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Rapper Da Brat is expanding her family with her wife Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart.
The couple announced they’re expecting a baby this year via photos on Instagram and an exclusive for PEOPLE magazine.
Da Brat, whose real name is Shawntae Harris-Dupart, posted photos revealing her bump along with the caption, “Blessings 2023.”
The 48-year-old revealed to the magazine that “It’s been quite a journey. There’s a lot of stuff we learned about women over the age of 40.”
That journey began after the couple tied the knot in February 2022.
Harris-Dupart, the CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products, was launching a new line inspired by Da Brat and her iconic braids and protective hairstyles. When marketing the products they used the tagline “We’re extending our family!”
However, fans thought it meant the couple was expanding their brood, and that got the couple to talk about it for real.
“It was like, ‘Oh my God do we want to actually have kids, and if we do, girl, we better hurry up!’”
Harris-Dupart is already a mother to three children prior to their relationship. This will be the first child for the “Funkdafied” artist.
“I never thought I was going to have kids,” she explained to PEOPLE. “I just thought it wasn’t in the cards for me. I’ve had a great career, a full life. I felt like, because I didn’t get pregnant earlier on, then it just wasn’t going to happen for me.”
Da Brat decided to carry the child after Harris-Dupart suffered major health complications following her egg retrieval procedure.
The rapper did face some health issues of her own. She had to undergo surgery to remove fibroids and polyps prior to her embryo transfer procedure.
Prior to becoming pregnant, Da Brat suffered a miscarriage.
“I had never been so excited about something that I didn’t even know I wanted,” she revealed. “I fell in love with the idea and then it was all snatched away from me.”
Luckily, the couple had “quite a few of her eggs left.”
They chose an anonymous donor described as “an eager entrepreneur” from their cryobank.
Da Brat is 18 weeks pregnant, right in her second trimester.
“It’s just a blessing. I’m excited! I don’t have any cravings or nausea, but I’m always sleepy. It’s crazy!”
The “What’Chu Like” singer is also dealing with the emotions of being pregnant.
“Everything makes me cry. If someone wins ‘American Idol,’ I cry. I’m like, I’m tougher than that!”
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