Rachel Fuda Is Pregnant!Real Housewives of New JerseyStar Expecting Baby with Husband John (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Hannah Claire

Rachel FudaandJohn Fudaare expanding their family!

“We’re so excited,” Rachel, 33, says exclusively of her happy news, which she first shared with herRHONJcastmates onthe season 14 “Off the Rails” special, which aired Sunday, Aug. 12. “We’re ready to be a party of six!”

The Fuda family — John, Jaiden, Rachel, Gianella and Giuliana — poses together to announce their happy news.Hannah Claire

RHONJviewers know Rachel has made no secret of her desire to have another child.

In season 13, her first on the Bravo series, Rachel spoke to John about going again through the process of IVF, which she used to conceive Gianella and Giuliana. “The clock is ticking,” she said then, reminding him that they had five embryos still viable for transfer. “I just feel like, four kids, that’s a good number. The time is now. This is like, a year process. I want to do this and be done.”

Though John was reluctant at the time, Rachel tells PEOPLE they started the process again once cameras went down on season 14.

It wasn’t easy. To prepare for the transfer, Rachel first has to come off the arthritis medication she takes to treat the chronic illness, symptoms of which she first started experiencing as a kid. She then had to make sure her body would be able to accept the transfer, which proved challenging.

“There’s so many things that have to go right when you’re going through IVF, and this time around, there were a lot of roadblocks for us,” Rachel says, explaining that she struggled to get her cycle and lining “on point” at first. “It took a couple months of us working with my doctor to figure out when this could actually happen for us. And it was really frustrating because it just kept getting delayed.”

Rachel Fuda shares a sweet moment with her daughters Gianella and Giuliana.Hannah Claire

Just when Rachel had given up hope, she got the go-ahead. “I thought, ‘This is my last shot. If this doesn’t work, we’re done,’ " she recalls. “Because first of all, it costs a lot of money. But second of all, you’re on all these medications that just throw your body off. I was hormonal, breaking out so bad, tired and on edge; my mood was going up, down, up, down. I just felt like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ "

But she didn’t have to worry for much longer. The transfer took, something Rachel learned when she took a pregnancy test she’d ordered online.

“They make you wait 10 days for your blood test, but I had to know so I took a test and it came back positive,” Rachel says. “And then I was like, ‘Well, let me not say anything to John, just in case God forbid it’s a false positive.’ So I wait until I got the call and then surprised him with the happy news.”

The Fuda family walks on the beach.Hannah Claire

Gianella and Giuliana, Rachel tells PEOPLE, have been asking “nonstop” for a sibling.

Jaiden, too, is looking forward to having another sibling. “He’s such a family kid,” Rachel says. “I know there’s a big age gap, but he loves to hang out with the kids; he and his girlfriend, they’ll actually come play with the kids for hours just to spend time with them. He loves being a big brother.”

‘Fuda Party of 6 Coming Soon,’ the Fuda family shares.Hannah Claire

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“There’s truly no better feeling in the world than having kids,” Rachel says. “It’s almost a type of love that you just can’t explain. Like, these little people make me a better person. They teach me every day. I’ve learned to slow down and just enjoy the small moments in life, like cuddling on the couch and reading a book together. And it keeps me grounded, because they remind me of what actually matters. They are my peace in this world amid the craziness.”

“I feel like my true purpose in life is being a mom,” she adds. “It fulfills me more than I ever thought possible. And I can’t wait to do it again. I mean, what’s better than to bring life into the world? How lucky am I?”

The Real Housewives of New Jerseyis now streaming on Peacock.

source: people.com