'Immense joy': Peta Murgatroyd expecting second baby with Maksim Chmerkovskiy after multiple miscarriages
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are expecting their second baby after multiple miscarriages. The 'Dancing With the Stars' alum, 36, who has been really candid about her fertility journey, announced the pregnancy news via Instagram on Friday, January 13. The professional dancer shared a series of pictures of herself flaunting her growing baby bump while captioning the post, “We have a healthy bun in the oven.” The couple welcomed their first child, now six-year-old Shai in July 2017.
The caption further read, "It brings me immense joy to finally announce that @maksimc and I are expecting our Chmerkovskiy #2," she captioned photos of her growing baby bump. "After 2 years of constant struggle and heartache, 3 miscarriages, and a failed embryo transfer…we have a healthy bun in the oven :)) It was a shock to all of us and we found out right before I was going in for my second round of IVF." She also extended her gratitude towards her fans, followers, and everyone who was part of her pregnancy journey in the caption.
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She wrote in the caption, "I want to thank ALL OF YOU who've been on this fertility journey with me from the beginning." "It feels like I'm sharing this news with my extended family. Thank you for sharing your stories and tips to get me through my IVF cycle and thank you for the plethora of encouraging comments and DM's …I read them all," the caption added.
In an interview in June 2022, while candidly discussing their struggle with infertility, the New-Zealand born ballroom dancer, also revealed that their son, Shai, frequently asked for having a sibling."It was a lot some days," she admitted at the time. "Very emotional because I didn't know what to tell him anymore. I told him the first two times, but I kept it vague. I didn't make it into this whole, 'Oh my God, we're having a baby,' thing. I just said, 'Be careful with Mummy's belly. She has a baby in there,'" as per People.
The pair further revealed that Peta experienced her first miscarriage in a Whole Foods bathroom in 2020. “I was sitting in the bathroom sobbing,” the Aussie recalled to People. “That was something that will probably live with me for the rest of my life, being on that toilet by myself, knowing what was happening and not being able to stop it.” Peta continued by describing two more miscarriages, saying that at the time she felt "ashamed" and "embarrassed." Maksim said he was "really upset" over the losses. “I never thought that two healthy, athletic people could be in a predicament like this,” he told the magazine. “It’s a lot to process.” After consulting a fertility expert, the couple did, however, feel "hope and positivity."
In order to start the IVF procedure, Peta underwent an egg extraction that same month. She had polycystic ovary syndrome. “We retrieved 40 eggs 😱 out of 27 follicles,” she told her Instagram followers in June 2022. “One nurse said it was the highest number she’d seen 🤣 Keep your fingers crossed everyone that we have a few little Chmerkovskiy’s waiting for us soon!”
The choreographer was in the "final stages" of the procedure by July 2022. “There should be — fingers crossed — a pregnancy pretty soon,” Murgatroyd told 'Entertainment Tonight' at the time. “This is the path for us.” She admitted that the method had failed in an emotional Instagram video the following month. “This too shall pass,” she captioned the August 2022 video she shared.
Maksim, 42, also shared about the couple's journey to expand their family to E! News in October 2022, "We still want a family that's bigger than what we are." "We are still going to continue attempts and we'll see what happens, regardless of the fact we're going to have a bigger family whether through adoption or whatever this may be." Then he emphasized, "This is not over for us." Peta, and Maksim, will welcome their new bundle of joy in June.