Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is not only a reality TV star, but also a hero to his son, Romeo.
The Jersey Shore alum, 41, took to Instagram on Saturday, February 3, to share house footage of the 2-year-old choking on pasta during dinner while his pregnant wife, Lauren Sorrentino, 39, watched in horror.
When Romeo started gasping for breath, Mike stood up and grabbed his son from the table before proceeding to pat him on the back. After the ordeal was over, Romeo coughed and cried as Lauren consoled him.
“THE SCARIEST MOMENT OF OUR LIVES ‼️” Mike captioned the post. “It was an ordinary dinner at the Situations when suddenly without notice Romeo started choking on his favorite pasta pesto gnocchi !! He hunched over and wasn’t breathing 😩.”
He continued: “I am so proud of how my wife and I didn’t panic, didn’t hesitate and eventually dislodged the food which was blocking [his] airway and saved his life. I love my family with all my heart and am so grateful things worked out 🙏🏼 it’s safe to say we are now taking CPR lessons and Romeo won’t be having gnocchi anytime soon.”
Mike and Lauren — who also share daughter Mia Bella, 12 months — announced in September 2023 they were expecting a third baby.
“Good things come in threes 🥹,” the couple wrote via Instagram alongside several family snaps of the group posing with Lauren’s sonogram. “Adding another pumpkin to our patch 🙏🏼 Baby #3 coming March 2024.”
Before welcoming Romeo, Lauren revealed in November 2019 that she suffered a miscarriage when she was seven weeks pregnant . “It was heart-wrenching,” she recalled on Good Morning America. “When I found out we were pregnant, I felt like this is why we went through all these challenges for years and that this was our time and it was our blessing. … It was hard. It was really difficult.”
Lauren said that she and Mike conceived the night he returned home from jail in September 2019. (He spent eight months behind bars for tax fraud in 2018 — the same year they tied the knot.)
Despite their loss, Mike said he and Lauren were still planning to expand their family. “We’re going to keep trying,” he told Entertainment Tonight in November 2019. “We can’t wait until that happens and we’re very excited to start that chapter, and we’re moving forward.”
The couple announced Lauren’s pregnancy in November 2020. “Baby Sorrentino May 2021,” they wrote via Instagram at the time.
While adjusting to life after Romeo’s birth, Mike exclusively told Us Weekly that he and Lauren were getting “no sleep” as new parents. “I’m always checking the baby monitor if he sneezes. It’s like, ‘Oh, my God, what is happening?’ But it’s the best thing ever being a parent,” he said in January 2022. “I feel such an amazing purpose and such an amazing love that I was just introduced to. So, it’s really awesome to … go on that journey.”
