Decisions, decisions! When it came down to choosing the surrogate to carry her daughter, Gabrielle Union wanted one specific box to be checked.
“Some people care about the race, religion, or food habits of their surrogate. I was like, ‘I want a reader,’” the L.A.’s Finest star admitted in her Women’s Health Opens a New Window. March cover story.
The actress, 46, who welcomed Kaavia James in November 2018 with her husband, Dwyane Wade, was not always open to the idea of using a gestational carrier. However, she went that route after nearly ten miscarriages and a diagnosis of Adenomyosis, a condition characterized by severe uterine cramping and chronic pelvic pain.
“There’s nothing more that I wanted than to cook my own baby,” the We’re Going to Need More Wine author admitted. “The idea of it felt like surrendering to failure.”
She added: “People want to see the bump, hear that you got hemorrhoids — they want to know you’re like them. I was like ‘This is going to seem like the most Hollywood shit ever. Will I be embraced as a mom?’ It’s terrifying.”
Now that Union and the former NBA player, 37, have their baby girl at home with the help of a surrogate, the new mom has the freedom to think about what kind of parent she wants to be to Kaavia.
“I want to let her be free,” she revealed to the outlet. “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. Pick the wrong friends and figure it out. I don’t want to be super judge-y.”
The Nebraska native has fully embraced motherhood since welcoming Kaavia, bringing her daughter to set, making the infant an Instagram account Opens a New Window. and sporting matching mother-daughter looks Opens a New Window. .
Perfect Timing
Union welcomed her daughter at age 46 and believes that is the perfect age to start raising Kaavia. “Any earlier and the FOMO would have greatly influenced how I parented,” she admitted. “I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. I’ve done it well. I’ve gotten all the T-shirts. Now I’m in the right mindset and mental space, and I’m open to being the best mom I can be.”
Credit: Peggy Sirota for Women’s Health
Post-IVF
Before welcoming her baby girl, the Bring it On star suffered many miscarriages and many rounds of IVF as she and Wade struggled to expand their family. She opened up about the side effects to Women’s Health, explaining, “My face looked like the surface of the moon, small chunks of hair were falling out. At 9 a.m. I had a flat stomach. By noon, I looked like I was 5 months pregnant.”
Credit: Courtesy Gabrielle Union/Instagram
Back on Track
Taking it to extremes! When the new mom’s nutritionist told her to get rid of gluten, dairy, alcohol and caffeine to reduce her post-IVF swelling, as well as her hair and skin issues, Union noticed positive results after just a few days. But then she added, “I did it for six weeks. Then I was like, ‘I need a drink.'”
Credit: Peggy Sirota for Women’s Health
Motivated Mom
Not only does the Breaking In star have a production company, an acting career and a newborn daughter, but she also hits the gym hard. What keeps her going? “You know when you swing your legs off the side of the bed? That’s when you really think about life’s decisions,” she explained. “‘How much would it cost if I cancel? What does traffic look like? Should I go back to sleep?’ I don’t leave people hanging.”
Credit: Peggy Sirota for Women’s Health
Fit Family
“Training [with Wade], struggling, failing, trying to be better — it’s been a cool thing that doesn’t feel like, ‘Let’s go talk about our feelings,’” Union said of working out with her husband.
Credit: Bobby Metelus/Getty Images
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