Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 11 of Chicago Med Season 11 in the 2026 TV schedule, called "Our So-Called Lives" and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.
Season 11 of Chicago Med has been an emotional rollercoaster for Hannah from the very beginning due to her pregnancy. Not only was she the subject of the rumor mill (and of her father's criticism), but she struggled with the possibility of dying in childbirth like her mother did, the very idea that Archer might be in love with her, and now watching him happily starting a relationship while her baby bump grows. The latest developments in "Our So-Called Lives" left Hannah on the verge of tears, but actress Jessy Schram was quite cheerful when she opened up to CinemaBlend about her wardrobe changes this season.
The episode did allay my concerns that Archer would try to keep his situation with Hannah a secret from Dr. Kingston, who he described this week as his "girlfriend." Hannah was nothing but encouraging for their relationship, and I still don't get the vibe that she's pining after him, but she just seemed more and more lonely in each of her scenes. Whether Dr. Kingston was second-guessing her about their mutual patient or she was watching the father of her child prioritizing another woman, Hannah just looked like she needed a shoulder to lean on, and she didn't have one available.
Credit to Jessy Schram for managing to portray Hannah as on the verge of tears at the very end, but tears not quite spilling over. I'm guessing that I'm not the only fan who just feels awful for Hannah not having much of a support system in a vulnerable time, especially since it's nobody's fault. Archer isn't crossing any lines since Hannah was the one to establish over and over that they're just friends having a baby. It's just a tough status quo for the ED's OB-GYN.
So, now seemed a great time to revisit what the actress cheerfully told me over winter hiatus in late 2025 about wearing the pregnancy belly while she's on Team Hannah. After sharing what it's like to wear "real-life people clothes" instead of scrubs in Hallmark movies, Schram shared:
Early on in the season, I was really pushing, like, 'Hey guys! When are we going to get the pregnancy belly? What are we doing? What are our weeks?' Like, really, super involved with it. And then I think it was after the first week that I wore it, I went, 'Oh my god, we're going to be doing this the whole season!' [laughs]
Not every plot twist makes it possible to track the passage of time on a TV show, but the size of a baby bump can do the trick! Hannah's pregnancy wasn't terribly visible before the dangerous fall finale, so it didn't appear that Schram's wardrobe changed too much. Now, however, Hannah clearly has a bun in the oven, and the actress has a whole new experience on set. She went on:
That being said, so far they've been very light. We've been figuring out the sizes. I've had a couple different bellies that I'm using. Some come in the form of jumpsuits. Some come in the form of just like a corset strap-on. So it's been a really interesting experience growing the belly on Hannah.
It's no surprise that there have been several different bellies, since Chicago Med has been following Hannah from the very beginning of her pregnancy to where she is now, halfway through Season 11. It should be interesting to see if she's at full term in time for a crisis in the finale, but I'm guessing she won't have boots on the ground out in the field in the upcoming One Chicago crossover.
As it turns out, the wardrobe change is having a physical effect on Jessy Schram, since she has had to change how she moves while filming on the medical drama. She explained:
It’s this weird effect that you put it on, even though the ones that we use on the daily basis aren't the super heavy ones that we're using, I'm still sitting in different ways. I'm walking in different ways. I'm pushing out my stomach where I'm like, 'Man, my lower back is really hurting!'
Does it count as method acting to get into character if your costume changes how you sit? I wouldn't blame Hannah if her back is hurting by this point in her pregnancy, considering she spent most of the latest episode on her feet. The actress continued:
There's this weird kind of sympathy thing that my body is playing into the second that I put the jumpsuit on. Even though it doesn't have a lot of weight, my body is really, really feeling this placebo pregnancy.
See what's next for Hannah with the last new episode of Chicago Fire before the 2026 Winter Olympics break, airing on Wednesday, February 4 at 8 p.m. ET. Hopefully she finds somebody to lean on sooner rather than later, because watching her look so lonely was heartbreaking. At least Jessy Schram was nothing but upbeat when laughing about wearing a fake belly in Season 11!
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