Ryan Edwards is feeling the love from his extended family.
Before news broke that his girlfriend, Amanda Conner, was expecting a baby girl, the Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star was able to share the happy milestone with his ex, Maci Bookout.
“She’s been very supportive and she was excited,” Ryan exclusively shared with Us Weekly on Wednesday, October 9, before revealing his parents’ response. “[Jen and Larry] were a little shocked at first, but they’re very excited.”
Ryan shares son Bentley, 15, with Maci. He also has two kids — Jagger, 5, and Stella, 4 — with his estranged wife, Mackenzie Edwards.
Long before she was pregnant, Amanda — who has a son from a previous relationship — was able to build a friendship with Maci. (The former 16 and Pregnant star is now married to Taylor McKinney and recently celebrated 8 years of marriage.)
The secret to their healthy friendship may just be a simple goal of putting the kids first.
“It comes down to coparenting and being there for Bentley and being there for the kids,” she told Us. “I just feel like she really respects that. I don’t give her a hard time. I want to see Ryan be a dad, and I want to see him coparent with Maci.”
Having a happy, blended family is something Amanda hopes to continue as she prepares to welcome a baby girl into the world.
“It makes everything easier,” she said. “We get along. We hang out. We are actually doing family things that families are supposed to be doing. It just makes it a lot easier, and I feel like she appreciates that.”
Over the weekend, Amanda confirmed she was expecting a baby via social media. While she was trying to keep the news a secret, the MTV reality star acknowledged that “the bump started showing.”
“We are both very excited,” Amanda said. “We knew that it was just a matter of time.”
Since she started dating Ryan around September 2023, Amanda said their relationship has continued to blossom. She’s also proud of how far they’ve come as individuals, after they both celebrated more than a year of sobriety.
“We are in a healthy, happy place,” she said. “I feel like we’re doing better than ever, better than we ever have. We’re just growing our future, growing our family, and that’s where we’re at. We’re happy to be where we are. We’re happy to start a family. We’re happy to be sober. We’re happy to have a blended family. Everything’s just coming along. Life is good.”
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on MTV.
