A new little Angel is on the way for Romee Strijd!
The Victoria's Secret model, 24, is expecting her first child with longtime boyfriend Laurens van Leeuwen, she announced Thursday on social media and in an emotional YouTube video.
In the sweet Instagram photo, Strijd is shown grinning and placing a hand on her baby bump, while her beau leans in from behind with his hands on her hips, looking blissful.
"WE’RE HAVING A BABY 💗," the mom-to-be began her caption, before going on toe explain that she was "diagnosed with [polycystic ovary syndrome]" two years ago "after not getting [her] period for 7 years."
"I was devastated because being a mom and starting a family with @laurensvleeuwen is my biggest dream," she said. "I was so scared that I would never be able to because I got told it was harder to get babies in a natural way."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
HGTV's Mina Starsiak Had Less Than a 1 Percent Chance of Getting Pregnant with Her Second Child
Strijd did some research about PCOS on her own and learned that her case was "not the typical" one, "because of my body being in fight or flight mode … which means my body was under constant stress."
"I never felt mentally super stressed so it was hard te [sic] understand this, but my life consisted of travelling all the time (no biorhythm), working out every day, eating super clean (restricting foods)," she wrote. "I think I pressured my body to [sic] much, and honestly every body is so different but I think my weight was not good for my body to function properly and couldn’t handle the constant traveling."
After reading about "natural healing for PCOS," the Dutch model "came to the conclusion that I should do way less high intensity training, don't restrict foods, be nice to myself, and take breaks when needed." She also took "natural supplements" and tried acupuncture, and spent more time with family.
"I'm so happy and grateful to say that I got my period back last november AND that WE'RE SOON A FAMILY OF THREE ❤ ❤❤❤," Strijd added. "To the women trying to conceive, believe in yourself and be nice for yourself and your body and don't let those thoughts get to you to much 😚."
Strijd and Leeuwen, 29, began dating in 2010. This past January, Strijd celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a side-by-side mirror shot of themselves wearing similar outfits both a decade ago and now.
"2010 vs 2020 🖤 Can't believe we are together today for 10 YEARS!!" she captioned it. "I'm so happy to ride this rollercoaster called life with you! And I feel like every year I love you more and more and moreee … @laurensvleeuwen."
Leeuwen shared a heartfelt post of his own, featuring two snapshots of the couple and two zoomed in to show their respective facial expressions. "10 Years together, wow time flies.. (in good and bad times😉) I am grateful🖤 LY!!!" he wrote.
Source: Read Full Article