Oct. 8 (UPI) -- James Van Der Beek is going to be a dad of six.
The 42-year-old actor confirmed wife Kimberly Van Der Beek's pregnancy in an Instagram post Monday after announcing the news on Dancing with the Stars.
Van Der Beek and his wife are already parents to Olivia, 9, Joshua, 7, Annabel, 5, and Emilia, 3. The couple are "thrilled" to be expecting again after several miscarriages.
"Thrilled beyond belief to announce that another little bundle of joy has picked us to be their family," Van Der Beek wrote. "We chose to have our first ultrasound on camera with our #DWTS crew capturing the result -- something I NEVER thought we'd ever do... but @vanderkimberly and I have been through three of those appointments to discover either no heartbeat, or no baby, and she wanted to share this moment."
Van Der Beek said he and his wife have been open about their experience in an effort to destigmatize miscarriages and encourage people to seek support.
"Miscarriage (a word that needs a replacement -- nobody failed to 'carry', these things sometimes just happen) is something that people rarely talk about, and often go through in secret. But there needs to be zero shame around it, or around giving yourself the time and space to grieve," the star said.
"We decided to put ourselves out there - not knowing what we'd find -- in an effort to chip away at any senseless stigma around this experience and to encourage people who might be going through it to open themselves up to love & support from friends and family when they need it most," he added.
Kimberly Van Der Beek went public about her miscarriages in September 2018. Van Der Beek subsequently reflected on grief in an emotional Instagram post.
"It will tear you open like nothing else. It's painful and it's heartbreaking on levels deeper than you may have ever experienced. So don't judge your grief, or try to rationalize your way around it," he advised. "Let it flow in the waves in which it comes, and allow it it's rightful space."
Van Der Beek is partnered with Emma Slater in Dancing with the Stars Season 28. The pair performed a quickstep to "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves during Monday's episode.
