Getty Jenna Johnson
New mom and “Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Jenna Johnson shared an encouraging message to fans who asked for advice about being a new mother.
In an Instagram Q&A session on her now-expired Stories, Johnson wrote about what it has been like for her as a mother to her son, Rome, since giving birth six weeks ago.
“Embrace ALL of it,” Johnson wrote alongside a photo of herself and her son in the hospital. “This is the last time it will be your ‘first.’ There are so many beautiful moments in those first couple of weeks with your precious baby. Even during the sleepless/emotional day and nights, the mesh undies you have to change every couple of hours, the body that is yours but doesn’t feel like yours, and the outrageous hormones that make you question whether you’re capable of this new role …”
She added, “It’s all part of YOUR journey. You’ve got this!!”
Johnson Is 6 Weeks Postpartum & Has Shared Health Updates Since Giving Birth
Johnson and her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, welcomed Rome on January 10, 2023, and the new mom has now gotten back into working out.
“Our world is forever changed,” the couple wrote alongside an image of their hands intertwined with their baby’s fingers. “1.10.23.”
In a photo she uploaded to her Instagram Stories, Johnson sits cross-legged at the gym and takes a selfie in the mirror just one month after giving birth to Rome.
“And while at the gym I was confronted with many different emotions… -anxiety because I missed my baby -excitement cause my body has been craving movement -humility,” she wrote in the post. “Having to accept that I’m weak and feel as though I’m in a foreign body. slowly needing to rebuild my strength.”
She added, “I looked in the mirror and finally took a deep breath out remembering that I just gave birth and shouldn’t have ANY expectations for myself. Postpartum is a trip.”
Johnson Gave Fans a Look at Rome’s First 6 Weeks
In a February 21, 2023, photo dump on Instagram, Johnson shared a look into her first six weeks as a mother and Rome’s first six weeks of life. In the photos, Rome meets his cousin, Shai, and his aunt and uncle, Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy.
There are also photos of Johnson and Val cuddling in bed with baby Rome and smiling at professional dancer Kiki Nyemchek.
Lastly, Johnson shared a photo of the family on their first flight back to Utah together. She later teased a new project alongside her husband but would not say exactly why the couple was back in Utah together.
The professional dancer has shared that she is back to dancing just a month after giving birth, however, and she may return to “Dancing With the Stars” when it returns in the fall of 2023 with an all-new season on Disney+, though nothing is set in stone at the time of writing.
Johnson and Chmerkovskiy met on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2014 and began dating soon after. After just a few years, they got engaged and later married.
“My life has changed because of [her],” Chmerkovskiy told People magazine in 2018. “And I find myself to be the best version of myself that I’ve ever been. She’s awesome.”