“One Baby Changed Everything — So We Know the Next Will, Too”: Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson Say They’re Not Rushing Baby No. 2, But Admit the Dream of Growing Their Family Never Truly Goes Away

For Dancing with the Stars couple Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, the arrival of their first child wasn’t just a milestone — it was a beautiful upheaval. Life as they knew it ended, and something far messier, more chaotic, and infinitely more meaningful began.

“The moment I held him, I thought I’d never breathe the same again,” Jenna recalls, voice trembling. “That tiny human cracked me open in ways I wasn’t ready for — and honestly, I’m still not done putting myself back together.”

The Reality Behind the Glow: Sleepless Nights, Silent Fights, and Starting Over

While the couple’s Instagram feed may be filled with sweet smiles and baby giggles, they aren’t sugarcoating the truth: the journey has been anything but easy.

“We lost ourselves a little,” Val confesses. “There were days we didn’t recognize each other. Nights we cried in shifts. Moments where it felt like we were barely holding on — to sleep, to each other, to who we used to be.”

Parenthood, they explain, isn’t just about diapers and lullabies — it’s about facing your rawest self. Jenna admits she often felt invisible in those early months, her identity swallowed by motherhood. Val, too, struggled with feeling helpless as he watched Jenna navigate the storm.

“He was there, but he didn’t always get it,” Jenna shares. “And that created a gap between us I didn’t know how to cross.”

Is There Room for One More? Or Are We Still Piecing Ourselves Back Together?

And yet, in the quiet moments — the bedtime routines, the little hands reaching out, the laughter echoing in their home — something else has started to stir. A question. A yearning. A quiet, persistent dream.

“Every time I see Val kiss our son’s forehead, I imagine a second crib,” Jenna says. “A second heartbeat in this house. And I feel both terrified and hopeful.”

But fear is real. They’ve been through the fire once — and they know what it cost. They’re not naïve anymore.

“It’s not just about having a baby,” Val says. “It’s about surviving it. As individuals. As partners. As a team.”

The Longing Never Left — It Just Learned Patience

For now, they’re choosing to wait. Choosing to breathe. Choosing to love what they have before chasing what they might lose themselves in again. But that doesn’t mean the dream is gone.

“Some nights, we lie awake and whisper about it — another little soul, another pair of eyes staring up at us,” Jenna says softly. “And even in our exhaustion, there’s this quiet ache. Because once you’ve known this kind of love… you start to wonder how much more your heart could hold.”