Teddi Mellencamp Feels ‘Guilty’ Over IVF Struggle, Son’s Heart Condition

Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave opened up about the struggles she faced with in vitro fertilization and the dark days surrounding the birth of her 3-year-old son, Cruz.

The brand new 36-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member sat down with her husband, Edwin Arroyave, and castmates Dorit and Paul Kemsley on Tuesday’s episode of the Bravo show to discuss the trauma they went through during her pregnancy with their second child. The couple is also parents to 5-year-old daughter, Slate.

The admitted they weren’t interested in having any more children after what they went through with Cruz.

“We had a really scary delivery with Cruz,” Teddi said, explaining that her son wasn’t breathing when he was born. “They put him on me and one of the nurses was like, ‘He’s not okay, Code Blue.’ And I was just sitting there, and he wasn’t breathing.”

When Cruz was rushed to the NICU, Edwin said he was shocked.

“I just remember my sisters were in the room and they’re crying. [Teddi’s] crying. I was like, ‘Holy crap,’ ” he said. “I was just praying like, ‘Lord, give me one more chance. I’ll never do this again.’ “

Edwin then revealed that the “this” he was referring to was selecting the baby’s sex while going through in vitro fertilization.

“I made sure it was a boy,” he told the Kemsleys, with Teddi adding that they had 11 female eggs and one male to choose from. “I kept saying, ‘I want the boy, I want the boy.’ “

The couple said they felt like they were being punished for being so picky about the sex.

“I’m his mother. My job is to protect him, and that little bit of me who felt like I was selecting something — I choose for him to be a boy, God didn’t choose for me — it’ll always make me feel a little guilty,” Teddi said.

“IVF is one of the hardest things you can go through as a woman,” she added. “One of your biggest jobs is to make babies and when you can’t, you feel sad cause you’re not able to make your baby. And you also feel sad cause you feel like you’re failing.”

Cruz was diagnosed with a heart condition, in which one of his valves is “like, a rusty valve,” according to Teddi, but the little boy is in good condition now.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Photo credit: Instagram/@teddimellencamp