“Seeking Sister Wife” stars Dannielle and Garrick Merrifield made a surprising announcement on the latest episode of their TLC reality series.
The couple, whose foray into plural marriage has been chronicled on the show over the last few seasons, revealed that they welcomed their third child, a daughter named Leia, last year.
Unbeknownst to viewers, Dannielle gave birth to the baby girl on May 17, 2023. Nearly a year afterwards, she announced her pregnancy in an episode of “Seeking Sister Wife” on April 22.
After the show aired, the couple went live on Instagram to share more details about Dannielle’s surprise pregnancy and introduce their baby girl to the world.
“We decided to go live today because obviously last night, the show showed that I was pregnant and it’s been quite a while since that was filmed,” Dannielle said.
The 11-month old’s full name is Leia Lilly Melisa Merrifield and was 8 lbs. at birth. Dannielle recalled being induced and said her daughter, who is currently getting her first tooth, “came very quickly.”
The mother of three also explained why she and her husband chose to keep their daughter’s birth a secret for the past year.
“Obviously you know, we (didn’t) want to ruin the show and talk about (it),” she said.
Still, the proud mom said it wasn’t easy keeping her newborn under wraps.
“I’m so excited to share this because obviously as a mother, you guys know if you’re mothers, it is so hard not to talk about your kids. Your kids are a part of you and she’s such a joy in our lives,” she said.
Dannielle admitted that she and Garrick hadn’t “expected or planned” to have a third child, but said they’re loving every moment of the process.
“It’s crazy to be a mother again. I was a mother first when I was 21,” she said.
The couple also has two sons – Geremiah (15) and Solomon (14) – and Dannielle said they were originally hoping for a little brother.
“They said they wanted a brother but they’re very happy with a sister,” she said.
During the Instagram live video, the mother of three also shared details about her pregnancy.
“It is so different,” she said, referring to be in her 30s. “Your body does not handle it the same.”
Dannielle noted that she still doesn’t “feel quite the same” but said “it’s worth it.”
In an interview with People, the reality star revealed that she had preterm contractions around 19 weeks into her pregnancy and was hospitalized.
“It was super scary because I didn’t have any problems in my previous pregnancies with our boys… But thankfully we were able to get the contractions to stop, and I was able to carry our beautiful baby princess to full term. I believe God was watching out for her and me,” she said.
While reflecting on her daughter’s personality, Dannielle described her in the following way: “She makes us all laugh. She is super independent and has been since birth.”
TLC viewers can expect to hear more about Dannielle’s pregnancy in future episodes of “Seeking Sister Wife,” which airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. on TLC.
