Getty Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson
“Dancing With the Stars” couple Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy welcomed their first child in early January, a little boy named Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy. But as the pro dancer detailed in a new Instagram post, it was not without a lot of “heartache” along the way.
Here’s what Chmerkovskiy had to say about the process of having a child.
Val Chmerkovskiy Wanted to Be Honest About the ‘Heartache’ & ‘Fights’ They’ve Experienced
On February 7, Chmerkovskiy and Johnson debuted their son on Instagram, showing off his face for the first time and revealing his name, which is Rome. But on Chmerkovskiy’s post, he wrote a comment thanking everyone for their support and telling other couples that are maybe struggling with having a baby that he and Johnson have been there and he knows what they’re going through.
“I wanted to say thank you for the kindness you have shown me, us. This has been truly a special time for me. I do have to be honest and say that it hasn’t always been easy,” wrote Chmerkovskiy.
But he went on to say that they have struggled and cried and fought along the way to having a son.
Chmerkovskiy writes:
So for all of the women and men that see this picture and potentially feel triggered or anxious, I wanted to remind you that we too struggled. We too waited, and tried, and failed many many times. And as much joy as this has been, it also has been extremely demanding and challenging. The thing is pictures with baby poop or tears, or the countless negative pregnancy tests, the fights, the tears, the hard… none of those make for a cute instagram post. So with this beautiful picture that I captured and captioned “absolute joy” it is merely the tip of an iceberg of chaos, heartache, and a whole lot of soul searching. You are not late, you are not wrong, there is nothing wrong with you.
He also said that “everyone is on their own path at their own pace on their own time.”
“I wanted to be honest about that because for a few years now I’ve been on the receiving end of ‘when are you gonna have kids already,’ ‘what are you waiting for,’ ‘sooo are you getting the father vibes now that you’re an uncle,’ so irresponsible to ask but also understandable,” wrote Chmerkovskiy.
Chmerkovskiy Also Said He Lost His Taste for Social Media For A While
In the lengthy message to fans, the pro dancer also said that for a while, he lost his desire to be active on social media because he felt like no one was really interested in what he had to say.
“Social media is not the place to have heart to hearts, and even though that has always been my m.o. on here, I kind of lost it,” wrote Chmerkovskiy. “I lost the desire to share my truth, my POV on here because it felt like no one was really all that interested, besides it getting lost in the noise. I guess it got too noisy for me.”
But he finished by saying that for his fans who have followed along on their journey to welcoming baby Rome to their family, he thanks them so much for their support.
“But for those still interested, still listening, for those that are still here whom the algorithm still gives a chance to engage in my, our lil journey, I once again want to thank you for all the years of kindness and support. Thank you! This is my son. Rome and I love him very very much!!!!” concluded Chmerkovskiy.
In the comments, many fellow “Dancing With the Stars” family members left their well-wishes to the new family of three.
“Two of my very favorite people in this pic ❤️❤️ love you all so much!” wrote pro Lindsay Arnold.
“Look at that little smiiiile,” wrote former troupe member Britt Cherry.
Former contestant Ricki Lake wrote, “What a sweet soul!” and Chmerkovskiy’s season 22 partner Ginger Zee added, “Bursting” with heart emojis.
On her own post debuting baby Rome, Johnson wrote, “Cannot believe it’s been 4 weeks of being completely infatuated with you. Thank you for bursting my heart wide open and showing me what unconditional love is. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!! **the left dimple melts me every time.”