Gretchen Rossi Is Thankful for "Supportive Partner" Slade Smiley During IVF Journey

The Real Housewives of Orange County alum is documenting the process of her second round of IVF on Instagram.

By Jenny Berg Apr 24, 2018, 11:42 AM ET

Gretchen Proposes

Undergoing IVF isn't easy, and Gretchen Rossi knows that first hand. The Real Housewives of Orange County alum has been open with fans about her challenges with the process, which she's now undergoing for the second time. And though the road to fertility has been paved with some bumps, Gretchen is thankful for the one reassuring constant that's helped her out along the way: her supportive fiancé, Slade Smiley.

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on Peacock and the Bravo App.

On April 23, Gretchen took to Instagram Stories to share insight into her entire journey with IVF. On the first day of her shots, Gretchen shared a video of herself nervously injecting the medication as Slade offered tips and sweet words of encouragement. "Thank goodness for a supportive partner through this," Gretchen wrote to caption one clip.

Photo: @gretchenrossi/Instagram Stories

Photo: @gretchenrossi/Instagram Stories

Photo: @gretchenrossi/Instagram Stories

Photo: @gretchenrossi/Instagram Stories

Photo: @gretchenrossi/Instagram Stories

Photo: @gretchenrossi/Instagram Stories

In another clip, which she posted to Instagram, Gretchen explained: "I just wanted to share this journey with you all because I know so many of you go through this as well and it's overwhelming at times, so I just wanted to share a diary of all the emotions."

I was nervous to share our IVF story on my Instastories today ðItâs not always easy to let people inside your most intimate moments, but I realize that the more we open up as humans and let people see inside the real, raw, and vulnerable parts of our life (and not just the picture perfect life we all create through pictures on our Instagram) the more we can grow from one another and truly connect as humans. I am grateful for the gift of truth, the gift of heartache, the gift of compassion, and the gift of love so we can all share our stories and help each other through this wonderful thing called life. Thank you to all who have already reached out to me in your DMâs and also on my page with your kind messages of support and encouragement. Know that whatever you are dealing with, that you too can face it with courage and strength (even when you are having bad days) This IVF Journey is not all rainbows and butterflies, there are a lot of hard days as you will see, but itâs the fight within us as humans that keeps us going strong, that lets us push our limits and get through to the other side. ðªð» So this journey is not just about IVF itâs about everyoneâs journey in life, itâs about getting through the rough spots, being honest about those moments and then fighting your way through them. You all inspire me everyday, so thank you for that. My prayer is that by sharing our journey we can inspire each of you to keep on trucking no matter how impossible something may seem. God Bless you all my sweet friends and family of social media ððð»â¤ï¸ #thiswasinFebruary #thatswhyIhaveabeanieon #whateverittakesthemesong @scrcivf @drmarksurrey
A post shared by Gretchen Christine Rossi (@gretchenrossi) on Apr 23, 2018 at 5:41pm PDT

Gretchen also thanked her fans for their words of support, and opened up about her decision to publicly share her journey.

"It’s not always easy to let people inside your most intimate moments, but I realize that the more we open up as humans and let people see inside the real, raw, and vulnerable parts of our life (and not just the picture perfect life we all create through pictures on our Instagram) the more we can grow from one another and truly connect as humans," she wrote. "I am grateful for the gift of truth, the gift of heartache, the gift of compassion, and the gift of love so we can all share our stories and help each other through this wonderful thing called life."