/2, and Shiloh, 1.

Angelina touched on how she and Brad handle issues or discussions in front of or regarding the children.

We’re very similar. We support each other and back each other as parents. There is no divide. We never want the kids to see us divided. We make sure they know that Mommy and Daddy are together on everything.

Angelina talked about her new son Pax and how is he adjusting to his new life at home.

Pax is a great kid. When we first met him we thought he was really shy but after two days at home we discovered he is the loudest member of the family. We don’t know if it’s because he has freedom he’s never had before, but he’s doing great.

I’m really proud of Pax. It’s obvious he is used to stronger discipline, so it’s hard to change, but we are learning and he’s doing very well.

Of Pax learning the English language, Angelina said:

He is learning English and already speaks a little bit and the funniest thing was on my  on Monday to hear him saying ‘Happy , Mommy’ in the loudest, greatest, clearest voice. The kids were all screaming and singing. It was so much fun.

Angelina couldn’t stop smiling when she talked about what a close bond Pax and Maddox have formed, saying,

Pax and Maddox have really connected because they’re closer in age and are brothers so they have moments when they bond together against everybody else in the family. They are a really tough team and then they have moments when they bug each other. It’s quite normal and it’s nice. It’s never quiet in our house.

Click below to read why Angelina doesn’t plan to stop traveling, how she and Brad will gauge when they’re ready to add another child, and how she filmed the natural birth scene in A Mighty Heart when she had a planned c-section herself!

The constantly on the move Jolie-Pitt clan has no plans to stop traveling anytime soon.

The four of them are a wild bunch. We’re never going tostop traveling. I think the greatest education I can give my kids,particularly as they are international children, is to keep themtraveling.

I think if they spend six months in Africa and come back toLA and then go to Asia for a few months we are showing them so muchabout the world and so much about understanding and tolerance and thebeauty of other cultures.

Discussing the possibility of more children, Angelina remarked,

We have a big family now and we’re trying to make surethey are all well adjusted first. We will have more children, but nowwe’re still getting everyone together. We love having children andthere are some kids we want to help through school and other kidsinvolved in our lives as well.

In our home it is about making sureeveryone has individual time, and right now all four of them havedaily, very special individual time and we never want to have so manychildren we can’t do that. When they get older and if it starts to feellike we can fit more in, that’s how we’re going to gauge how many wehave.

Of her partner, Brad Pitt, Angelina said,

I am a very lucky woman. I have a beautiful family andBrad is a supportive friend and a great father. And he is veryromantic. We talk very deeply about how we feel.

On filming Mariane Pearl’s labor and delivery for A Mighty Heart:

The birth scene was actually very funny because when I gave birth I had a [planned] Caesarean [due to breech positioning] and I didn’t scream at all.

Michael [the director] had to explain how a woman behaves in labor. It was funny that a bunch of men explained what to do. [laughs] I had to scream at the top of my lungs and all these men were screaming, showing me how to scream.

Source: The Mirror

Thanks to CBB reader Sarah.

Comments

The traveling around and showing the kids different things about culture is nice, but it has to be hard changing schools constantly, keeping friends from each school they might attend.

Other than that, I loved how she talked of Pax saying “Happy Birthday, Mommy” in English. That had to warm her heart.

But the kicker was her filming the labor scene for AMH, and having men coaching her through it. Men coaching her, when they don’t have the slightest clue. But I’m sure their wives–if they have any– will be proud to know they remembered what they put them through during the birth of their child(ren)!

- FC on June 13th, 2007

My mother, who studied medicine in a Third World country, and therefore ended up helping do everything from delivering babies to assisting in the morgue, always rolls her eyes when she sees the women in movies screaming and cursing when they’re “in labor.”

She’s always quick to say that she barely whimpered when she gave birth to my brother and me, and that the other dozens of women she aided in delivery hardly made such a fuss either.

I’m a bit worried about my own labor (not pregnant or anything, but for the future).

I know everyone’s different, but for those women who weren’t using yoga or other calming methods, did you scream your head off when delivering your baby?

- Xan on June 13th, 2007

Did not get an epidural or any other kind of drug, did not scream or curse but I did use techniques learned in prenatal yoga, which I highly recommend, and childbirth class. Focal points and breathing exercises do really help and a birthing ball (exercise ball) can be very helpful too.

