Notorious star Julia Pace Mitchell is pregnant with her first child.

The actress, best known for her role in long-running U.S. soap The Young and the Restless, is due to give birth to a baby boy in May (13).

She and her husband Stephen L. Hightower plan to name the tot Stephen L. Hightower Iii, and Pace Mitchell admits she is excited to become a mother after acting out a delivery onscreen.

She says, "I feel so blessed and hopeful about becoming a mommy for the first time. I'm sure giving birth in real life will take a lot longer than on Tv!"

Pace Mitchell married businessman Hightower in 2011.