Emme Rylan, already mom to Jackson, 7, and Levi, 5, is expecting baby No. 3, her first girl, in June. She opened up to Digest about her pregnancy — and her daughter-related anxiety.
Soap Opera Digest: The video you posted on Instagram of you telling the boys that you were pregnant was possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Emme Rylan: Wasn’t it so sweet? They wanted a sibling so bad. It’s so funny; I’ve met a lot of parents whose kids don’t want siblings, but my kids are like, “Yay, more people to hang out with!” They are probably going to be such partiers in college, God help me. When we asked Jackson, like, a year ago, “Do you want another sibling?”, that’s what he said: “Just another person to hang out with!”
Digest: And the picture with Santa revealing the gender? Cuteness overload!
Rylan: That Santa is so sweet. We’ve gone to that Santa every year and this year, he said, “I’ll see the three of you, you guys and your sister, next year!” It was really, really cute.
Digest: Were you hoping for a girl this time?
Rylan: I wasn’t! I was not interested in having a daughter! If I’m going to be honest, let’s be honest, right [laughs]? Before I had Jackson, all I ever wanted was girls. I imagine a lot of girls feel this way; because you’re a girl, you want girls. I only ever wanted to have daughters, but when I got pregnant with Jackson, I just knew that it was a boy. I was having dreams and he was a boy baby in my dreams. I cried for a month that I was going to have a son. We didn’t even know what we were having. Don was like, “So, you’re crying because we’re having a boy, even though we don’t know what we’re having?” “I know it’s a boy, Don! I know!” I cried and cried. And then one day I saw a really cute pair of boy jeans and I was like, “Oh. Those are pretty cute” And then I saw a reality show with a mother and daughter fighting and I was like, “Oh. That’s awful.” And I came to terms with the idea that I was going to have a son and that that was the best idea ever. Leave it to me to be so dramatic! But while I was pregnant with Jackson, I had a dream that I had three sons, and I have truly created this world in my head where I was the mom of three boys, so it never crossed my mind that it was even a chance that this would not be a boy, ever. At this point, I’m like, “Gosh, I’m not that smart. Didn’t I know there was, like, a 50/50 chance here?’” I basically did not even think that Don [Money, her partner] and I were capable of making anything other than boys. When I was pregnant with Levi, I was sick in a really different way than I was with Jackson, and people were like, “Oh, I bet it’s a girl,” and I was like, “It’s not a girl. I know I’m having three boys.” So, with this pregnancy, I was like, “It’s a boy. I’m having three boys.” I was at my 12-week ultrasound and the technician said, “Do you want me to take a really inaccurate guess?” I said, “Sure!” She was like, “It’s a girl.” I was like, “No, you’re totally wrong. I only have boy names, I’m having another son, that’s it.”
Digest: So how did you react when you found out you were wrong?
Rylan: Oh, my gosh. I screamed when the woman on the phone said it was a girl. Not screamed with joy — screamed in horror! I have no doubt I am going to have an amazing experience with a daughter, but I still don’t believe it’s really happening! People always assume, when you have a kid of one gender, that you want one of the opposite gender, too. Everyone I see is like, “You got your girl!” I’m like, “I like boys!” Of course, I have to deal with all of this dramatically. So, I’m like, “ If little-boy jeans brought me to the boy side, I’m just going to start making her a collection of leggings.” This is how I deal with change. I can’t handle change! I have to, like, make something. So, I’m making her leggings and matching headbands [laughs]. But I’m scared!
Digest: What was Don’s reaction?
Rylan: Oh, my gosh, he’s so even all the time. I’m the one who has a dramatic reaction to absolutely everything that happens in our lives. He was like, “That’s great!” I’m like, “What?! A girl bomb is about to drop on our household and change our lives forever!” He’s like, “That sounds awesome.” Couldn’t be happier! Don would never admit it, but I think he always wanted a girl — and I think he knew that I was going to go off the deep end, so he was like, “I’m not going to get overly excited.”
Digest: Were Jackson and Levi excited?
Rylan: Okay, so I was on the phone with the doctor and I screamed and I’m cursing on the phone like, “What did you just say? I have boys! I have two boys!” And Jackson and Levi come running in and they are screaming with joy. They wanted a little sister so bad. I am the only one in the family — change is hard for me! Change takes me a couple months to deal with. So, they are screaming with joy and Levi screams [excited], “We don’t know anything about girls!” I said [panicked], “I know! We don’t!” Jackson is super-practical and he was like, “You’re a girl!” I was like, “I don’t remember being a little girl! I can’t raise myself!” It was really fun. It is so funny to me that they want a sister. I’m scared s—less! I have no idea how to take care of a girl! I figured it out with a boy; I know what I’m doing now. With a girl, I have no idea what I’m doing! But I am really excited. It really makes it feel like a first pregnancy all over again and it’s definitely amped up the whole experience. It feels like we’re having Jackson all over again. It’s perfect because the boys will be able to help me. We’ll just filter out all of her boyfriend choices!
Digest: I’m glad you’re seeing the silver lining here! And I think you’re going to love having a daughter, for the record.
Rylan: Oh, I’m sure it’s going to be amazing. You know, the reason I talk about all of my feelings with parenthood is that when I was just starting out as a parent, I only ever met the people that had it all together and were afraid of nothing — and that scared me more! Everyone was like, “I was born to have children and I know what I’m doing.” We were like, “We have no idea what we’re doing!” We obviously put a lot of effort into it to figure it out, but I feel like it’s that journey through it that’s, like, what’s actually interesting and helpful — so that’s why I’m completely admitting that I’m deathly terrified of having a girl. I know that everyone who sees all the stuff I make, all the crafty stuff, assumes that I would just not be scared at all. They assume I’m so girly that I wouldn’t be freaking out. Yeah, I’m totally freaking out! But for some reason, at preschool, all of my closest mom friends are girl moms. They think it’s hilarious that I’m scared of having a daughter. I’m like, “I like all of your daughters. If you could tell me how to make mine be like them, it’d be perfect.” So, I do have a ton of people around me that have daughters that are ready to give me amazing advice and have kick-ass little girls and give me tons of hand-me-downs. We have so much girl stuff coming our way; it’s very exciting.
To find out how she broke the news of her pregnancy to GH Executive Producer Frank Valentini, which of her co-stars was the first to guess that she was expecting and why she waited until finishing her first GH contract to expand her family, check out the new issue of Soap Opera Digest, on sale now.
