'Dancing With the Stars' Couple Welcomes First Baby
Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson are officially parents. The Dancing With the Stars couple took to Instagram Wednesday to share that they had welcomed their first child, a baby boy, the day prior on Jan. 10. Sharing a photo of their newborn son grabbing Johnson's thumb while Chmerkovskiy cradles both their hands, the new parents wrote in the caption that their "world is forever changed."
The happy news was met with a wave of congratulations from their Dancing With the Stars family, including judge Derek Hough and former longtime host Tom Bergeron. "Wowza !!!!! This is perfect!" Hough commented. "So happy for you all. A new beautiful family begins." Bergeron added, "Congratulations!! You're both embarking on the most rewarding dance of all."
Chmerkovskiy's brother, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, left his well-wishes with a string of red heart emojis, while his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, added a heart to her own simple comment, "He's here!" Chmerkovskiy's most recent Dancing With the Stars partner, former Bachelorette Gabby Windey, also showed her support, writing under the post, "Mom and dad!!! Congratulations!!"
The professional dancer couple's fellow DWTS pros also made sure to leave their love, with sweet comments being left by pros past and present, including Cheryl Burke, Emma Slater, Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Alan Bersten, Daniella Karagach, Sharna Burgess, Sasha Farber, Pasha Pashkov, Keo Motsepe and Brandon Armstrong.
Johnson, 28, first announced that she was pregnant back in July, calling it "our biggest dream come true yet." She continued, "Baby Chmerkovskiy coming this January! My heart has grown beyond comprehension while growing this little miracle inside of me. We can't wait to meet our precious angel."
Johnson has been open about her fertility journey over the years, and continued to be candid about the pregnancy process in a subsequent post. "We had actually stopped trying to conceive for about 6 months to mentally/emotionally give ourselves a break... so the shock, disbelief, and sheer joy in this moment is a memory I will never forget," she wrote of learning she was pregnant. "I want to keep this moment very positive because there is so much to celebrate and my heart is overflowing with gratitude, BUT our journey getting to this point wasn't an easy one."
"I remember watching people share these videos and aching because I wished so badly I could experience that joy," she continued. "After two years of infertility, and hundreds of negative tests after negative tests, it was heart-wrenching at times to stay optimistic and made me question whether I would ever have this opportunity... If any of you out there are struggling to get pregnant, suffering from infertility, or mourning a pregnancy loss... don't lose HOPE."