Photo: Getty Images
Natalie Stovall is welcoming a baby this year!
The Runaway June star shared the sweet announcement on Instagram on Wednesday (April 29). Stovall bared her baby bump in photos with her husband, drummer James Bavendam. She shared that in nearly two decades of marriage, they’d hoped to start a family someday. She wrote in her caption:
“Can’t even begin to describe our excitement. 🥹🥹 We’ve been married almost 18 years and have been wanting to start a family for so very long. Years of trying, 3 failed IVF rounds, multiple docs saying it ‘probably wasn’t gonna happen’ and then BAM! Found out we were pregnant. Can’t wait to meet this little human at the end of the summer!! Until then - Mamma’s gonna be bumpin on stage and hosting the Opry. 🩵🍼🩷”
“James and I are so excited! We've been trying for years to get this family started and then, seemingly out of the blue, it's all happening,” Stovall said in a statement, per PEOPLE. “We could not be happier and can't wait to meet this little person that keeps kicking and craving chocolate!”
Stovall, 44, is one third of Runaway June with Jennifer Wayne, 44, and Stevie Woodward, 32. Wayne started the group with former bandmates Hannah Mulholland and Naomi Cooke Johnson, who left the trio in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Stovall, who is also a member of Keith Urban's band, joined Runaway June following Mulholland’s departure, and Woodward became a member after Johnson’s exit.
Stovall is the latest artist to announce a baby is on the way in 2026. Others who will welcome babies this year include Martina McBride’s eldest daughter, Reba McEntire’s son, Mitchell Tenpenny and Meghan Patrick, Parker McCollum and more. See the list of pregnancy announcements here.