90 Day Fiance star Juliana Custodio de Sousa has announced she is pregnant just a month after she and estranged husband Michael Jessen confirmed their split.
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RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
"Baby on the way! [Heart emoji]," Ben captioned a photo of himself and Juliana embracing.
"A new adventure is about to begin! We are super excited and we can't wait to welcome our new addition into the family!"
He added in his post, "Babyzinho we can't wait to meet you! We are now preparing for the most beautiful blessing we could ask for! The best is yet to come! [Heart emoji]."
Juliana commented on the photo by writing three red-heart emojis followed by emojis of a pregnant woman and mother breastfeeding her baby.
A confused or skeptical fan asked Juliana flat out in the comments, "You pregnant?"
And Juliana replied, "Yes."
And on Sunday, Juliana confirmed the news by posting a slideshow of photos in which she and Ben were kissing, smiling and enjoying a nice dinner out.
"So excited for our new adventure. Words aren't enough to tell you how wonderful you are, I'm forever grateful for the happiness and joy you have brought into my life, and for [making] one of my biggest dream come true. We can't wait to meet you," Juliana wrote.
"I am the luckiest woman to be able to call you mine @ben_obscura. Pls: if you have nothing good to say, please just leave."
Juliana first reportedly commented one of Ben's Instagram posts on October 7, and Michael -- who appeared on Season 7 of 90 Day Fiance with Juliana -- proceeded to announce his breakup from Juliana on October 12.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOWAfter weeks of breakup speculation prompted by their social-media activity, Michael took to Instagram and revealed that he and Juliana were divorcing and his "heart is broken."
"A quick break from my social media break to say... #HappyAnniversary @julianacustodiooo," Michael, 44, began.
After posting multiple heart, cake and champagne emojis, Michael continued, "Today is only our second wedding anniversary and, sadly, our last."
The Connecticut native described his split from the 25-year-old Brazilian model as "a COVID-19 casualty" that won't be showing up in any statistics.
Michael went on to address Juliana and wrote, "Thankfully, you are quickly emerging healthier and stronger than ever. Some of the rest of us will likely be staying in intensive care for quite some time."
RELATED LINK: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO BROKE UP? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Michael complimented his estranged wife by calling her resilient, independent and strong, but then he added, "I understand how our situation throughout the pandemic could slowly, and eventually completely, drain you of these qualities."
"All of us were completely drained by the end of it and I did not maintain the strength of mind and the fortitude to be the husband that you wanted me to be."
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"I do not blame you for wanting to leave and for desiring a new start. You are more suited for the life that you had before we met and I can understand why you would want to return," Michael wrote.
Michael insisted Juliana's happiness "is more important" to him than being a part of her "unhappiness."
"My love for you remains true and will always be there for you. I am happy that you have moved on and have quickly found someone new," Michael revealed, suggesting Juliana had already found a new boyfriend.
"I hope that you will have lasting love and happiness and achieve every dream that you set out upon. If anyone can do it, it is you, and I will always be rooting for you. I will remain with you in the wonderful memories that we shared together."
Juliana subsequently posted a statement of her own, claiming Michael had lied about why they're divorcing. Juliana insisted she had been the one supporting Michael financially and she "felt like a maid" in their house.
Juliana wrote to Michael, "You pointed [out] the COVID-19 as one of the reasons we are [no] longer together, but we all know that there are more than that."
"I am grateful for all the lessons and the moments we got to spend together and the beautiful memories with your family. As [you well] pointed out, we went through a lot together, the Covid was a hard time but the hardest part for me was to picture you as someone that would be by my side, and unfortunately, you showed something completely different."
Juliana insisted she did everything to keep Michael's family afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
As shown on a May 2020 episode of 90 Day Fiance: Self-Quarantined on TLC, Michael and Juliana began quarantining in March 2020 with Michael's ex-wife Sarah and her new husband Sean as well as Michael and Sarah's son Maxwell and daughter Cece.
Sarah had just been diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer in February 2020, and so the blended family decided to support one another -- although the living situation was a little hectic and became overwhelming at times, especially for Juliana, who confessed she was "frustrated" about having to stay home.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
"As everyone, we went through a hard time financially, but it was not a problem for me to help you, the kids, ex wife and her husband financially because I was the only one working at the time, but we all know how the situation wears out," Juliana wrote in October.
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Juliana, who moved to the United States in Summer 2019 and married Michael in October of that year, apparently lost sight of her own wants and needs in the relationship.
"I needed to leave because I wasn't recognizing who I am anymore. I left my life in Europe and career to live with you, because I loved you. But I love myself more, to the point to recognize I am important, and I want to be happy," Juliana explained.
Juliana, however, refused to acknowledge she had already moved on and begun dating "someone new."
"You say I have found 'someone new,' but the truth is, I found happiness within myself. I am happy with the new phase, and I ask you to let me go," Juliana insisted.
She continued, "Stop making me feel guilty to put myself as the most important person because this is how we [are] supposed to do [things]. I apologize for the way this happened, but we talked multiple times about it and you never seemed to listen or try to understand me."
Juliana went on to tell her followers that you must be happy in a relationship and stand up for yourself.
"Don't [be] afraid to live your best life because you're afraid of what people will think," Juliana explained.
"You are the only person that [knows] what you've been through. Everyone deserves respect, protection, understanding, love and kindness. Your value doesn't decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth."
Juliana insisted that someone who values you would never put themselves "in a position to lose you," and no one should ever be afraid to start over.
On September 30, Michael posted a picture with his daughter on Instagram and answered a few questions about his relationship status at the time.
When an Instagram user asked if it's true Juliana had cheated on him, Michael replied, "I hope not!"
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Michael firmly replied, "No."
Juliana had alluded to a breakup with Michael in a series of September TikTok videos. Michael and the kids did not appear in any of her videos, and she complained about doing all the grocery shopping.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Juliana was previously married once before. She said on a 90 Day Fiance episode she felt pressured to enter an arranged marriage at age 19 and the union only lasted for one year.
Michael had been married to Sarah for 20 years prior to Sarah officiating his wedding with Juliana. Sarah tied the knot with Sean, an aspiring hip-hop artist, in November 2019.
Juliana and Sarah ultimately became very close friends and got along well, and they made sure Michael's children were being raised in a loving environment with no hostility or resentment.
During an April 2020 broadcast of Tamron Hall, Tamron videochatted with Michael, Juliana, Sarah and Sean, while they were all quarantining under one roof in Greenwich, CT.
Sarah said she and her husband were planning a move to Los Angeles, CA, soon, and Michael was happy about his entire family being together, despite the group having little altercations here or there.
Michael said there was no jealousy or rivalry between Juliana and Sarah, but he revealed how COVID-19 had a negative impact on Juliana's blossoming career.
"Juliana is just on the cusp of getting modeling jobs. She signed with a really great agency in New York City, and then suddenly, this happens and it's frustrating for her," Michael said.
But Juliana and Michael agreed at the time their marriage hadn't crumbled under the stress of quarantining because Juliana was being "very patient."
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"I love that!" Michael responded with a laugh, before Juliana admitted the hardest part was having to do all the housework solo.
Michael appeared in distress based on Juliana's comment, so she kissed him on the cheek and assured him, "I love you. It's okay! I know you do everything, like pay the bills."
Juliana also shared how she didn't miss her old life in Brazil.
"To be honest, not really, because I always wanted to work to have a family in the future," Juliana told Tamron. "And now I have a family, so it's my dream come true."
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
