Hilary Swank became a mother for the first time when she welcomed twins with her husband, Philip Schneider.
The Million Dollar Baby actress gave birth to daughter Aya and son Ohm in April 2023, however, it wasn’t until Valentine’s Day 2024 that she revealed their names for the first time. The same day, she made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where she opened up about what it was like to be a mom of then-10-month-old twins.
"It's the best in the whole wide world,” she said. “Yes, it's more joy, more fun and more exhausting. It's more everything than I ever thought it would be. It's more glorious, it's the most extraordinary thing in the world."
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Though Swank has largely kept her babies out of the public eye, she has opened up about her pregnancy and the struggles and joys of having twins at 48 years old.
From hiding her pregnancy from her costars to revealing her babies’ names, here’s everything to know about Hilary Swank’s twins, Aya and Ohm.
She announced she was expecting on Good Morning America
Swank first announced she was pregnant on Good Morning America in October 2023 while promoting her show Alaska Daily.
"This is something that I've been wanting for a long time and my next thing is I'm gonna be a mom," she said. "And not just of one, but of two. I can't believe it."
She added that it was a relief to now be able to share and discuss her happy news. Later in the day, she made an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, sharing that she was doing well now that she was into the second trimester.
"I'm feeling great right now, even with the time — you know, I'm on Pacific time, so I'm a little cross-eyed with that,” she said. “But I'm feeling good right now."
Her Alaska Daily crew was also in for a surprise when Swank made her pregnancy announcement on GMA, but she admitted it was getting harder to keep the secret from them while shooting.
“My clothes started not to fit so I had to, the other day ... cut [my jeans] open. And then I put a jacket on that wasn't in continuity," Swank recalled. "And [they] came and said, 'That's not in continuity.' I said, 'Oh, I think it works.' 'It doesn't.' 'No, it does. I'm going to make it work.' She's like, 'If you're an executive producer, you can do it, but this is weird.' "
The actress added that twins ran in both her and her husband’s families so the news wasn’t a total surprise, and she viewed it as a “blessing.”
She went to great lengths to keep her pregnancy a secret during the first trimester
In the vein of keeping her pregnancy private until she was ready to share, Swank revealed on The Late Late Show with James Corden in January 2023 that she lied about her running abilities in order to maintain the secret while filming Alaska Daily.
"In my first trimester, for the first 12 weeks, no one knew I was pregnant. We work 15-hour days, it's no joke. And the first trimester you're so tired, and my character was a jogger," she said. "To do one to two minutes on screen takes two hours."
Knowing she was pregnant and wouldn't be able to keep up with the long running takes, Swank tried to subtly come up with a way to get out of filming the scenes, ultimately telling her team that she was a “really bad runner” and needed a stunt double.
"They were like, all of them, like, 'Huh? You? What? You need a stunt double to run?' " she said. "And I was like, 'Yeah, real bad.' "
However, her request didn’t come about so easily. The team asked Swank to demonstrate her running abilities for them to determine whether she really needed a double, leading her to put her acting skills to the test to convince them.
Ultimately, it worked out and the team granted her her wish.
She developed a new appreciation for women as she went into her third trimester
During the same appearance on The Late Late Show, Swank opened up about how after moving into the third trimester, she was impressed by what women’s bodies are capable of, especially during pregnancy.
"I feel like women are superheroes," Swank said, then at the 27-week mark. "What our bodies do? I have such, like, a whole newfound respect. I mean, I love women, I've always loved women, but now, I'm like, 'Wow, we can do this!' "
She added that going into the third trimester was a relief as it meant leaving behind some of the more unpleasant aspects of pregnancy, like morning sickness and unruly cravings.
"The first 16 weeks I had a lot of morning sickness," she said. "All I wanted was fruit. It's not that exciting I know, it's not like pickles dipped in peanut butter, but a lot of fruit. To the point that one of my costars when they found out I was pregnant, they were like, 'Oh that's why. That's why you eat 10 pomegranates a day, 50 pears.' "
The twins were born in April 2023
Three months after debuting her bump on the Golden Globes red carpet, Swank and Schneider welcomed their son and daughter in April 2023. They announced the birth of their children on Easter Sunday with a sweet Instagram photo of Swank holding one kid in each arm while looking over a sunset.
"It wasn't easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it. 👼🏼🤍👼🏼,” she wrote in the caption. “Happy Easter! 🐣🐣 Posting from pure Heaven. 🙌🏽.”
Many of Swank's famous friends sent her congratulations, including Kate Hudson, Viola Davis, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Mariska Hargitay.
"God bless honey," Sharon Stone commented. "This is the most extraordinary journey ever ❣️🌹so happy for you all."
She revealed their names when they were 10 months old
On Valentine’s Day 2024, Swank revealed her children’s names in a sweet Instagram photo of the twins sitting in the sand on a beach. Aya was in a pink swimsuit while Ohm was in blue and both were facing away from the camera with their names written in the sand behind them.
“I have a busy week of talk shows ahead where I’ll be sharing about my new film and a fun partnership, but I figured what better day to share the names of my two little loves with you all first👼🏼👼🏼💝,” she wrote in the caption.
Aya and Ohm have already started speaking
During her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon the same day, Swank gave an update on her “little Cupid Valentines.” After meeting them backstage, host Jimmy Fallon asked Swank if the babies had started speaking yet.
"My daughter ... the first thing she started ever saying, she sounded like a morning dove. Like just a beautiful little morning dove. And then it turned into a growl. She growls, but like really commits," she joked.
Aside from the growling, Swank added that Aya was also saying hi to everything from the plants to the sun. As for her son, the baby boy is just "learning everything." In the meantime, they’ve developed a love for music.
"They love music, one of the first songs we played for them was 'Here Comes The Sun,' " Swank told Fallon. "It was rainy during the time they were born but we were like spring is coming and here comes the sun with you two bright little balls of light."