Baby Jenkins has arrived. Jeannie Mai Jenkins and her husband, Young Jeezy, welcomed their first child together earlier today. The journey to today has been well documented by the pair who have shared everything via Instagram posts, Youtube Vlogs and television interviews. It has been an incredible ride for Jeannie Mai, who once upon a time had no desire to have kids. Although Mai has made the announcement, she has yet to reveal the gender.
In an Instagram post, Jeannie Mai gushed about her life being full of love and happiness. The image was a hospital baby blanket in a bed with a card that reads Jenkins. “Baby Jenkins is here,” she said. Her co-hosts from The Real jumped into the comments to congratulate her. Adrienne Bailon-Houghton said, “CONGRATULATIONS 🤍🤍🤍 so happy for you!!! Can’t wait to meet Baby Jenkins. Xx.” Loni Love said “Can’t wait to meet boo boo!!! I’m happy for you and hubby!!! #auntieloni.”
Jeannie Mai did not want children for a long time, talking about it in great length during her time on The Real. In one episode, she said, “I realize that the reason I didn’t want to have kids is because that feeling when I was a kid was so real and so damaging to the point that I’m 42 today still dealing with trust issues and confidence.” The feeling she was referring to was her being sexually assaulted by a family member. Mai harbored resentment for years and had a hard time moving past the traumatic experience. Mai was so committed to not wanting kids that she even tattooed her stomach so that she could be constantly reminded of it. She’s since confessed throughout her pregnancy that she regrets the ink and is looking to get it removed.
Things began to shift for Mai-Jenkins when she divorced her first husband, Freddy Harteis. Harteis maintained that he left because he wanted to start a family, something Mai was not interested in. He would go on to remarry and have kids not too soon after. While Harteis bashed Mai in the media, Mai maintained that they just were not a good pairing and she was ready to move on.
Mai and Jeezy began dating in 2018 and she instantly realized the difference in her relationships. She opened up about how she felt tolerated by Harteis, while with Jeezy, she claims to have found her equal. She remembers Jeezy leaving his own birthday party to see her off to the airport for a trip. “Are you crazy? I need to see you off. I’m going to drive you to the airport,” she recalled him saying. This made her realize he was different. Eventually, they began talking about starting a life together with Jeezy proposing April of 2020.
Things moved quickly with the pair, as Jeannie continued to gush about him on The Real. The couple tied the knot in April of 2021 with a wedding ceremony in Jeezy’s hometown of Atlanta. Mai confessed that well before the wedding, she began feeling differently about children. She had the overwhelming desire to have kids with Jeezy and started trying. Jeannie was open about her fertility journey, even sharing that she miscarried before their April wedding. Things eventually worked in their favor, with them announcing Mai was pregnant on a September episode of The Real. Ex-Husband Harteis was not too happy for his former lover, leaving some pretty negative comments under a post asking his opinion on her starting a family. According to Harteis, he upgraded from trash to treasure after divorce from Mai and finding his new wife and family.
Mai has tried hard to enjoy her pregnancy despite her fears. In one Vlog, she confessed that she worried someone might take their baby away if they find she is an unfit mother. The worries obviously did not deter the pair from celebrating. Jeezy and Jeannie threw a Christmas-themed baby shower back in December. She also opened up about wanting to be surprised by the baby’s gender calling it one of life’s last real surprises. This seemed to carry over into the baby’s birth announcement, with Mai not mentioning a name or gender in her post.
