For seasons, the question of children has hung over the beloved Chicago Fire couple, Lieutenant Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Lieutenant Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo). Their marriage, a cornerstone of Firehouse 51, felt complete—save for the pitter-patter of tiny feet. While fans eagerly awaited the news, the characters themselves faced deep-seated hesitations, particularly on Stella’s part, which made their journey to parenthood complex and fraught with emotional roadblocks.
The highly-anticipated Season 13 finale delivered the ultimate shock, and subsequent interviews with the show’s creative team have confirmed the extraordinary news: Stella Kidd is officially pregnant! This pivotal development, which came after a grueling season exploring adoption and Stella’s fears, is not just a happy ending—it’s a massive, stakes-raising twist that will redefine the Stellaride relationship and the future of Firehouse 51.
While Taylor Kinney himself maintains his characteristic low-profile, the showrunner Andrea Newman has been candid about why the writers chose this path and the emotional rollercoaster awaiting the couple, teasing a new arrival that will dramatically “amp everything up” for the two dedicated firefighters.
🤯 The Unexpected Pregnancy Twist
The journey to baby news was anything but straightforward for Severide and Kidd. Throughout the season, they explored various paths to expanding their family, with Stella initially leaning heavily toward adoption due to her deep-seated anxieties about pregnancy and motherhood, fears rooted in her traumatic childhood.
From Adoption to Baby Bump
- The Adoption Journey: The couple committed fully to the idea of adoption, even coming heartbreakingly close to taking home an infant in a powerful episode that ended in disappointment when the birth mother changed her mind. This setback, however, proved to be a critical turning point.
- Stella’s Empowerment: Showrunner Andrea Newman explained that Stella’s journey—exploring her past trauma, dealing with a troubled relative, and experiencing the adoption setback—was about her “coming to believe in herself enough to be ready for whatever parenthood was going to look like.” The loss of the adopted baby, rather than breaking them, bonded the couple and cleared Stella’s emotional hurdles.
- “Left It to the Fates”: With her fears conquered and her relationship with Severide stronger than ever, Stella reportedly “left it a little bit to the fates,” according to Newman. This led to the ultimate surprise: a positive pregnancy test, confirming the most unexpected joy for the couple.
The pregnancy twist allows the show to explore a fresh narrative angle: the experience of a female lieutenant/firefighter navigating pregnancy and motherhood within the physically demanding world of the Chicago Fire Department—a storyline that has been notably rare since Gabriela Dawson’s ill-fated pregnancy in early seasons.
🔥 Higher Stakes: Severide and Stella’s New Normal
While the gender of the baby (girl or boy) remains a closely guarded secret designed to build suspense for the new season, the consequences of this pregnancy for Severide and Stella’s lives are immediate and profound.
The Stakes Are “Dialed Up”
The showrunners confirmed that the pregnancy storyline will be used to heighten the central conflict for first-responder parents: the constant threat of leaving their child an orphan.
- Stella’s Core Fear: This fear is acutely personal for Stella, whose own childhood involved significant instability. Now, the danger inherent in her job becomes a double-edged sword. Every time she or Severide runs into a burning building, the stakes are magnified by the life they are creating at home.
- Severide’s New Role: While Severide has always been driven by duty, his reaction to the pregnancy news—described by the showrunner as “so happy and so joyous”—signals a complete shift in his priorities. The often-impulsive squad lieutenant will have to confront his own mortality and make choices about his high-risk career, potentially sparking internal conflict that has been absent since his return.
This heightened tension promises to test the Stellaride marriage in new ways while keeping them in love, providing a dramatic yet emotionally grounded narrative for the upcoming season.
⏳ The Time Jump and Fan Speculation
The reveal in the Season 13 finale means the show will likely utilize its traditional between-seasons time jump to progress the pregnancy, ensuring Stella’s maternity leave doesn’t take her off-screen for an extended period.
Navigating Season 14
- The Timeframe: Fans speculate that Season 14 will likely pick up with Stella several months into her pregnancy, possibly placing her around her second trimester when she would need to transition into light-duty or administrative roles at Firehouse 51. This would allow actress Miranda Rae Mayo to continue to be a central part of the show while realistically addressing the professional impact of her condition.
- The Gender Guess: While the baby’s gender is unknown, the adoption storyline introduced a vulnerable teen girl named Natalie, who expressed interest in Stella’s Girls on Fire program. This previous focus on a young female mentee has led a significant portion of the fandom to believe that the writers will gift Severide and Stella a baby girl to fully lean into Stella’s legacy and mentorship dreams.
- The Name Game: The other major fan preoccupation is the baby’s name. Will Severide honor his late father, Benny? Will Stella honor a fallen friend like Shay? Or will they choose a completely fresh start for their new chapter?
The confirmation of the pregnancy has delivered the BABY JOY fans have long desired, while simultaneously injecting a fresh dose of drama, danger, and emotional weight into the heart of Firehouse 51. The journey of Severide and Stella into parenthood promises to be the most compelling and high-stakes storyline of the upcoming season.
