Ben Higgins and wife Jessica Clarke have chosen a name for their future baby girl — but they aren’t sharing it just yet.
“It’s not gonna be weird enough where people are like, ‘Whoa.’ But it is a part of my life,” Higgins, 35, teased during the Tuesday, November 5, episode of his “Almost Famous” podcast. “The only hint I’ll give.”
His podcast cohost Ashley Iaconetti started guessing names, one of which was Indiana, Higgins’ home state. Higgins denied to share the first letter of the name, and their podcast producer threw out Rose as an option.
“That’s not a bad name, actually. I don’t hate that,” Higgins said, playing coy.
The former Bachelor star said that he and Clarke, 29, are “open” to other names despite having an idea in mind. “It’s set today,” he explained. “I mean, last week, Jess came home and said, ‘Hey, what about this name?’ And I was like, ‘I thought we had a name.’”
When Higgins said that he “was told” to never share baby names publicly until the child is born, Iaconetti — who is a mother of two sons with fellow Bachelor Nation alum Jared Haibon — agreed.
Higgins and Clarke announced in August that they are gearing up to welcome their first baby, a daughter. He said on Tuesday that their baby girl’s nursery is officially ready for her arrival.
“I’m exhausted. It was wild,” Higgins said about putting together the crib. “It is ready to go. That baby is set up, and yeah, I’m pretty pumped about it. I feel pretty good about where we’re at.”
Following Clarke’s pregnancy reveal, Higgins told Us Weekly exclusively that he was “terrified” of becoming a girl dad.
“With a girl, there’s 1000 worst case scenarios in my mind and I know she’s gonna break my heart,” he said during an August interview. “She’s gonna break [my heart] because it’s so full.”
He admitted to worrying about becoming “a pile of tears and mush forever” once his role as a father begins.
“I can’t imagine walking in the door and seeing my little girl run up to me and be like, ‘Dad, you’re home.’ That just crushes me, and it excites me, and it makes me feel everything,” the Bachelor Nation alum told Us. “I know I’m going to feel everything and that’s what’s so worrisome for me is what it’s going to do to me.”
Higgins revealed to Us that he and Clarke went through intrauterine insemination (IUI) before she got pregnant. The couple, who tied the knot in 2021, “feel really fortunate” and are “really excited” for this next chapter. Higgins also praised his wife’s strength throughout her pregnancy.
“It’s such a crazy thing because if I was pregnant, I would never be able to do it,” he said. “So, to see her just have this spirit of gratefulness through the whole thing has been really educational for me. I’ve learned a lot from her.”
