Nicole Curtis baby update: Rehab Addict star keeps her children first despite ongoing custody battle

The latest Nicole Curtis baby update comes, surprisingly, from the DIY star herself. Nicole’s been on tour in support of her recently released memoir, Better Than New, which contains some of her first-ever public statements about her 2015 pregnancy. Now, in a series of related interviews, she’s opened up even more about baby Harper and the unfortunate custody battle between herself and her son’s father.

Nicole recently told People that the reason she decided to keep her newborn son out of headlines and off of social media was simple: privacy is important. “Having my newborn child’s face plastered all over social media…that wasn’t for me,” she said. (Rehab Addict devotees will recall that Nicole was only filmed from the chest up for the show’s sixth season.) “It wasn’t anything strategic. It was just one of those moments where I was like, this isn’t anyone else’s time and space; this is mine.”

Nicole also added that she’s stopped having her first son, 18-year-old Ethan, appear on Rehab Addict for the same reason. “Honestly, I didn’t do it for a storyline. I did it because I was a mom and I had to go back to work after picking him up after school,” she explained, noting that, when he first appeared on the show, Ethan was only 12. “By no means could he make decisions for himself, but he could say, ‘I don’t want to be on camera’ or, ‘Mom don’t post that.'”

Nicole Curtis and Shane Maguire in 2013

As for her ongoing custody battle over Harper with father Shane Maguire, Nicole says she’s tried to make the best of a tough situation, but things might have to get worse before they get better. “I’ve always been a proponent of co-parenting,” she said, “and children first, and it’s just kind of backfiring right now.” She added that, based on Maguire’s reaction to finding out about her pregnancy, she was planning to raise the child on her own, but Maguire filed for paternity in December of 2015. (Nicole also wanted to change she and Maguire’s informal arrangement so that Harper’s father couldn’t have overnight custody until Harper was two years old.)

“I’ve made stupid mistakes with my heart,” she told the magazine, “just like everyone else does. I had some great relationships, but unfortunately in life it’s usually the things that are the most negative that impact you the most.”

Fortunately for her many fans, Nicole has managed to keep her famously level head throughout what’s become an ordeal–and she’s kept her priorities in order, as well. “As long as you put your family first, everything else will work out,” she concluded. “I’m happy, the kids are happy so we’re good. That’s all that matters in my life.”

Rehab Addict continues to air on DIY. Better Than New is available for purchase here.

RELATED ARTICLES: Nicole Curtis baby daddy identity revealed: He sues for custody in civil court

Did Rehab Addict get canceled? Nicole Curtis tells fans how to ensure new episodes

Nicole Curtis update: Is the Rehab Addict star pregnant for a third time?

(Photo credits: Nicole Curtis baby update via Facebook, Instagram)