RHOP’s Nneka Ihim Expecting a Baby After Losing One Twin During IVF Journey
Nneka Ihim and her husband Dr. Ikenna Ihim are expecting their first child, marking a celebration that is “bittersweet.”
The Real Housewives of Potomac star announced her pregnancy on Wednesday, January 22, revealing a due date in May. Nneka shared with People that she has “always wanted to be a mom,” but her journey to a successful pregnancy has been challenging.
After trying to conceive for two years and undergoing three rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Nneka discovered she was expecting twins.
During her IVF process, two embryos—a boy and a girl—were implanted, but at her eight-week checkup, she received heartbreaking news: one of the babies had lost its heartbeat.
“We went in for an appointment and one of the twins no longer had a heartbeat,” Nneka recounted. “That was incredibly hard. I burst into tears the moment I walked out of my doctor’s office.”
She described the subsequent four days as excruciating, expressing that she felt “incomplete” after losing a twin.
“There’s trauma intertwined with our celebration,” she admitted. “However, after everything we’ve gone through, God has finally blessed us with this pregnancy, and we’re trying to stay optimistic.”
Now more than halfway through her pregnancy, Nneka feels “more stable,” with doctors stating that her baby is “very healthy and very strong.”
Nneka debuted on RHOP in season 8, which aired in 2023, sharing her fertility journey. This included two rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) before transitioning to IVF, although she left the Bravo series after one season.
The emotional ups and downs led Nneka and her husband, who tied the knot in August 2021, to explore surrogacy and other options. In September 2024, they opted for one more round of IVF with “zero expectations,” which turned out to be a success.
“Leading up to that point, I was very anxious, but during that round, I refused to pressure myself,” Nneka recalled to People. “I was in a much more relaxed mindset; I even enjoyed a trip to Paris with friends. And before I knew it, I received the wonderful news: I was pregnant.”
While Nneka is navigating the grief of losing one of her twins, she expresses gratitude for her supportive husband Ikenna, 40, and is excited about becoming a parent.
“He’s overjoyed and eagerly anticipates the arrival of our child,” she beamed about her husband. “This is a dream come true for both of us.”
Nneka added, “I sometimes still find it hard to believe; it feels surreal and shocking. Even planning my baby shower makes me say, ‘Wow, this is really happening for me.’”
