When she’s not performing in the ballroom, “Dancing with the Stars” pro Peta Murgatroyd is a proud mom to her 4-month-old son, Shai. He brings her so much joy; her wide smile on the cover of Fit Pregnancy and Baby’s June issue says it all.
Murgatroyd, 30, recounted to the magazine how she and her fiancé, fellow “Dancing with the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, reacted when they found out she was pregnant with the little guy. The results of the pregnancy test came as a big surprise to her.
“‘What?! How?!’ A tear went down my cheek, because I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking, ‘Do I go to work? Do I call 100 people?’” she said.
“I called Maks, who was in Vegas, and said, ‘Well, I’m pregnant.’ He thought I was kidding. When I told him I wasn’t, he said, ‘Wow, that’s good, babe’ in kind of a monotone. It was really weird! He added, ‘I’m in a car full of people. I love you so much. I’ll call you back.’ He did a few minutes later and he was absolutely thrilled and came straight home to celebrate.”
During the pregnancy, she said, she gained about 40 pounds but continued to exercise by lifting light weights, walking on an incline on a treadmill and doing Pilates.
“Keeping up my core strength helped me push during the delivery,” Murgatroyd said.
When the time came for Shai to make his debut, his mom and dad became emotional.
“Sometime during the night, my water broke. I pushed for 30 minutes and he was here!” she shared. “Suddenly my baby was on my chest. Maks and I were in shock for the first 30 seconds. Then Maks started to cry, and then I did too. Shai looked at me, took his first breath, and just made a little noise. It was the best day of my life.”
In the weeks afterward, she had to adjust to life after pregnancy. There was one moment in particular, not long after Shai's arrival, that was difficult on her.
“I still looked five months pregnant right after I gave birth. A friend who came to the hospital said, ‘Oh, you sure there’s not another one in there?’ I laughed, then went into the bathroom and cried,” she revealed to Fit Pregnancy and Baby.
“I’d just had this beautiful kid. I was high on life. That was a joke that I didn’t need to hear. Back home, I didn’t recognize my body. I had massive DDD boobs. It was overwhelming. So I posted a selfie on Instagram as a way to reach out to other women. I’m a dancer who is usually pretty damn fit, and I looked like a different person. Now I know you have to give yourself time.”
Murgatroyd competed on the current season of “Dancing with the Stars” alongside “Bachelor” Nick Viall until recently. It was an experience that, as a new mom, was both challenging and rewarding.
“When I returned to work I still had 20 to 25 extra pounds on me. It was tough,” she said. “But now, even with 10 pounds to go, I feel good. I want to show women you should be proud of where you are. Don’t always look into the future, or you’ll miss the now. That said, I’d love to have my pre-baby boobs back by my wedding day!”
Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy, 37, are planning to tie the knot at a castle on Long Island, New York, this summer. Shai will be involved in the ceremony and will join his parents on their honeymoon.
"Shai is the basis of our love, and we're just so happy," Murgatroyd gushed.
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