Ashley Darby and her husband Michael Darby have finally decided to start a family, but their first attempt has already ended tragically.
On Sunday’s Real Housewives of Potomac season 3 reunion, Ashley revealed that after a season of fighting over whether she and Michael wanted to have children, she conceived a child — but lost the pregnancy.
“Michael and I are in a much better place,” Ashley told host Andy Cohen. “We are trying to have a family. I actually did conceive a week before my birthday and unfortunately, I had a miscarriage two weeks into the pregnancy.”
It’s not the first time Ashley has had a miscarriage, she went on to explain. “I had one when I was in my early 20s, so now I’m worried if something is going on with my body,” she said. “But I feel like it kind of brought us closer together in a way that I didn’t really expect.”
Since then, Ashley has sought treatment for any future fertility problems.
“I am now seeing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor,” the former Miss District of Columbia said. “Everyone was making fun of me because I had on socks with my slippers, but my doctor tells me I have a cold uterus so that means I have to keep my hands and my feet and my stomach warm.”
Ashley and Michael have been married since May 2014, and dated for two years before walking down the aisle.
They separated for six months between RHOP‘s second and third season, amid a handful of arguments surrounding the running of their restaurant, Oz.
RELATED VIDEO: RHOP Star Gizelle Bryant Opens Up About Dating Again After 40: ‘It’s a Struggle’
During a particularly brutal fight, Michael even said that he was fearful of having kids with Ashley because of his issues with her mother. “I need you to push away from your mother because I don’t want you to look after my children in the way that your mother has looked after you,” he said. “I’m asking you to step up. I want you to show them that hard work and ethics and honesty and loyalty are what things are all about.”
His words left Ashley broken. “He married me knowing that I wanted to have a child and what my upbringing was like,” she told audiences. “So how is it that now you can say these things and totally disrespect the s— out of me and my whole family. My whole f—— existence?”
Looking back on that moment at the reunion, Michael clarified that he always wanted to have a child with Ashley — they just needed the time to focus on strengthening their bond.
“It wasn’t about having a child or a family, it was about having a good strong relationship so we can have a child,” he said.
“I want to have a child with her,” he reiterated, tearing up. “Sorry, it’s very emotional.”
Fellow Housewife Monique Samuels, who also suffered a miscarriage in the past, showed compassion to Ashley — despite previous disagreements.
“I wouldn’t wish that on anybody,” she said. “I know what that feels like. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that. At the end of the day, Ashley and I had a connection… I still feel that.”
In May, Ashley told PEOPLE about the troubles she and Michael have overcome.
“We didn’t have those problems overnight so they’re not going to be fixed overnight,” she said of their conflict. “But I love Michael more than any of that. And he’s the life of the party — that’s his thing. He’s the most fun person I could ever be with. We like to do the exact same things. I just couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
The biggest change she’s made? Applying the tranquility she felt in yoga to her relationship. “The way I used to argue was so below the belt. If I was hurting, I’d do everything in my power to brutalize you with my words. And it was destructive. That’s how I grew up. I saw my grandparents fight like that, my mom fight like that. It was just normal. So now I don’t fight like that anymore.”
Source: Read Full Article