Chapter Seven
Niña Bonita
We gon' go crazy with this money
We do hot yoga, 92 degrees
Lourdes had invited Carmella to be a guest on her podcast, In Reality With Lourdes where she opened up about the ups and downs of her pregnancy journey, if she plans to return to the WWE post-baby, and more.
"We had so much fun at your baby shower," Lourdes said.
Carmella smiled.
"Yes, we did," Carmella said.
"What cravings or pregnancy symptoms have you been experiencing? I know in your first trimester, you were very vocal about experiencing morning sickness," Lourdes said.
"Yeah, I mean, it was more like all-day sickness. I feel like it's crazy. I had no idea how rough it would be in the first trimester. You hear about morning sickness, you get, you know, a little tired here and there. But for me, it was debilitating. I was so tired. I felt so sick all the time. And I'm like, 'Why does nobody talk about this? How come nobody told me it would be this bad?' Not that it would have changed anything," Carmella said.
"But now that I'm in the third trimester, I got to feel so much more myself in the second trimester, and I get why people forget about how awful the first trimester is because now I'm just kind of like living my life as normal and I feel like myself again. But I will say that the first trimester is rough as far as cravings go. I'm not craving anything in particular. I'm leaning into more of the fresh fruits and veggies now because the first trimester was all just like pizza and carbs and pasta and things like that. So now I can finally get back on track with what I normally am eating. So I'm just kind of trying to find a healthy balance between the two," Carmella explained.
"You have been open about your pregnancy struggles on social media, talking about your miscarriages and experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. What made you want to open up about your journey?" Lourdes asked.
"It wasn't something that I initially thought I would share but I had the first miscarriage and I just kept it to myself. I didn't say anything. I just thought, 'Okay, well, this is what you do. You just deal with it, you move on.' And then when it happened again, it was just sort of isolating. I felt alone. I felt like I was blaming myself, like, 'Why is this happening to me again?' And I just thought I needed to share it for myself, because I was a different person, because after losing two babies, you know, it changed me," Carmella answered, trying to not tear up.
"I also felt like if there's one positive spin I can put on all of this, I can maybe help one other person that's going through it. [...] I mean, even some of my girlfriends [said] that they went through it and they didn't tell anyone. And like they were thanking me for sharing my story. [...] I can't imagine dealing with such a devastating loss and dealing with it by yourself and it's just sort of led me to be more open with everything as far as the miscarriages, the losses, the struggle with fertility, the even sharing my pregnancy journey, as I said, people don't talk about how hard it is in the beginning. [...] I was struggling those first few months. And I just think it's, it's something that I'm working on right now a project where we can be more open and have conversations about these things. Because it's almost a stigma around, you know, loss and around infertility and around, you know, feeling sad about being pregnant and your body changing and things that people don't want to talk about it. So something that I think is very important to share and be open with," Carmella continued.
Lourdes nodded.
"Are you planning to return to the WWE post-baby?" Lourdes asked.
"I want to go back. [...] I'm someone who likes to be, you know, active and keep busy. So it's hard, I think, to go from working so much all the time and being on the road all the time to the exact opposite. I want to go back; I think it's important to show that you can be a mom and still have a career especially a very physical one. That being said, I want to take my time going back, I don't want to rush. Having a baby and delivering a baby in and of itself is such a huge physical toll on the body. So I want to make sure I feel great both physically and mentally before I go back," Carmella answered.
"When you return to the WWE, are you planning to bring the family on the road with you?" Lourdes asked.
"Oh, see, that's what I'm torn. It's not fair to do that to a baby, to bring my baby on the road. I don't know how I feel about it. I didn't do that the first time around. But being away from the baby will be difficult as well. I will have my mom around full-time to help out which I'm very grateful for. So I guess we'll cross that bridge to get there. Right now, I'm just focusing on a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and then someday down the line getting back to work and all working out. And you know I have a lot of things going on in Miami so I have a lot to plan," Carmella answered.
"You guys live in Miami now, right?" Lourdes asked Carmella.
Carmella nods.
