By Whitney Baker
Holly Madison first stole our hearts as Hugh Hefner’s number one bunny on E!’s reality show Girls Next Door. Since the show ended in 2010, Madison has made quite a name for herself, appearing on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, headlining Peepshow at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and starring in her own television show, Holly’s World. Of course, in recent months, her focus has shifted: in August 2012, she announced that she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Pasquale Rotella.
“I’ve finally met the man of my dreams and am ecstatic to be starting a family,” Madison shared. “But I’m really grateful that I had several years of working hard as a single woman before diving into being a mom. I feel like I needed that for my identity.”
The Playboy model and husband Rotella, a club promoter, have been prepping for their daughter’s fast-approaching arrival, and the mom-to-be has been sharing her pregnancy experience with fans via her blog and Twitter. As open as she’s been, there’s one thing that the couple is keeping under wraps: the baby’s unique name. “We have a pretty unusual name picked out. So unusual that we aren’t telling anyone what it is until the deed is done!”
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In the past few weeks, pregnancy has certainly slowed Madison down a bit. “I’ve started getting a little uncomfortable — it’s hard to even reach my feet to tie my shoes!” she said. “I’ve kind of been in nesting and hibernating mode.”
Still, she continues to make headlines. Just last week, Madison revealed that she plans to ingest her placenta after the birth of her little girl. When asked about her decision to do so, the reality star said, “A baby nurse I met with suggested I have my placenta made into pills because it can help prevent postpartum depression. I figured why not! It can’t be bad for me.”
As busy as they’ve been in anticipation of their baby’s due date (tomorrow!), Madison and Rotella have still made time to focus on their relationship. “I feel like we’re getting to know each other because we’ve only been together for a little over a year,” the Vegas performer said. “We’re learning so much about each other just from trying to agree on little things when it comes to renovating our new home, so I can only imagine what we will learn from raising our daughter.”
Madison has already learned a thing or two from her pregnancy. “My only advice so far is to let yourself know that it’s okay to not be quite as ambitious as you were before you were pregnant,” she explained. “Creating a child is a huge responsibility, and you have to make time for that, maybe sacrifice some things that don’t fit into your life anymore.”
As for her relationship with Rotella, Madison thinks that communication is most important when it comes to keeping the romance alive. “Sometimes, other people don’t understand how uncomfortable pregnancy can be, how occupied your mind can get and how you just don’t feel sexy. You don’t want your significant other to get the wrong idea and assume you aren’t attracted to him anymore.”
“Our relationship is great,” she adds.
So great, in fact, that Madison has started to plan their wedding. “I’m trying to secure a really unique and special venue and choose a date. I’m hoping for some time in August.”
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As excited as she is to become both wife and a mom, there’s one thing that Madison is still figuring out. How will she tell her baby about her life as a Playboy Playmate? “I’ll be really honest with her and let her know that it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows like you see on television,” she shared. “You kind of have to be damaged and have low self-esteem to put yourself in a situation like that.”
So what’s next for the soon-to-be mom? “Besides learning how to be a mom and getting back into shape, I would love to return to the stage — but in a musical this time. I’ve been concentrating on my singing lessons during my pregnancy.” Given her impressive career, we’re confident that Madison will excel at whatever she does next — especially when it comes to raising her little girl.
You can keep up with Madison by visiting her blog or following her on Twitter.
