Celebrity Parents Shanae Ankney and Boyfriend Nate Ebner Welcome First Baby Together, Daughter Maven: 'Worth the Wait' The 'Bachelor' alum first learned she was pregnant over the summer By Angela Andaloro Angela Andaloro Angela Andaloro is a Society & Culture Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, and LittleThings. People Editorial Guidelines and Hannah Sacks Hannah Sacks Hannah Sacks is a writer/reporter for the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since May 2023. Her work has previously appeared in The Toy Insider, The Toy Book, The Pop Insider, and Saratoga Living. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 16, 2024 02:53PM EDT Close Shanae Ankney's baby daughter. Photo: Shanae Ankney/Instagram; Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Shanae Ankney is a mom! The Bachelor alum, 31, and boyfriend Nate Ebner welcomed their first baby together on Thursday, April 11, sharing the exciting news on Instagram. Posting a carousel of photos of their baby girl's head, Ankney also included a picture of Ebner cuddling with their little girl. "Maven Jane 🤍 4•11•2024 🤍 you were worth the wait my sweet girl 🎀," she wrote in the caption. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Shanae Ankney Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby, a Girl, with Boyfriend Nate Ebner (Exclusive) The couple first learned of their exciting baby news over the summer. "I knew I was pregnant before I even took the test. I just had a gut feeling," she told PEOPLE at the time. "We waited and waited for the double lines to show up, and boom! The double lines appeared." "Nate and I were looking at each other, just smiling and in awe," Ankney added of herself and her partner, who previously played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. "I’m super excited," Ebner said of becoming a dad. "I think Shanae is a wonderful human with a beautiful soul, and I can’t wait to watch her be an amazing mother to our child." "She will be the absolute best, as she has so much love to give," he continued. "I know it will be difficult, but I think I have a lot to offer, and I’m excited about the experience, the challenge and the learning along the way." Ankney and Ebner's growing family has been written in the stars, as the current free agent sent the reality star a text early in their relationship asking: "Do you want children?" "To this day, I have that conversation saved to my phone. I knew he wasn’t messing around," Ankney said. "Him asking me how serious I was about children was very attractive to me because I knew how serious he was about children, wanting a family and looking for that special someone to share that with." "I'm immensely thankful for the wonderful man Nate is, and I can't wait to witness the incredible dad he is destined to be," she continued. "We know this is going to be life-changing, but in the best way possible. We can’t wait to continue to build this life together and become parents." Added Ebner: "There’s no one else I’d rather go on this journey with than Shanae. I think together we will make great parents."