- Berjoui on June 13th, 2007

Yes, women have been known to scream their heads off! LOL Although I mostly moaned while in labor, I do have a quick story to share. When I was pregnant with my 1st and we were on a tour of the birthing ward with about 5 or 6 other expecting moms, one woman was screaming from within her birthing suite and we could all hear her in the hallway. I have to say that it scared the heck out of all of us!

- Joy on June 13th, 2007

While I did not move quite as much as Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt’s brood, I did find myself in several different continents when I was growing up. I loved the experience and its truly taught me to not hold prejudices against anyone because of race/ethnicity/religion.
Switching schools was never too tough for me and I hope her children adjust well, too. Travelling is an amazing thing and I hope to share it with my children as much as possible, too!

p.s. I love reading about the Jolie-Pitt family!! I find them adorable and very interesting!

- Heather on June 13th, 2007

I’m sure she was coached to scream because that was how Mariane Pearle experienced her birth as well. Under normal circumstances most women don’t scream. But she had recently lost her husband and probably felt that anguish along with the physical pain. In that situation I might’ve screamed too if only to have that outlet.

- PG32 on June 13th, 2007

I had Demerol with my first and barely made a sound-But the other Kim down the hall was cursing so loud it disrupted my labor room!

My second the drugs didn’t kick in on time and I never took any kind of classes for either birth-I was grunting (not quite the right word but I wasn’t screaming) towards the end.

Every woman (and every labor for that matter) is different, so sometimes you scream, sometimes you don’t.

- Kim on June 13th, 2007

Please check out cutebabies.tv for photos and videos on cute babies. While there, please feel free to offer any suggestions or comments on the site!

- cutebabies.tv on June 13th, 2007

i love how she said that mad and pax are so conected i love that is so cute i would like see new pics of them

- denisse on June 13th, 2007

Okay, confession time – I totally screamed. Not the whole time or anything but at the end – yeah definitely. I had a short labor with no “drugs” and he ended up being a big baby. I have no shame about it at all. It’s great that some women don’t scream (my mother and mother-in-law were both horrified and surprised when I said I did) but some do.

Angelina gives great interviews. They give a good insight into the lives of the Jolie-Pitts and I am definitely a fan!

- Bella on June 13th, 2007

Natural births with all four of mine (two were homebirths) and yes I screamed with all four. Screaming allowed me to let go and I felt so free doing it. Actually it is how I knew I was transitioning. I knew that I had to let go of trying to control the birth and allow my body to take over.

- Holly on June 13th, 2007

This is kind of random and trivial, but I’m interested in knowing what it’s like to rename a foreign 3-year-old. What’s the conversation like? “Welcome to the family; here’s your new name (can someone please translate that for us?)!”

I don’t know, I was just curious about that.

- Lee on June 13th, 2007

Four natural births here, as well, and I screamed during transition and the beginning of pushing each time. During transition at the peak of the worst contractions, for me, there was no other thing to do BUT scream. I have long labors and keep it together for hours and hours but transition is too extreme for me not to verbalize.

Screaming felt so good!

I always felt bad for my husband, midwives and doulas having to hear it but hey, it’s natural birth, they should be used to it!

- yogadaisy on June 13th, 2007

I guess everyone expects labor differently. I had no drugs with the first and an epidural with the second (after a long labor) but I can’t even imagine screaming. It takes so much energy! I was barely able to breath.

- millie on June 13th, 2007

I think it’s great they can take their kids to so many places growing up. Military kids go through this.

And with the kids being so close in age, they’ll always have each other. If anything, it will make them closer as siblings.

I’ll be surprised if these kids grow up complaining about not living in the same place all the time. After all, they have a ‘home base’.

- Charity on June 13th, 2007

The more I hear about Brad and Angie’s family the more I like them.

During my three childbirth experiences I said things like “ouch, ow, ow, ow.” I did not scream it. I was afraid to have an epidural and by the time I decided that I wanted one it was too late. During my first labor I told my husband to take me home. I told him that I had enough and wanted to go home. He just kept talking to me in such a sweet calm supportive voice.

