Goldie Hawn’s eldest child, son Oliver Hudson, was a miracle baby after beating the odds of survival following childbirth. Hawn believes that her son lived up to adulthood because of her motherly prayer.
Veteran actress Goldie Jean Hawn was born November 21, 1945, in Washington D.C. to Laura Hawn, a jewelry shop/dance school owner, and Rut Hawn, a band musician.
Before her Hollywood career, she worked as a professional dancer. Goldie had her feature film debut in “The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band” (1968) as a giggling dancer, and her big break came in 1969 when she starred in the movie “Cactus Flower.”
The “Overboard” star has a sister named Patti Hawn and a brother, Edward, who died an infant from SIDS before she came along. Those tragic and traumatic moments stayed with her mother for the longest time.
The dreary experience almost became repetitive years later for Laura (who died in 1993 at age 80) when her eldest daughter Goldie became a mom herself.
The Academy Award winner gave birth to her first child Oliver Hudson on September 7, 1976, via cesarean section, and right after, she learned that her infant son might die.
The starlet revealed on the podcast “Sibling Revelry,” co-hosted by both her kids Kate Hudson and Oliver, that he had only a 40% chance of living. Though the doctor was concerned, he remained hopeful that little Oliver would make it and encouraged his mother to be optimistic.
Goldie disclosed that her child had meconium aspiration syndrome, meaning that he had swallowed some meconium during delivery or right before, and it got into his lungs.
When that usually occurs, the baby is instantly rushed to the NICU. The “Snatched” star was still married to her second husband, musician Bill Hudson, at the time, and their son eventually recovered.
Goldie admitted that she was afraid to see her newborn after birth when there was a high possibility that he might have died at one day old from birth complications, saying:
“I was so afraid I would see you, and I would fall in love with you, and you would die.”
During an exclusive interview with People in May 2017, the doting mom reflected on her son Oliver’s life-threatening condition as a baby and what saved him in the end:
“I don’t think there’s any question that prayer can work. I’m a spiritual person. Although I was raised Jewish, I’m not a religious person, and I like my tribe and where I came from. But that was a beautiful thing, phenomenal.”
The Golden Globe award winner explained she emptied herself and “got very calm and I put my hand on his heart. He wasn’t awake. He was so big. He was so beautiful. 11 pounds and a hunk of love.”
It was a day and a half after she had given birth to her beloved child, and she was also sick with toxemia. Goldie shared was wheeled to go and see her then-baby boy:
“I stood up, and I just connected to the universe, I wanted my insides just empty, and I put my hand on him, and I asked God to use me to heal my son.”
Miraculously, the infant’s heart rate went up to her amazement, and she called the nurses, and the doctor came in and told her: “You know, Goldie, if more mothers knew, they have the power to heal their children…”
The “Something To Talk About” star added it was a heartwarming experience to share her miracle story with some of the mothers at the hospital who were also going through similar challenges at the time.
Today, Oliver is all grown up and has a family of his own. His mother praised him, saying: “He’s the most incredible, most handsome, amazing father, actor, comedian, human, son,” and added:
“I mean, he’s such a gift. They’re all gifts, all my children.”
Oliver, 45, is married to “How I Met Your Mother” alum Erinn Bartlett, 48, and together, they are parents to three children, son Bodhi, 11, and daughters Wilder, 14, and eight-year-old Rio.
Meanwhile, his younger sister Kate Hudson, 42, also has three kids, Ryder, 18, Bingham, 10, and Rani, 3, whom she shares with former husband Chris Robinson, Matt Bellamy, and Danny Fujikawa.
While Oliver and Kate are a tight unit, they raise their children differently. In March 2021, the “Rules of Engagement” star revealed he and his sister have different ideas when parenting:
“It’s the way that we go about doing things. What we let our kids watch, the freedoms we allow them. We’re different in that way.”
He added they are both strict parents but “in a good way.” The “Almost Famous” actress is sterner, but when it comes to matters of the heart, she becomes lenient as long as her children are doing their part.
The two cherish their mother Goldie and stepfather Kurt Russell for teaching them the importance of empowerment. Kate stressed that she and her older brother are fortunate to have had parents who embraced their individuality and were supportive of their mistakes:
“They clearly did something right because there’s no one I’d rather spend time with than them.”
Since she and Oliver have diverse techniques in tackling parenthood, the brother and sister duo also do not often share advice. Oliver emphasized that if he ever felt the need to speak up, he would, and the same goes for Kate.
The pair once revealed that their children are just like siblings, as the “Something Borrowed” star shared in an interview with Health that they enjoy spending time together.
“They want to be with each other at all times. I either have the kids, or I send my kids to Ollie’s. Then we come over, and we meet up, and we have dinner,” she revealed.