"Yes, we do. We are bicoastal now or should I say tricoastal, because we still have our New Jersey, Las Vegas, and L.A. properties, but we mostly split our time between Miami and New Jersey," Carmella answered.
"What made you guys move to Miami?" Lourdes asked Carmella.
"Well, we were in Los Angeles for a good minute but Ronnie felt like he needed a change of scenery and just a change of pace in his life. We love Miami because my mom's side of the family lives there and she moved there after she and my dad separated so it was like why not? Plus Ronnie is opening up a new business. It's a sneaker store called SneakerClinic. Miami was the perfect location for it," Carmella explained.
"Your parents separated, why?" Lourdes asked.
"I think my parents love each other but sometimes when resentment is greater than the love you have to get out of there," Carmella answered.
"I know a lot of people when their parents split they pick sides. Was that the case for you?" Lourdes asked.
Carmella shakes her head no.
"No, I didn't pick sides because I know they're going to get back together. They just need time apart, they've been together since they were thirteen. I think sometimes you just need space to breathe. Ronnie and I often have days where we need to regroup by ourselves and then come back together and talk things out," Carmella answered.
"Really?" Lourdes asked.
"Yeah," Carmella replied before playing her hair. "For example when you and Luis, first broke up, that was just an extended version of okay we need time apart to see if we are meant to be and you guys got back together and are stronger than ever. I believe people shouldn't force themselves to stick around when they are burned out because it makes them resent the people around them. When you need a break, you better take it and come back better than ever," Carmella told Lourdes.
Lourdes nodded.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Lourdes said.
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Luis was ranting about something to Demi when Lourdes texted him that she got the results from her NIPT (Non-invasive prenatal testing).
NIPT is a blood test that screens for Down syndrome and other chromosomal conditions – and it can tell you whether you're having a boy or a girl.
Luis and Lourdes wanted to know the gender of their baby sooner than later because of their busy schedules. Lourdes promised to tell Luis the gender as soon as she got the results. Lourdes sent him a personalized message with the words: It's A Girl!
Luis cheered.
"What are you so happy about?" Demi asked Luis.
Luis put his phone away and shook his head.
"Nothing," Luis answered as he and Lourdes weren't ready to tell anyone about the pregnancy.
"As your best friend, I don't know if I should be offended that you won't tell me that Lourdes is pregnant or excited that you're having a baby girl," Demi said.
Hearing the words come out of Demi's mouth had Luis frozen with his mouth agape as he looked at her.
"You should turn down the brightness on your phone, Louie," Demi said with a smirk.
Luis pointed a finger at her. "You can't let Lourdes know that you know she's pregnant. She wants to do a reveal for everyone," Luis told Demi.
Demi holds a finger to her lips. "Your secret is safe with me but I'm super happy for you both," Demi said.
Luis smiled.
"Thank you," Luis said before letting out a squeal that had Demi laughing. "I'm going to be a Girl Dad," Luis cheered.
"Congrats, I can't wait to see the little one deck out in purple and black outfits," Demi said.
Luis chuckled.
"My bank account is about to be hurting," Luis said.
Demi laughed.
"Oh yeah. Big time," Demi said.
Later that week, Luis returns home from the road and Lourdes is waiting for him by the front door. Excited to see him after being a part for a couple of days.
"Hey, baby daddy," Lourdes said, greeting Luis at the front door.
Luis picked her up, Lourdes wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed his lips. "Hey, baby mama," Luis said, smiling.
"Who would have thought that this would be us after that emotional ass breakup," Lourdes said.
"I did. I knew I was going to get you back, Lolo, I told you I regretted breaking up with you," Luis said.
"Mhmm," Lourdes said.
Luis smirked before pulling her jaw towards him and kissing her deeply. "I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making sure you and our children are always happy," Luis said.
"I like the sound of that," Lourdes said.
Lourdes pecked Luis' lips before jumping back onto the ground. "We have to start shopping for our baby girl," Lourdes told him.
"We just found out," Luis said.
"Yeah, but prices vary," Lourdes said.
Luis sighed.
"Can we go after I take a shower and a nap?" Luis asked Lourdes.
Lourdes nods.
"Of course and I can use a nap too," Lourdes said.