- Judy on June 13th, 2007

I think it’s pretty lousy of your mom to judge how different women handle different pains.

I’m a really tough cookie, but I had a very quick, spontaneous labor which was back labor (meaning that the baby was facing the wrong way). My mind took me out of the moment from the pain and my body was left on the bed, screaming, haha… No drugs and I had gone into the room calm as could be and fully expecting to be able to handle it – I wasn’t freaking out or anything like that.

I guess I was mainly screaming because moaning wasn’t doing anything and my mind wasn’t fully there. The pain was so great that I was partially in shock. Even after my daughter was born, I was unaware of what was going on – just kind of blankly stared at the ceiling for the first 10 minutes of my daughter’s life.

I was traumatized by it and it took me about 8 months before I could hear other labor stories without shuddering. That coming from a person that grew up getting piercings and tattoos at every chance without so much as a whimper – even the stitch in my crotch was bearable pain post-labor.

- "Anonymous Mommy" on June 13th, 2007

My mother told me that she screamed like a banshee when I was born. She said it felt like a fire in her belly, but the pain disappeared instantly when I came out. My aunt told me that when she went into labor, she was all set on, “I don’t need an epidural, I’ll be tough. I’ll do it the natural way. I can handle this!” But then the contractions really started coming and she was screaming for an epidural.

My grandmother had 10 children, all born at home with the help of a midwife. No drugs, nothing; just 10 natural births. I suppose, in comparision, my mom thought she’d be a wimp if she didn’t go through with a natural birth!

- NausicaaofWind on June 13th, 2007

I screamed my head off in labor – I had no drugs and hours of back labor and I screamed. They had to shut the door to my room (the hospital I was in kept them all half closed for privacy) because I was scaring the other moms. The nurses told me afterwards that four moms got epidurals because of my screaming; they didn’t want to go through what I did!

So, yeah, women scream. And loudly.

- Natalia on June 13th, 2007

Please…I want every drug available when I give birth. I do not tolerate pain well and have no intention of pretending to do so to please anyone else, but good job to those that go without.

- terri on June 13th, 2007

I haven’t got any children yet and I am aware that every woman and every labour is different but I think I will be screaming my head off!

Anyway, I love their family.

Every time I read about what their kids have been up to it warms my heart =]

- Althea on June 14th, 2007

I bet she had a c-cut because, like most of female celebs, she didn’t want her hips to widen rather than Shilo being in a breech position. Not that i blame her. She needs her good tiney body, she’s a film star!

- corny on June 14th, 2007

My first one was a natural birth, I moaned, didn’t scream. The second I had an epidural. I didn’t feel a thing, just the pushing part was exhausting. During my whole labour a woman who gave birth in another room screamed her head off. I almost felt guilty for my easy labour!;)

- Melany on June 14th, 2007

All my childrens births were all nearly silent, except when the gas and air fell out my mouth!lol and apart from the really long swear word when i felt my son’s head coming out, i swear i felt every inch of that boy!, I have 3 children . 5 and a half,3 and 18mnths and i am 7 weeks pregnant! i had an epidural with my first so did not feel a thing which i regret as i still have back pain now, with my 2nd and 3rd i only had gas and air, the trick it to put the mouth piece half in your mouth to begin with otherwise it can make you sick, then when i was comfortable i put it all in and left it there!! it has little effect it its in and out so no one was taking it away from me!! then i closed my eys and let my body take over, 8hrs later there was a child! all done naturally and almost quietly oh and i love gas and air!!

- christina on June 14th, 2007

I don’t think anybody needs to worry about the Jolie-Pitt children traveling and changing schools. Children adapt to all situations, especially when they have each other to talk to and play with. My sister’s husband worked for the State Department and their three kids traveled all over the world and they now speak French, German and Spanish like natives. They talk all the time about the friends they made and the places they lived. It was a great experience for all of them. I wish I had had that experience.

- essie on June 14th, 2007

Posted by: “Anonymous Mommy” at Jun 13, 2007 9:25:57 PM

I think it’s pretty lousy of your mom to judge how different women handle different pains.

Nah, she always says it with a laugh. She is a doctor, after all, and she doesn’t judge her patients, or me whenever I do have a baby.

