Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson Welcome Their First Child

Popular Dancing with The Stars (DWTS) pros Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson are officially parents.

The dancing duo shared the news on Wednesday with a simple black-and-white image of their newborn’s fingers wrapped around Johnson’s thumb. “Our world is forever changed. 1.10.2023,” the couple captioned the photo.

Friends, family and coworkers were quick to chime in on the post with their congratulations. Fellow DWTS pro Derek Hough commented, “Wowza! This is perfect! So happy for you all. A new beautiful family begins,” and former DWTS host Tom Bergeron added “Congratulations!! You’re both embarking on the most rewarding dance of all.”

While the couple has yet to confirm any additional details about their first child outside of his birthday and sex, the couple talked with People in July of last year about their long road to the “perfect” baby name and their excitement over their baby boy. “We actually have had a boy, and a girl name picked out for three years now,” Johnson shared. “Val actually picked out the name for our boy, so we have it.”

Johnson also got candid with her followers last year in an Instagram post about her struggles with infertility and her long road to pregnancy. “We had actually stopped trying to conceive for about 6 months to mentally/emotionally give ourselves a break,” Johnson wrote alongside a video of her reaction to her positive pregnancy test. “So the shock, disbelief, and sheer joy in this moment is a memory I will never forget.”

In hopes of not just sharing a “highlight reel,” Johnson went on to talk about how difficult times lead to this joyful moment. “Our journey getting to this point wasn’t an easy one. I remember watching people share these videos and aching because I wished so badly I could experience that joy. After two years of infertility, and hundreds of negative tests after negative tests, it was heart-wrenching at times to stay optimistic and made me question whether I would ever have this opportunity,” Johnson shared.

“I will go into more depth about our fertility journey a little later on, but if any of you out there are struggling to get pregnant, suffering from infertility, or mourning a pregnancy loss… don’t lose HOPE. It may not happen on your timeline and the journey may rip your heart open at times, but don’t give up on yourself and your precious baby,” she added.

If you are dealing with some not-so-happy moments in your pregnancy journey right now, know you aren’t alone. Read more about these 18 celebrities who have also struggled with infertility, and check out these tips for making things a little less stressful.