Monique Samuelsnever anticipated the outpouring of support and kindness that would come her way when she revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage.
The Real Housewives of Potomacstar and mother of two opened up about the painful loss on an April episode of the hit Bravo series, filmed the prior year.
“When I first shared my story, I didn’t even realize how manypeople had experienced miscarriagesbefore,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue. “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.”
“It kind of haunts you,” she admits. “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.”
Monique Samuels
Adding to her fears was the fact that in week eight, doctors found two tears in Monique’s placenta that were causing subchorionic hemorrhages — a complication that could lead to pregnancy loss.
Her doctor prescribed Monique plenty of rest, meaning no workouts, no chores and no sex. “I could not do anything at all,” she says. “He told me, ‘You just need to lay around.’ And that was hard because I’m such a busybody,I like to stay active. But I did what I was told.”
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“We just wanted to be sure,” she says, adding that she’s been focusing on the good things to put the fear of miscarriage out of her mind. “I’m staying positive, staying encouraged, and trying to take it easy. I’m not trying to stressand making sure I eat right… I feel great.”
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And though she hasn’t experienced any morning sickness, Monique has been feeling exhaustion throughout. “I tell Chris, his babies are greedy from the time they’re conceived,” she jokes. “You knowhow when you’re really hungry, you feel almost famished? Like, ‘I got to eat or else I’m going to pass out’? Well when I’m pregnant, I have that feeling the entire pregnancy.”
All in all, Monique says the experience has changed the way she looks at her pregnancy.
“I appreciate it way more because I realize some of the things that could happen down the road if youwere going to lose or miscarryagain,” she says. “It definitely taught me to value the experience of being pregnant even more than before.”
“This just happened — we weren’t really trying again,” Monique says. “Idid acupuncture forhormonal balance and increased fertility after my miscarriage but my hormones were totally thrown off from losing the pregnancy, so it was a complete shock when I found out.”
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She continues, “It’s a great surprise and Chris is like, ‘Well, I want more kids.’ But those 13 weeks of just having zero energy were torture. I felt, like, good for nothing. We’ll see if I can do it again.”
The Real Housewives of Potomacairs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.
For more fromMonique Samuels, pick up this week’s issue ofPEOPLE,on newsstands Friday.
source: people.com
