Tom Cruise Reveals The Reality Behind Rumors That Katie Holmes Had To Stay 'Silent' While Giving Birth
Scientologist women are encouraged to be quiet while giving birth.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock / Instagram Before Katie Holmes ended her marriage to Tom Cruise and removed their daughter from the Church of Scientology, the couple frequently made headlines for their role in the church.
One such headline that circulated around the time of Suri Cruise's April 2006 birth featured speculation that Holmes was required to stay entirely silent while in labor.
In 2005, People Magazine published a report claiming a then-pregnant Holmes would have to give birth without pain medications and — worse still — would have to keep that pain to herslef.
Scientology allegedly required Katie Holmes to have 'silent birth.'
However, despite the sensationalism of the story at the time, there have been conflicting accounts about whether Holmes actually had to practice this ritual.
In October 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting their first child together. As they prepared to welcome their baby, rumors surrounding the child’s birth began to swirl.,
Due to Cruise’s Scientology beliefs, many assumed that Holmes would be expected to have a “silent birth.”
The idea of silent birth comes from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard himself.
He believed that unborn children could be affected negatively by the sounds of their mother crying or groaning while in labor and “found that words spoken during moments of pain and unconsciousness can have adverse effects on an individual later in life.”
People also assumed that Holmes was not allowed to take any pain relief while giving birth.
While silent birth encourages mothers not to scream or cry while giving birth, others believe that laboring mothers are not to make any noise at all.
One rumor stated that Cruise had even designed a special mouthpiece for Holmes to wear during labor to keep her quiet.
Kelly Preston also practiced 'silent birth' while in labor with her youngest son.
Preston, who was a high-profile Scientologist before her death in 2020, opened up about her silent birth during the birth of her and John Travolta’s youngest son, Benjamin, during an interview on the TODAY show in 2011.
Preston shared that Hubbard believed that babies hearing their mother's agony during the birthing process leads to "psychosomatic illnesses, stress, fears, [and] worry" later in life.
Therefore, she was adamant about having a peaceful and silent birth to avoid any difficulties her baby may experience later in life as a result of the birth.
Tom Cruise debunked rumors that Holmes was expected to remain quiet while giving birth.
Leading up to the birth of his daughter, Suri, with Holmes, Cruise cleared up misunderstandings surrounding the practice of silent birth in an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2006.
He claims that the mother is not forbidden from making any noises she wants, however, others in the room are expected to remain silent and respect her space.
“It’s basically about respecting the mother,” Cruise said. “The mother makes as much noise and she’s going through it.”
He added that there was no mouthpiece for laboring mothers to bite down on and that they were allowed to have pain relief if they wanted it.
“I’m not gonna tell Kate [what to do]... if she needs an epidural, she’s gonna get an epidural,” Cruise said.
“If she’s gonna make noise, she’s gonna make noise. But why have other people make noise? You want that area very calm and to make it very special.”
According to a Scientology parenting website, the Church has no policy against the use of pain medicines during labor and it is up to doctors and the mother if they wish to administer them.
Additionally, Scientologist women do not have to adhere to the practice of silent birth.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.