Happy first Mother’s Day to Gabrielle Union!
The actress, 46, shared an emotional post alongside a photo of the moment she saw her daughter, Kaavia James, for the first time.
“I’ve cried so many times today for so many reasons, mainly because I’d gotten accustomed to heartbreak and disappointment,” Union wrote on Instagram, speaking about her fertility struggles. “I think a lot of us live in that space. I set up shop there. This moment reminded me that miracles do happen.”
The America’s Got Talent judge added, “You can’t age out of joy. You are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy. Sending so much love today to all the mamas, stepmamas, grandmas, aunties real and play, daddies, friends and anyone who has taken the time to nurture another living soul. I see you, I gotchu.”
Union also wished her fans and followers a joyous holiday.
“And to those who have lost their mamas, grandmas, mother figures, sending extra love and light and hugs your way,” she said.
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Union and her husband, NBA star Dwyane Wade — who can be seen taking a picture of his daughter in Union’s Mother’s Day post — welcomed their first child together via surrogate in November.
Kaavia is the first child for Union while Wade, 36, is dad to sons Xavier Zechariah, 5, Zion Malachi Airamis, 11, and Zaire Blessing Dwyane, 17. He also raises nephew Dahveon Morris, 17.
Union opened up about her struggles with infertility in her 2017 memoir We’re Going to Need More Wine, revealing she “had eight or nine miscarriages.”
“For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle or coming out of an IVF cycle,” she wrote in her book.
Earlier this year, the L.A.’s Finest star spoke to Women’s Health about feeling “inadequate” when faced with the reality of using a surrogate to become a mother.
“There’s nothing more that I wanted than to cook my own baby … the idea of it felt like surrendering to failure,” Union said in the candid interview, going on to explain that she was worried how she’d be “embraced as a mom” by others after welcoming her first child. Although it was difficult, she embraced the idea of surrogacy and made sure to pick Kaavia’s gestational carrier carefully, specifically wanting someone who was a “reader.”
And when it comes to raising Kaavia, now 6 months old, Union told Women’s Health that she wants to let her daughter be independent in her decision-making as she grows up, trusting that as a mom she has given her the right foundation.
“I want to instill in her morals, values. And then I want to give her space to fill in those gaps, fall on her ass and make mistakes. Get an F because she didn’t study. Pick the wrong dude,” she said. “Pick the wrong friends and figure it out. I don’t want to be super judge-y.”
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