‘RHOP’ Star Monique Samuels Says Past Miscarriage ‘Haunts’ Her Current Pregnancy

Real Housewives of Potomac star Monique Samuels is celebrating her ongoing pregnancy, but is still reflecting on her past miscarriage, she revealed in a new interview with PEOPLE.

“When I first shared my story, I didn’t even realize how many people had experienced miscarriages before,” she told the publication. “It was amazing to have that support and to realize that I wasn’t alone. And to show so many of these women too that they can get through this.”

Things are looking a lot rosier for the Bravo star now, having recently revealed that she and husband Chris Samuels are expecting another baby in December. The two already share daughter Milani, 3, and son Christopher, 5, and although she feels “blessed” to be expecting again, she is seeing pregnancy different this time around.

“It kind of haunts you,” she admitted. “The first times I was pregnant, it came so easily. I took that for granted. Now that I’m pregnant again, it’s almost like I second guess everything that I’m doing. Even with movement. I’m making sure I’m not moving too fast so I stretch my stomach. It’s something I didn’t think about with my first two pregnancies.”

She also suffered some complications early on in this pregnancy, when doctors found two tears in her placenta that were causing subchorionic hemorrhages.

“It was very scary,” she said. “They say it’s not uncommon, but if the placenta detaches completely from the wall, you could lose the pregnancy [even if] the baby is healthy. … It just put more stress on the table. I was a week further along than I was in my last pregnancy. I thought I was past all that. Like, ‘Oh God, I don’t want [this] to happen again.’”

The tears did eventually heal, but the couple did still wait until 16 weeks to tell family.

“We just wanted to be sure,” she said. “I’m staying positive, staying encouraged, and trying to take it easy. I’m not trying to stress and making sure I eat right … I feel great.”

All in all, the trauma ended up influencing Samuels’ pregnancy in a positive way.

“I appreciate it way more because I realize some of the things that could happen down the road if you were going to lose or miscarry again,” she said. “It definitely taught me to value the experience of being pregnant even more than before.”

The Real Housewives of Potomac airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.