All The Married At First Sight Couples That Have Children

This article contains references to miscarriage and pregnancy complications. 

"Married at First Sight" is one of the most intriguing reality television shows on the air. The series, which has been up and running since 2014, notoriously takes a crack at putting two complete strangers together in the hopes of sparking eternal romance. The kicker is the lovebirds-to-be meet for the first time at their wedding. The concept is unique, to say the least, and the show's couples are brave souls willing to take a leap of faith when it comes to love. 

The reality stars signing up for this show skip the awkward first dates, dating bumps-and-dumps, and bated breath of awaiting a ring and cut right to the chase. One would think the relationship success rate of "Married at First Sight" would be next to nothing. Indeed, Monsters & Critics estimated that roughly 20% of the show's couples stay together based on stats from the first twelve seasons. But in a shocking twist, as of 2022, many of the show's 54 couples who've participated are not only still together but have also added babies to their bunches. 

These "Married at First Sight" husbands and wives have gone and added the title "parent" to their achievement resumes. As alums of the show, they've proved against all odds that love and devotion really do come in all shapes and sizes, and even the most unconventional starts in love can lead to a very happy ending. 

Season 1 pairing Doug Hehner and Jamie Otis were excited to start expanding their family right from the jump — and both were open about moving forward with their quest to welcome kids into the fold. They shared their excitement over the prospect of becoming parents in an interview with The Knot. "Doug and I are definitely ready for babies!" she professed. "... We had to go through a lot to be confident in our marriage, but now that we are on the other side, we couldn't be happier to announce that we cannot wait to become parents!"

The road to parenthood wasn't as easy as the pair had hoped. At 17 weeks, the couple lost their first pregnancy, naming him Johnathan just a few days after their loss. Although they welcomed their daughter Henley Grace Hehner into the world the following year, in 2019 Otis shared the sad news on Instagram that she'd suffered another miscarriage. Never two to give up, the couple's dream to grow their family continued, and they were overjoyed to announce the birth of their first son in 2020.

The Hehners have made no secret of how grateful they are to have two beautiful children to hold and love. They also make no secret that more kids might follow in the future. However, in 2021 they told Us Weekly that they aren't making baby number three an immediate priority as they are currently focusing on their marriage and family.

Season Five's Ashley Petta and Anthony D'Amico met for the first time at the altar and knew immediately they would be in each other's lives forever. Their chemistry was instantaneous and only grew stronger from that initial meeting point. "We both shared an initial physical attraction, which I think made taking that step feel very easy and natural," Petta told The Knot. "He made me feel very comfortable, and sex deepened the connection we'd already started to build."

The pair continued building their bond, knowing that kids would someday be a part of their relationship. That reality came in January 2019 when Ashley gave birth to the couple's daughter, Mila. Their tiny bundle of beauty arrived three weeks early and filled the pair's home and hearts with more joy than they could have ever imagined. Petta described that new mommy feeling to People. "She is perfect in every way; holding her for the first time was the most amazing, surreal moment of my life."

The duo recreated the magic in 2021 with the birth of a second daughter, Vaeda Marie. Petta told People that her second pregnancy and delivery were both taxing, but ultimately rewarding once they met the new addition to their brood. "It was definitely love at first sight," she told the outlet. For this pair, taking a chance on a stranger they met at their wedding led to a beautiful, happy, and healthy family.

Jephte Pierre and Shawniece Jackson starred in Season 6 of "Married at First Sight." Viewers watched them get to know one another and fight through their fair share of relationship growing pains before seeing them make the commitment to remain married come Decision Day. 

The two didn't have very long to settle into domestic bliss before they learned they were expecting a little one. They shared the news ahead of the season's finale date. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was absolutely shocked, I was in the emergency room because I felt awful and had no idea what was wrong," the mom-to-be told People. "They came back and told me all my symptoms were from pregnancy and that I was pregnant. I was totally shocked."

The couple's daughter was named Laura Denise after the little one's grandmothers, and she made her entrance into the world three weeks early. Both parents expressed to People that becoming parents was nothing short of amazing. "Seeing my daughter and holding her for the first time was magical," Jackson gushed. Her husband mimicked her joy saying, "Seeing my daughter for the first time was so overwhelming. Watching Shawniece push her out drew me to tears. Watching her birth has to be the best moment of my young life. It's incredible to think she's all ours."

