Big news surrounding Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s plans to expand their family. Bunnie and Jelly had long planned to keep their IVF journey private, but they decided to open up after Jelly Roll noted that wanting to have a child had significantly motivated him to lose weight.
While Bunnie Xo is highly involved in the lives of Jelly Roll’s two children from previous relationships, Bailee Ann DeFord and Noah Buddy DeFord, the couple has decided they want a child who shares their DNA. To achieve this goal, Bunnie Xo shared with fans that she’s undergoing IVF and has periodically given them updates on her journey.
After doing back-to-back rounds of IVF, Bunnie admitted that she was thinking about taking a break, given the toll it took on her body. The first round of IVF was good for Bunnie; however, she had a horrible second-round reaction to a different medication her doctor put her on, which caused her to go into a medical menopause.
“So I’m doing my second round of IVF. The last cycle, we got eggs, they are frozen, whatever. But I guess to increase your chances of having a baby, you need to have as many eggs as possible, which is why women end up doing 5-10 IVF cycles. Which hats off to you, broads, because there is no way, shape, or form that I could do that.”
When Bunnie said she was thinking about letting fate take over, she got a call from her doctor with some big news. While the news hasn’t been revealed yet, Bunnie shared with followers that it’s not a pregnancy announcement. Based on what she’s shared about this journey, it sounds like any good news is worth celebrating.
“When you just got the call you’ve been waiting on for 5 months since this IVF journey started. All the tears, the hopeless & the struggle, God finally said, ‘Here.’”
However, since this post, we have not received much information about their IVF journey, other than Bunnie telling Maury Povich that she was putting it in God’s hands and that, if things did not go their way, they’d be open to adopting a child.
During a recent conversation with PEOPLE, Bunnie Xo shared that while this path has been challenging for her and her husband, she feels their struggles are a sign to use her platform to speak for women, especially those in the midst of IVF.
“God’s putting me through this again, so that I can be a voice for those women who are going through this process.”
While their journey has not been what they pictured, Bunnie Xo shares that going through this journey has shown her how strong women are. Bunnie Xo has praised women who have undergone multiple IVF cycles and continues to speak highly of the IVF community, noting that these women are warriors.
“It is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through, and there are women out there that are doing 10 to 15 egg retrievals. They are freaking warriors. My hat goes off to these women, and they’re just such a cool community. So God is… Everything happens for a reason. It always comes around full circle.”
Today, Bunnie Xo released her first novel, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, which includes an update on the chapters surrounding her and Jelly Roll’s IVF journey. Bunnie Xo revealed to readers that she and Jelly Roll have found a surrogate and hope to welcome twins:
“Now that we’re finally stable financially and somewhat emotionally after all the healing we’ve done over this decade together, we’re talking about the future—including growing our family. J and I have a surrogate, the sweetest woman ever, and soon I’ll be starting my IVF stims.”
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo plan to use his sperm and her eggs to try for twins. While this journey has been difficult for Bunnie Xo, she candidly shared she’s excited but nervous for what’s ahead. But despite the nerves, she’s still confident with her choice to wait and have children when she and Jelly Roll are emotionally and financially ready:
“I’ve waited this long to have kids with someone I knew would be a great father— and to be able to make sure they have the best life.”
Bunnie Xo also addressed anyone shaming them for wanting to have children at an older age:
“Some people frown upon our decision to bring babies into this world at our age, and I could give a F. We’re going to raise these babies in love and give them everything we were never given. I can’t wait to see a piece of me and him running around outside of our bodies.”
We hope that their dream comes true and, as always, commend Bunnie Xo for sharing the highs and lows of her IVF journey with the world. It’s far from an easy process, and Bunnie Xo has built a strong community in the process, turning her hardships into an opportunity to unite women and show them what IVF really looks like.
