Mark Zuckerberg Expecting A Baby With Wife Priscilla Chan

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are expecting their first child together.

Mark Zuckerberg Going To Be A Dad

Facebook founder Zuckerberg announed Chan’s pregnancy on the social media site Friday. In a picture accompanying the message, Zuckerberg can be seen standing proudly behind Chan, who is resting her hands under her baby bump. The couple’s dog Beast also makes an appearance in the family photo.

“Priscilla and I have some exciting news: we’re expecting a baby girl!” Zuckerberg wrote. “This will be a new chapter in our lives. We’ve already been so fortunate for the opportunity to touch people’s lives around the world — Cilla as a doctor and educator, and me through this community and philanthropy. Now we’ll focus on making the world a better place for our child and the next generation.”

In addition to sharing the joyous news about becoming first-time parents, Zuckerberg also took the opportunity to reveal that they went through three miscarriages while trying for a baby.

“We want to share one experience to start. We’ve been trying to have a child for a couple of years and have had three miscarriages along the way,” Zuckerberg explained. “You feel so hopeful when you learn you’re going to have a child. You start imagining who they’ll become and dreaming of hopes for their future. You start making plans, and then they’re gone. It’s a lonely experience.”

“Most people don’t discuss miscarriages because you worry your problems will distance you or reflect upon you — as if you’re defective or did something to cause this. So you struggle on your own,” Zuckerberg added. “In today’s open and connected world, discussing these issues doesn’t distance us; it brings us together. It creates understanding and tolerance, and it gives us hope.”

Zuckerberg, 31, and Chan, 30, met at Harvard University when he was a sophomore and she was a freshman. The tech entrepreneur married Chan, who finished up her medical residency earlier this summer, in 2012.

“Cilla and our child are both healthy, I’m extremely excited to meet her and our dog Beast has no idea what’s coming,” Zuckerberg wrote. “In our ultrasound, she even gave me a thumbs up “like” with her hand, so I’m already convinced she takes after me. We’re looking forward to welcoming her into the world and sharing more soon when she’s ready to come out and meet everyone!”