Bobby and Danielle Dodd née Bergman sailed through Season 7 of "Married at First SIght" sans the battles and growing pains faced by other couples in similar boats. They seemed as if they were meant for one another, learning to breezily navigate marriage-upon-meeting like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

At the show's reunion taping, the even-keeled couple delighted fans with the news that they were expecting their first child. Several months later, in February 2019, the proud parents announced the arrival of little Olivia Nicole. "Her dad and I are absolutely enamored with her," gushed the new mama to People. "The second we laid eyes on her, we both knew that she is exactly what we waited our whole lives for. She is absolutely perfect in every way, neither of us ever thought we could love something so fast and fierce, but we have from the second she arrived." The family grew once again in 2020, this time announcing the birth of a son, Robert Elvin Dodd IV, via People. 

Unfortunately, Danielle experienced a difficult pregnancy with both babies. The strong mom developed HELLP syndrome, an emergency complication that can affect the mother's blood and liver and harm the child. As a result, Bergman was induced 3 weeks early for her second birth. "This time around we got the birth story of our dreams, given the circumstances," she explained. "... [We] were able to have a smooth and peaceful birth."

Another pair who doubled down on the good fortune of finding forever at first glance was Deonna McNeill and Greg Okotie from Season 9. Two years after laying eyes on each other, they became the proud parents of a baby boy. The birth of baby Declan was announced via People by his over-the-moon mom and dad. "We are so blessed and excited to welcome our baby boy, Declan, into the world. We're all healthy and doing well, just happy to be home as a family of three!"

The pair has been nothing but pumped to share their journey to parenthood with fans. "We're glad we get to share this part of our life with all of our fans because from day one, they've been nothing but pleasant," Greg told E News. "It's just been really nice to be able to share this piece of our lives with them." The ever candid couple continued being nothing but real, telling Pop Culture that being new parents has taught them to function on little sleep, manage time better, and learn to go with the flow. They also revealed to the publication that they saw more babies in their future. "I think we both agree we ... want to have one more, eventually," Deonna shared. "We're just getting to the point where we're sleeping through the night, so it's gonna be hard to go back to that." Spot on ... babies are the best, but sleep is elusive, for sure.

Season 10 sweethearts Austin Hurd and Jessica Studer took a leap of faith when they pledged their forever to one another on the very same day they met. Partaking in "Married at First Sight" was an impulsive move, but the duo dialed it back a notch following their nuptials. Following a carefully prepared adulting checklist, they ticked off some major life boxes before moving to the parenthood stage.

In March 2021, Jessica reflected on their accomplishments in an Instagram post where she wrote, "In the fall, we purchased our first home! It's crazy to think that only a year and a half ago, we met and married as strangers, moved to two apartments, got a dog, Austin changed his job, I moved up in my career, and now we're homeowners! A lot has changed in a short amount of time, can't wait for what another year will bring!"

That year brought baby Weston, and his arrival was announced via People. "We're ALL doing great and are healthy, just very tired," the couple shared. "Thrilled to finally meet him and excited to bring him home." Making this special stage in life even sweeter was the fact that Studer and her twin sister were expecting at the same time, and were just four weeks apart in their pregnancies. Experiencing such an exciting stage of life with your twin? Now that truly is double the joy.

Season 11's Woody Randall and Amani Aliyya joined "Married at First Sight's" Parent Club in June 2022 when they welcomed their son, baby Reign, into their lives. According to People, the couple discovered they were expecting when Aliyya was around eight weeks pregnant. What she assumed was a bad case of food poisoning was actually the beginning of a beautiful little baby. The duo opted for a home birth, with Aliyya explaining the reasoning behind their decision. "We had an at-home delivery, so it was nice to create that energy ourselves, surrounded with each other and the birthing team. It was special and very intimate," the new mom told the outlet.

The arrival of the couple's little prince was shared via Instagram. "It's still pretty early, but we think he may look more like Woody, and he may have Woody's eyes. I think he has my nose," Aliyya told Kinetic Content (via Distractify.). Proud papa Randall couldn't help but look to the family's bright and beautiful future, excited over the magical milestones soon to follow, "I'm very excited for Father's Day. I'm looking forward to taking all the cheesy pictures with my baby and wearing matching outfits."

