Although she’s enjoying the experience now, Candiace Dillard Bassett admits her entry into motherhood was far from easy.
The Real Housewives of Potomac alum addressed the new chapter in a recent sitdown with Entertainment Tonight, recalling her “horrifying” health scare after giving birth to baby No. 1.
As she previously revealed, the first-time mom experienced abdominal pain just two days after she and her husband, Chris Bassett, welcomed their son, Jett Maxwell Lee Bassett. Candiace said the pain eventually became so severe that she struggled to walk or make any movements. She went on to develop a series of fevers, some as high as 103.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Candiace reveals her "greatest fear" after welcoming her son, Jett
“Honestly, I felt like, ‘Could I die?’” she recalled. “That was my greatest fear. If I die, he will never know his mom. I would lay in the bed in pain holding him (Jett) and cry… I had a blood clot in my ovary that was causing me a lot of pain. I had to be on blood thinners for eight-10 weeks. It was scary. It was really intense and too much reality. I just wanted to have a baby.”
She continued: “You’re in such a mom cloud you don’t think about your own health, but you have to remember to check in with your body and listen to your body because you just never know.”
With the help of doctors and medication, Candiace managed to quickly recover and is now savoring her new mom role.
“It’s amazing,” she said about motherhood. “I’ll be honest. I’m gonna tell you guys the truth. Motherhood is ghetto. It is the most raggedy, amazing, beautiful, crazy hood I’ve ever belonged to. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it definitely has its challenges… Jett is the sweetest baby and I would not trade him. He’s everything.”
Candiace explains why she hasn't shown her newborn's face
Since welcoming Jett in early October, Candiace has shared regular updates on her bundle of joy, including a full tour of his nursery and a peek at his first-ever snow day. However, Candiace and Chris have chosen to conceal their baby’s face on social media — and plan to do so for as long as possible.
“My mom is always like, ‘When are you gonna show the baby?!? He’s so cute! Everyone needs to see the baby!’" Candiace said. “We will show him, obviously, eventually. But just for now, we are just enjoying having him to ourselves and it’s been really beautiful.”
How Candiace's newborn affected her relationship with Chris Bassett
The RHOP alum also gushed over Chris’ role as a father and explained how the family addition changed their marriage.
“You develop a different kind of love for your spouse when you see your spouse loving on this thing that you grew,” she said about Chris, who has three children from previous relationships. “And just seeing him be so gentle and morph into dad mode, he’s amazing. He was always a great dad but to see him be a dad to brand new dad is a blessing.”
Candiace Dillard Bassett Just Made Her First Major Hair Change Since Becoming a Mom: "I'm So Sad"
So, are the Bassets looking to expand their family with a second child? Candiace said she’s open to the idea but isn’t making any promises.
“I wish I would have started earlier,” she said about her pregnancy journey. “I would have so many more. I’m shocked. That’s weird to say. We’re gonna have maybe one more. Don’t get excited. One more maybe.”
