Photo Credit:Gabrielle Union/Instagram
Gabrielle Union has candidly shared the emotional complexities of her surrogacy journey, describing it as a profound experience of grief, inadequacy, and societal judgment. In a recent interview for Marie Claire’s inaugural Motherhood issue, the actress delved into the personal challenges she faced while welcoming her daughter, Kaavia James, via surrogate.
Union, who endured multiple miscarriages and was diagnosed with adenomyosis, initially resisted the idea of surrogacy. She yearned for the experience of pregnancy and the societal validation that often accompanies it. “I wanted the experience of being publicly pregnant,” she expressed, highlighting the societal pressures women face regarding motherhood .
The decision to pursue surrogacy was not taken lightly. Union grappled with feelings of failure and public humiliation. “Surrogacy felt like a cuckold; watching somebody do something that I can’t do,” she confessed, emphasizing the emotional turmoil of witnessing another woman carry her child. She claims if she had the ability to carry her child, she would.
Despite the joy of welcoming Kaavia, Union admitted to ongoing struggles with feelings of disconnection and self-doubt. She questioned whether her daughter would have a stronger bond with her if she had carried her. “I will always wonder if Kaav would love me more if I had carried her,” she shared, reflecting on the lingering insecurities that surrogacy brought to the forefront .
She emphasized the importance of sharing her story to dismantle the stigma and shame associated with alternative paths to motherhood. “So much of the Instagram life is creating these perfect illusions… Rarely do we hear how,” she noted, advocating for more open conversations about the realities of fertility struggles and surrogacy . Gabrielle Union and her husband Dwayne Wade welcomed their child Kaavia in 2018 following years of fertility struggles and multiple failed IVF attempts.
