She’s now the mother of a happy and healthy newborn son. But at one point during her pregnancy, Nikki Bella became so ill that doctors feared she could miscarry baby Matteo. Nikki, 37, opened up about the horrifying experience on the December 9 episode of The Bellas Podcast, revealing that she was diagnosed with influenza B when she was about eight weeks along. “When I was at the doctor, they were really scared,” the Total Bellas star told her sister, Brie Bella, and WWE announcer Renee Young. “Because I got it so bad they were afraid I was gonna miscarry.”
Nikki explained that she had initially “tried not to get on antibiotics,” but became so sick that it was no longer possible to avoid medication. “I finally got so bad, Nikki said, “[the doctors] were like, ‘You have to be on Tamiflu.’ I remember I was just like, ‘I can’t believe I’m taking this. Like, this sucks for my baby.'” It should be noted that Tamiflu, the standard medication given to treat the flu virus, has been deemed safe to take during pregnancy (and is recommended) according to the CDC.
The WWE star was still bedridden for “10 or 11 days” while recuperating, she revealed. “That was miserable,” she added. Nikki and her baby, now an adorable three-month-old, are thriving. She and fiancé Artem Chigvintsev are currently planning for their son’s very first Christmas. The little family already celebrated “Christmas in July” this year, but the real deal is going to be, in a word, epic.
“Nikki has a lot of holiday family traditions that are going to be extra special this year now that she has Matteo,” a source close to her told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. They revealed that Nikki and Brie’s grandfather started holding a dinner before Christmas each year to celebrate all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “And for the first time, Nikki will be there with her own child.”
Right now, Artem and Nikki are also focused on boosting Matteo’s vocabulary. At three months old, the little guy obviously isn’t talking. But that hasn’t stopped his parents from trying to influence his first words. Artem recently revealed in a post-DWTS press conference that they’re teaching him “I love you.” How sweet is that?