Love Is Blind star Giannina Gibelli opened up about how she prioritized her own happiness during her pregnancy — and that included eating whatever she wanted.
Gibelli, 31, and her partner, Bachelorette alum Blake Horstmann, joined cohosts Ashley Iaconetti and Ben Higgins on the Thursday, June 14, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast, where the foursome discussed parenthood and pregnancy. (Horstmann, 35, and Gibelli welcomed son Heath in April while pregnant Iaconetti shares Dawson with Jared Haibon.)
During the chat, Gibelli shared a piece of advice she received from one of her mom friends early in her pregnancy that encouraged her to prioritize her own well-being.
“I went out with a couple of my girlfriends and no one knew yet [about the pregnancy],” Gibelli shared. “It was still my little secret, and I chose to tell this one mom and she told me the simplest advice, but for whatever reason, it just clicked beautifully at that moment. She was like, ‘I did whatever made me happy.’ It’s so simple.”
Gibelli shared that, as her pregnancy progressed, it became “this really beautiful cycle of like, ‘I knew my baby was happy because I was so happy too.’” She added, “And yeah, I still traveled. I didn’t really restrict what I was eating, like, I’m sorry, I ate sushi.”
Iaconetti, 36, quickly joined in to note her pregnancy cravings as well, saying “I’m eating deli sandwiches like crazy.”
Per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), some doctors will advise that people should avoid foods like sushi with raw fish and deli meats while they are pregnant.
Gibelli noted that there was “a lot of education that happened” for her and Horstmann in the early days of her pregnancy, which helped her feel “more in control even though the situation was out of my control.”
She continued, “When I was in it, I felt so overwhelmed and I felt like I had to do all these things and I had to buy all this stuff and I had to get ready. So I was just like, ‘Wait, that’s actually brilliant.’ So I slowed down and I just focused on my happiness. I kept doing the things that I wanted to.”
Gibelli concluded, “I just kept doing what made me happy and that made it such a good experience because I didn’t feel like I put myself last. And in turn, I didn’t make Blake’s life hell.”
Us Weekly exclusively confirmed in April that Gibelli and Horstmann had welcomed their first baby, son Heath Orion Horstmann.
“Our baby is his father’s twin!” Gibelli told Us at the time. “There are so many similarities it’s adorable to see them light up in each other. As far as personality goes, he’s an Aries like his mama so we’ll see, he just might be the perfect mix of both of us.”
