Content creators Haley and MonDarius “Money” Black are officially parents, and their 1.6 million TikTok followers are celebrating their new roles as internet aunties and uncles.
The couple behind @beefingwiththeblacks on TikTok welcomed their first baby together on Jan. 6, a little girl named Leilani Noel Black. Though the new parents shared the announcement exclusively with People magazine, the couple has documented the highs and lows of their pregnancy journey on TikTok.
“Honestly, it feels surreal. I’ve been looking at Money [MonDarius] for the last two days, and I’m like, ‘Look. Our daughter is on my hips right now. Can you believe she’s here?'” she says. “It’s something that you crave for so long, and after getting pregnant, it’s like, ‘Okay, this is happening.’ But now that she’s here, it almost feels like I’m in a dream, and I’m like, ‘Is this really happening right now?’ I keep looking at her little face and her little toes, and I can’t believe it.”
Having been open with their followers about their dreams of becoming parents one day, in 2024, MonDarius revealed that his wife experienced an ectopic pregnancy (when the baby grows outside of the uterus), which led to emergency surgery to have the baby removed. However, unbeknownst to them, surgery would also result in a doctor completely removing her right tube due to damage, cutting her chances of getting pregnant naturally in half.
@callmecollins.hdc We’ll be back soon🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 #marriedlife #marriage #marriedtok #marriedyoung #marriedmybestfriend #miscarriageawareness #ectopicpregnancy ♬ original sound – callmeCollins.h.d.c
At the time, the physician claimed to have only removed a “large portion” of the tube, assuring the couple this would not impact their fertility journey. However, after a year of trying and experiencing excruciating pain, Haley’s OBGYN informed her of the complete removal of her right tube.
“That’s the reason why pregnancy had been so difficult for us,” she tells PEOPLE, noting that she was unaware that the surgeon had removed her ovary. “At that point, I was very discouraged.”
However, as the couple prepared to explore fertility options, Haley realized that her period was late, a typical sign of possible pregnancy. After “freaking out” in disbelief, doctors confirmed the pregnancy via ultrasound and revealed that their baby girl was produced from Haley’s right ovary.
“It’s honestly insane just how far we have come from the loss until now,” Haley added reflecting on the moment. “I definitely didn’t anticipate some of the feelings that being pregnant would bring on after losing a baby, but I’m so grateful that we’re here now.”
As Haley openly shared with her 27.7k subscribers on YouTube and 100.8K followers on TikTok, her fertility journey was challenging both physically, mentally, and spiritually as she experienced symptoms of postpartum depression following her ectopic pregnancy.
“I dipped into a place that I just never anticipated going. It was dark, and it was depressing for a while,” she revealed while underscoring her husband’s support and optimism. “It’s so crazy how society has conditioned so many women to believe that because so many women go through this, it’s not something to talk about because if it happens earlier in pregnancy, then it’s really not that deep,” she says. “It should be okay to feel this way. It should be okay to understand that this is still a heavy grief that some people carry. When you don’t have an outlet to talk about these things, and you allow it to fester, to sit on your heart, to sit on your mind, that’s where depression comes in.”
“I was reminding her, if you’re going to say you’re going to trust Him, then that doesn’t go hand in hand with also worrying about the bad things,” the proud girl dad said reflecting on how prayer kept him grounded throughout their journey to parenthood. “If we’re going to say we’re going to trust Him, then we’re thinking of positive outcomes.”
And now, the couple is living in answered prayers as they hold their baby girl, excited about the moments they’ll share as a family and the healthy mother-daughter and father-daughter relationships they’ll form.
“I’m just ready to see what … type of person she is, how she reacts to certain things, what type of character she has. I’m ready to see her walk [and] talk,” MonDarius shared. “Haley’s telling me to slow down, but I’m just like, I’m just ready to see who she acts more like.”
“I’m just ready to see how she grows into herself because I could honestly care less if she wants to be like either us [or] strives to be something that is far off from anything me and Haley ever did,” he concluded. “I’m just ready to see how she is as a person and the things that push her to strive to be great.”