"Married at First Sight" isn't only an American phenomenon, as the series is also a major hit Down Under. In 2015, Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner kicked off the Aussie version's first season in 2015. The two seemed a perfect fit, and they knew they wanted to start a family after finding love on camera. Sadly, their road to parenthood wasn't quick and easy, and the pair opened up about their devastating news of miscarriage in an exclusive interview with MamaMia. "It's OK to feel devastated. It's all part of acknowledging that this is our loss. There was a heartbeat; it was a person; we were looking at names and everything," explained Hendrix.  

In 2016, they achieved their goal of becoming parents with the birth of their daughter, Harper. However, it wasn't long after becoming a family of three that Hendrix and Garner called it quits romantically, deciding to part ways and co-parent their child as best they could. Hendrix explained to The Grace Tales that having a child changed her and Garner's marriage and contributed to the couple's decision to separate. After Harper arrived, she claimed that she was left with the majority of the childcare duties, even after returning to work. "I have modern views about parenting and gender roles. But I would say that that wasn't a shared attitude," she divulged. "I didn't really realize this until after we had our child. I've learned a lot from that experience."

The season 6 fan-favorite couple of the show's Australian version, Cam Merchant and Jules Robinson, are loving and devoted parents of a son, Oliver. They shared the news of their baby's arrival (and the fact that they had delivered a little boy) via Instagram. " Our little man has arrived ... healthy and beautiful, and my heart is full. We are home now and enjoying the love bubble and getting to know our Lil man Ollie who has the world ahead of him."

Robinson first let fans in on the news of her pregnancy with The Daily Telegraph, partaking in a stunning vintage photoshoot to showcase the big reveal. On the punchy podcast, "So I Quit My Job," Robinson discussed her moves for incorporating maternity wear into her shapewear line and how those initial months of pregnancy were treating her. While her pregnancy reveal was a hoot, her actual pregnancy experience was less so. "[Pregnancy is] not glamorous ... I've got to say," she stated. "I've really struggled, to be honest. It's been hard."

Robinson has made no secret of her desire to have another child, specifically wanting a little girl next time around. In a 2022 episode of her podcast, "The Juggling Act," she revealed she'd been advised on some unconventional techniques for manifesting a baby girl. The missionary position and a rose quartz crystal under the pillow? Hey, if anyone can make it work, it's these two. 

When Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson appeared in Australia's eighth season of "Married at First Sight," the couple faced controversy. Accused of being emotionally manipulative to his partner, Ruthven told The Daily Telegraph, "They have to have a villain and for some reason, I got picked out." The couple claimed that viewers had been fooled by disingenuous editing. 

Controversy aside, the two are certainly unconventional, and everything they have done since their initial meeting has been a little off the beaten path. The two went ahead and chose Rawson's black diamond engagement ring together, got engaged high in the sky via a helicopter tour, and announced they were expecting twins — a franchise first!  "It's been a whirlwind, but we're so incredibly happy," Rawson revealed to New Idea.

The couple didn't have very long to get used to the idea of marriage or pregnancy as their twin sons arrived much sooner than either parent-to-be expected. Ruthven posted a heart-warming Instagram reel chronicling the life events leading up to the biggest day in the pair's life, their sons' birthdates. While they made their debuts early, ten weeks to be precise, little Levi and baby Tate are now thriving and growing and have most certainly completed this reality, television family. 

"Married at First Sight" United Kingdom couple, Tayah Victoria and Adam Aveling, wasted little time moving forward from meeting to married to babies. They were the only couple in their series to stay in it for the long haul, with Victoria joining Aveling in his hometown of Doncaster after filming wrapped. The beautiful couple announced their pregnancy to OK Magazine (via Yahoo! News), saying, "We're so excited. And the thing is, we weren't even trying! It just happened. I can't believe it. We're obviously just very fertile."

The pregnancy was unexpected but joyous news nonetheless, with the couple letting the world know that they would soon be parents to a baby girl in an Instagram gender reveal (via Daily Mail.) The young and in love pair were set to walk down the aisle in 2022. But with the baby on the way, and due around the time of their original wedding date, they postponed the wedding to focus on the little one for the time being. A later date for the ceremony also comes with another added benefit. "Now the baby can be a part of the day, which is such a special thing," Victoria told Ok! "Luckily, we didn't have to cancel anything, we'll just start from scratch with the plans."