There’s a baby boom in Utah!
Three members of the cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — Jennifer Affleck, Mikayla Matthews and Mayci Neeley — are currently pregnant and excited to grow their families this summer.
The ladies are sharing what it’s like to go through their pregnancies together with PEOPLE. Jennifer is expecting her third baby with husband Zac Affleck. Mayci and husband Jacob Neeley will also welcome baby No. 3 while Mikayla and her husband Jace Terry will welcome their fourth baby.
“It’s so exciting to have two other friends and castmates on the same journey!” Jennifer raves to PEOPLE.
“I’ve never been pregnant with a friend or anyone at the same time. It’s so fun,” Mikayla adds. “I feel like we’re all so close and it was such a shock. Obviously, we weren’t all planning to get pregnant at the same time, so finding out how close [our due dates] are was really fun.”
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“It’s especially great being pregnant with Mayci, who is like my closest, best friend. I’m always texting her like, ‘Are you eating everything in your fridge right now?’ She’s going through all the same aches and pains and cravings, so it’s fun to relate to her and get to talk to her about it. It’s the same with Jen, too.”
All three women are taking advantage of Babymama, Mayci’s maternal wellness brand, to keep them on track throughout their pregnancies.
“It’s been really awesome. I love giving them gummies and whatnot,” Mayci shares.
It was the gummies that were Mayci’s first indication that Jen was expecting, she reveals. “Before Jen was really telling anyone, she asked me about the gummies. I asked if she wanted FertileMama, which is for when you’re trying, or PregoMama, and she said Pregos. So I figured it out like that, but it was pretty cool.”
She’d later find out over FaceTime that bestie Mikayla was also expecting. “Mikayla and I are best friends. We’re super, super close. She told me she was pregnant over FaceTime, but she didn’t know I was pregnant,” Mayci shares.
“We were still hiding it, so it was super cool for me to be freaking out to myself. We’d talked about getting pregnant together for two years, so it was really cool that it actually happened.”
Being on reality TV while pregnant can be a challenge. Long days of filming can challenge even the most energetic mom-to-be. All three of the Mormon Wives are making sure to take care of themselves, mind and body, as they navigate the process.
“Me and Mikayla have talked about how filming a show and being pregnant would be hard. When you’re pregnant, you’re insecure. Your body’s changing, your face is changing, and so I feel like that’s a part that hasn’t really hit me yet,” Mayci says.
“Luckily, I wasn’t too far along filming this last bit, but I am a little worried about seeing myself in the future after filming pregnant. I’m not looking forward to that, because it can be hard on your self-esteem.”
Jen adds, “If there’s one tip I can share with anyone who is pregnant, it’s to listen to your intuition and your body—trust what it needs. People will always offer their advice, but at the end of the day, you know yourself and what you need better than anyone else. Trust yourself!”
Stream season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu or catch episodes on Monday at 10:00 p.m. after The Bachelor on ABC.
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