Rapper Da Brat expecting 1st child with wife: 'It's been quite a journey'
Rapper Da Brat, 48, and her wife Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart are expecting their first child together.
The couple, who first shared the news with People, spoke about their road to motherhood and what the pregnancy has been like.
"It's been quite a journey," Da Brat, whose real name is Shawntae Harris-Dupart, said. "There's a lot of stuff we learned about women over the age of 40."
How their love influenced Da Brat's desire to the be a mom
The rapper, known for her hit "Funkdafied," said she and Harris-Dupart started their 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 her wife and her wife's iconic braids and protective hairstyles.
Da Brat said that she never thought motherhood was in the cards for her. Her wife was already the mom to three kids from a previous relationship.
"I never really wanted to have kids until I met her, until I came out of the closet and started living my life out loud and [was] able to share with the world who I love, and you know, what I love doing with the person I love," Da Brat shared during an interview with "Good Morning America."
She added, "That made me want to just experience everything that you can get out of life."
A heartbreaking miscarriage
Da Brat said she was hesitant at first to carry hers and Dupart-Harris' child, but they ultimately decided that Da Brat would carry, due to the health complications Harris-Dupart experienced following her egg retrieval procedure.
"We had a little tug-o-war in the beginning ... but I felt like she should have the experience," Harris-Dupart told People. "She is so nurturing."
Prior to Da Brat's embryo transfer procedure, she said that she faced her own health issues, which included having to undergo surgery to remove fibroids and polyps, which are typically benign, non-cancerous growths in a woman's uterus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Women who have fibroids are more likely to have problems during pregnancy and delivery, according to the Office on Women's Health.
But during their pregnancy journey, Da Brat experienced a miscarriage.
"I had never been so excited about something that I didn't even know I wanted," she said. "I fell in love with the idea and then it was all snatched away from me."
Despite the miscarriage, the couple moved forward with the few eggs they had left and an anonymous donor from their cryo bank. Da Brat is now 18 weeks pregnant and she said it's all a "blessing."
As the couple prepare to welcome their child into the world, Da Brat said pregnancy has been an interesting experience for her. "Everything makes me cry," she told People. "If someone wins 'American Idol,' I cry. I'm like, I'm tougher than that!"
When asked what her message is for others, Da Brat told "GMA," "Whatever your dream is or whatever you would like to do in life, you only live once. If you really want a child, you can carry a child."
"You don't have to give up," she added.
