Rapper Da Brat, 48, and his wife Jessica “Judy” Harris-Dupart are expecting their first child together.
The couple, who first shared the news with PEOPLE, talked about their path to motherhood and the pregnancy.
Da Brat, whose real name is Shawnte Harris-Dupart, said, “It’s been quite a journey.” “We’ve learned a lot about women over the age of 40.”
‘I never thought I would have children
The rapper, best known for her hit “Funkadafied,” said she and Harris-Dupert began the road to motherhood last year when they tied the knot in February. At the time, Harris-Dupart, 41, who is the CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products, was launching a new line inspired by his and his wife’s iconic braided and protective hairstyles.
“It started as a joke, we were like, ‘We’re expanding our family!’ Da Brat said. “But then we got a huge response. It was like, ‘Oh my god do we really want kids, and if we do, girl, we hurry up!’
Da Brat said she never thought motherhood was in the cards for her. His wife was already the mother of three children from a previous relationship.
Da Brat said, “I never thought I’d have kids.” “I felt like since I hadn’t been pregnant before, it wasn’t going to happen for me.”
“I started to look at life differently,” she said, adding that Harris-Dupart helped change her perspective on motherhood. “I was like, I need a little something with you. There’s something special from both of us that we can share and love unconditionally.”
A heartbreaking miscarriage
Da Brat said that at first, she was hesitant to carry her and Dupart-Harris’ baby, but due to health complications after Harris-Dupart’s egg retrieval procedure, she ultimately decided that Da Brat would have to.
Harris-Dupart said, “We had a bit of a tug-of-war in the beginning … but I thought she should get the feel.” “She’s very nurturing.”
Prior to da Brat’s embryo transfer procedure, she said she faced health issues of her own, including having surgery to remove fibroids and polyps, which are typically benign, non-cancerous growths in a woman’s uterus. occurs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Office of Women’s Health, women who have fibroids are more likely to have problems during pregnancy and childbirth.
But during her pregnancy journey, Da Brat experienced a miscarriage.
“I’ve never been so excited about something I didn’t even know I wanted,” she said. “I fell in love with the idea and then it was all taken away from me.”
Despite the miscarriage, the couple went ahead with the few eggs they had left and an anonymous donor from their cryobank. Da Brat is now 18 weeks pregnant and she says it’s all a “blessing”.
As the couple prepares to welcome their child into the world, Da Brat said that pregnancy has been an interesting experience for her.
“Everything makes me cry,” she said. “If someone wins ‘American Idol,’ I cry. I’m like, I’m tougher than that!”