Grey’s Anatomy has seen multiple birth scenes across its 19 seasons, from main characters and patients alike, but one season 11 scene caused its star to go into early labor. Grey’s Anatomy has become known for its dramatic hospital scenes, and the births have been no exception, from season 2 when George assisted Bailey through labor while her husband was in surgery to season 14 when Ben miraculously performed a successful C-section on April in Meredith’s house with a kitchen knife. Grey’s Anatomy has also featured heartbreaking birth scenes and one ended up sending its actress into labor one month before her due date.
With Grey’s Anatomy season 20 having been renewed by ABC, the groundbreaking medical drama series is on its way to nearly 450 episodes. Grey’s Anatomy has done everything from a train crash to a plane crash to a hospital shooting to a bomb inside a body cavity and so much more, but the quieter tragedies stick with viewers as well. Grey’s Anatomy has put its characters through a great amount of trauma, with none escaping Seattle Grace Memorial Hospital unscathed. In Grey’s Anatomy season 11, a storyline involving a baby with type II osteogenesis imperfecta had off-screen consequences as well.
Sarah Drew Portraying Kepner’s Devastating Birth Of Samuel Was Too Much For Her
Through all of their ups and downs, Jackson and April remain one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most beloved couples, so it was heartbreaking for everyone involved when they lost their baby in season 11. April’s actress, Sarah Drew, was pregnant with her second child at the same time her character with her first. In a sad turn of events, Jackson and April’s baby was diagnosed with a condition that meant his bones were breaking in the womb. The couple made the hard decision to induce early labor to free baby Samuel of his pain at 24 weeks, and he died shortly after birth in Grey’s Anatomy season 11, episode 11.
During the filming of this devastating Grey’s Anatomy fictional birth scene, Drew was 8 months pregnant in real life. On the podcast HypochondriActor, Drew spoke about how filming Samuel’s birth surprisingly caused her to go into labor with her second child a month early. She said that while the scene didn’t show the grueling aspects of labor, the effort Drew put into the fictional induced labor actually induced her own labor. The devastating scene took enough of a toll on her physically and mentally to cause her to go into premature labor.
Sarah Drew Felt Guilt For Coming Up With The Baby Samuel Storyline
Drew shared on the podcast that she pitched the baby Samuel storyline to Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes before she became pregnant with her daughter. The story was inspired by an experience her parents’ friends went through with their baby and their decision to have an induction abortion. Like Jackson and April, the real-life couple struggled with the decision due to their differing religious beliefs. The Grey’s Anatomy writers offered to scrap the storyline when Drew became pregnant, but she decided to go ahead with it. This decision caused Drew to feel guilty when her own daughter ended up spending 11 days in the NICU.
The guilt that Drew felt can be paralleled with what April was feeling following baby Samuel’s diagnosis and death. However, it was that same storyline that helped her get through her daughter’s NICU stay, telling People that playing something “emotionally intense revolving around a baby … prepared [her] … [in] a wild life imitating art situation.” Fortunately, her daughter is now healthy and April and Jackson were able to repair their relationship and had their daughter, Harriet, Grey’s Anatomy season 13. They now live happily in Boston, which could set up more Jackson and April appearances, especially after the Grey’s Anatomy season 19 finale, which partially took place there.