Ryan Lochte Says He Broke Down When He Found Out He Was Having a Boy

ABC News(NEW YORK) —  Ryan Lochte and his fiancee Kayla Rae Reid are having a boy.

Lochte told ABC News about having a son when he joined reporters Michael Rothman and Charli James in the pool to promote the new PowerBar “Clean Start Pledge.”

The setting was Aqua studio in New York City and Lochte said the PowerBar campaign is a propos given his tumultuous 2016, which he is eager to put behind him. Lochte admitted last summer that he lied about “one part” of a story where he and fellow U.S. Olympic teammates had claimed that they were held up at gunpoint. Lochte later took responsibility and admitted he made a “big mistake.”

“Everyone deserves a clean start,” he said of his new campaign. “I am putting 2016 in the past. … And my clean start is a family, ’cause now I’m gonna be a father!”

Getting deeper into his personal life, the six-time gold medalist said he got emotional both times — finding out his fiancee was pregnant and then a few days ago when they found out the gender of the baby.

“We want definitely a unique name,” he said. “My biggest thing I knew when I found out I was going to have a kid was I’m going to spoil that kid rotten. Not with material things, I don’t believe in that, it’s definitely going to be with love. That’s what I got spoiled with growing up.”

“I’ve wanted this for the past six years, but hadn’t found the right [partner],” he said of fatherhood.

When he first found out Kayla was pregnant, he said it took a minute for the realization to set in, then he basically tackled her with excitement, before the duo shed some happy tears about becoming parents.

“I was doing ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and I came back from rehearsal … she was like, ‘Hey, I have something to tell you,'” he explained. “I was like, ‘No you’re not, stop joking with me’ … Then it hit me! … We seriously held each other and started crying.”

He even said he “lost it” yet again when the duo were at the doctors days later and heard the heartbeat during the ultrasound.

 In fact, Lochte’s excited for all that comes with being a parent, even changing diapers. “I’ve been practicing, so I’m ready!” he added.

He’s also started preparing by waking himself up in the middle of the night by setting an alarm, so he’s used to waking up.

“I’ll wake up to anything,” he said of being a light sleeper and being more than happy to get up to feed or change a crying baby.

Then, there’s Lochte’s hope that a move to Los Angeles will result in an acting career. He doesn’t quite know what roles he’s going to look for just yet, but he is pitching a reality show about himself, his son and his fiancee that he said could possibly be titled, “Lochte in Love.” That’s a working title, nothing set in stone, he joked.

 With all that’s going on in his life, swimming will not be taking a backseat. Lochte said he’ll definitely continue to train for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

“I’ve always said I’ll retire when swimming stops being fun,” he said. It hasn’t stopped being fun just yet.

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