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The Real Housewives of Potomac season 8 alum Nneka Ihim, spoke about her pregnancy journey in an exclusive interview with People on January 22, 2025. During the interview, Ihim said that she was expecting her first child with her husband, Dr. Ikenna Ihim.
She also noted that while they were happy about their pregnancy, they were also grieving the loss of one of their twins. They lost one of the babies during the eighth week of the pregnancy.
"There's trauma within the celebration. But at the same time, we've been through this for so long and God has finally blessed us with this pregnancy, so we're trying to be very optimistic here," Nneka said.
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The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member discussed how she had mixed feelings about the pregnancy. She said that after years of fertility struggles, she and her husband finally managed to get pregnant with twins. However, the joy turned into sadness when they lost one of the babies.
It is worth noting that the couple had reportedly struggled with getting pregnant for years. They had to deal with unsuccessful rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) before they conceived.
The Real Housewives of Potomac star Nneka's fertility journey
Nneka Ihim and her husband, Dr. Ikenna, went through many challenges to start their family. While she was on The Real Housewives of Potomac, Nneka shared her experience trying intrauterine insemination (IUI), but the procedure was unsuccessful. Her doctor encouraged her to try in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Although Nneka was hesitant at first, she decided to give it a try. Their first two IVF attempts did not work and she said that while she was hopeful that it would work, when it didn't, she "entered a dark period."
She also mentioned the financial challenges of IVF, stating that the medication alone was $5000 while the egg retrieval was around $24,000, and the transfer was $7000. She said that the IVF didn't work and they began looking into surrogacy, even paying a deposit for the same.
However, they decided to try IVF one last time in September 2024, using frozen embryos. Shortly after the procedure, The Real Housewives of Potomac star discovered she was pregnant. She shared that she took a pregnancy test three days after the transfer and noticed a faint line, which was confirmed by her doctors.
Nneka reflected on coping with the loss of one of her twins
At her eight-week check-up, The Real Housewives of Potomac star Nneka Ihim found out that one of the twins no longer had a heartbeat. She shared how hard the news was to process, saying that "it felt incomplete once the other one was gone."
She explained that she spent several days in bed, finding it difficult to move forward. With the support of her husband, doctor, and community, Nneka said she started focusing on the health of the baby she was still carrying. She also found strength in her faith and the encouragement she received from friends and online IVF forums, which she said became her "sanctuary."
Nneka noted that the connections she made helped her through the experience. Now over halfway through her pregnancy, Nneka stated that she was concentrating on preparing for her baby.
"After losing the twin, it'd be very easy to sit here every day like, 'Is there a heartbeat? Is everything going to be okay?' But I just have to have faith that's not going to happen," she said.
The reality star reflected on how she continues to focus on the positive while acknowledging the loss as part of her journey.
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Potomac air every Sunday at 8 pm ET on Bravo.
