Ashley Darby Opens About Motherhood And Reveals First Photos Of Her Son Dean Michael — See Pics Here!

Ashley and Michael Darby are finally introducing their son, Dean Michael for the first time since The Real Housewives of Potomac star gave birth to him on on July 7. The newly parents shared their first family photos together.

“I’m overwhelmingly happy,” Ashley told PEOPLE, joking how that exuberance has fueled her to get past the “not sleeping and little aches and pains that come with motherhood.”

Photo Credit:  LRG Portraits via PEOPLE

“Seeing this little being that was inside my body just a few weeks ago is just mesmerizing for me,” she says of baby Dean. “It’s so crazy how much he’s changed from when he was first born to even the second week. He looked like me and now he looks more like Michael. He’s a cutie!”

“He has a very calm demeanor. However, when he wants something, he’s very adamant about getting it,” said Ashley. “It’s not quite a cry — there are no tears — it’s just a wail. Like, ‘I need this now.’ So I know he needs something, whether it’s to be fed or to be changed. He makes it very clear. As long as he’s fed and changed and warm, he’s a very happy camper.”

Photo Credit:  LRG Portraits via PEOPLE

Her son is also very interactive. “From what I understand, babies aren’t very expressive in the beginning, but he does this little frown; he lifts his eyebrows and does a little frown when you’re talking to him, as if he’s trying to process what you’re saying,” Ashley says. “It’s just so cool to see.”

Ashley admits that her husband Michael has been fully supportive during the first month of motherhood, especially when she experienced her “first bout of postpartum blues.” She has also been healing from mastitis, a common infection that mothers can get in their milk ducts that causes flu-like symptoms.

Photo Credit:  LRG Portraits via PEOPLE

“It’s been a pretty miserable few days but Michael’s really helped me a lot,” Ashley told PEOPLE. “I’m very lucky in that sense. I didn’t have a father growing up so I never really understood how involved men are in children’s lives. Maybe it’s just my lack of experience with it. But he’s incredibly hands on. It’s been very eye-opening for me and very comforting.”

“I had the idea he would be because I wouldn’t have a child with him otherwise, but then there’s that confirmation of seeing it in the present moment,” she adds. “It’s been an experience that brought us closer together. And watching the bond that they’re building together is just so incredible.”

Photo Credit: LRG Portraits via PEOPLE