- Xan on June 14th, 2007

I think it’s silly that so many people made such a fuss about changing the name. In most cases (now, I’ve only worked in orphanages in Haiti and Brazil, so it might be different, but from what I’ve heard it’s usually not) the name the child grows up with in the orphanage isn’t specifically theirs and often doesn’t even come from the birth parents. More often than not, the kid is brought in nameless and someone (a director or nanny) picks a random name for them.
To change an older childs name when the child is coming in to a home where the language is different, you simply start referring to them as that new name. With a three year old, there might be some pointing and “You are Pax, I am Mommy, this is Maddox…” etc that went on, but really, the child is learning a new language anyway, so he probably was just rolling with the new name.
I love everything that Brad and Angelina stand for. I think they are doing amazing things in this world and they are handling the constant intrusions on their family with grace and dignity. Those are four lucky children!

- Kait on June 14th, 2007

I don’t know if you’re including me in your statement, but it wasn’t a fuss on my part. As I said before, it was curiosity. What was the conversation like? I don’t have any strong feelings about the actual name change, I just thought it’d be interesting to see how they communicated this with a 3 year old who doesn’t speak their language.

- Lee on June 15th, 2007

No Lee, that wasn’t aimed at you. When they first adopted Pax, they got so much crap for changing his name and I thought it was silly. Adopting parents change their childrens names all the time, regardless of age. It’s just another example of how the general population can do something and it’s okay, but if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie do something it automatically comes under a stupid amount of scrutiny.

- Kait on June 15th, 2007

Understood.

I didn’t even know that it was an issue; must have slept through that one. It’s weird the things that rile people up, isn’t it?

- Lee on June 15th, 2007

Does nobody know that even Maddox and Zahara had different names before Angelina adopted them? I remember Maddox’s name was Rath, and I don’t remember what Zahara’s name was. Why is it that people ridiculously got worked up over them changing Pax’s name when Angie did the same with her first two? Maybe because they were babies?

Anyway, it’s the right of every parent to name their own kid. Chances are Pax isn’t going to remember a time when he wasn’t Pax. Kids can’t store memories until they’re about 3 or 4.

- NausicaaofWind on June 15th, 2007

NausicaaofWind,

About the memory thing:

I’ll ask my Dad about something I did or said as a child, and he’ll say “You remember that???” and I’ll say “Yeah, how old was I?” and he’ll generally say 18-24 months old. I’ve been told I have a *really* good memory, so I know not everyone is like that. But, Pax *may* remember later on.

On the other hand, just as a development/adjustment thing, those memories may fade. Who knows?

- Gabrielle on June 15th, 2007

NaucassiaaOfWind- ITA! I also want to point out that Pax’s orginal “name” probably wasn’t even used very much when he was in the orphanage. The sad fact about orphanages is that many times, there are so many children there that the people running the orphange simply cannot spend very much time with them. Therefore, they obviously don’t use the name very much. Also, I have heard that, in most cases, the “name” a child has in an orphange isn’t really really his or her “name”. What happens is that the child is found abandoned (like Pax was), and the people at the orphanage just give them a random name.
In fact, if anything, I think it’s actually GOOD that Angie and Brad changed Pax’s name (and I think it’s sweet that it was Angie’s mother that came up with the name). The fact of the matter is, most kids who have spent time in an orphanage do not have very pleasent memories of the place. For example, I know of one woman who was adopted when she was about eight. For some reason (I can’t remember why exactly, and I know it wasn’t to adopt a kid.) she visited an orphanage as an adult…and literally ran out of the place screaming after being in there only a few minutes. That was because all of her unpleasent memories of spending part of her childhood in an orphanage came back to her.
Of course, like I said, she was eight when she was adopted, which is five years older than Pax is. HOWEVER….I also know of a little girl who was adopted and, even though she wasn’t even two, would not tolerate sleeping in a crib. Her parents were pretty sure that was because of her time in the orphanage, where cribs are lined up next to each other in several rows.
Anyway, my point is, if Angie and Brad had kept Pax’s orginal name, it may have just reminded him of his unpleasent memories of the orphanage.

- Annoynomus on June 15th, 2007