WhileGabrielle Unioneventually turned to surrogacy to become a mom to daughterKaavia James, it took her a beat to warm up to the idea — namely, due to initial feelings of inadequacy.
Speaking toWomen’s Healthfor their March cover story, theL.A.’s Fineststar admitted she had a sense of “failure” after being unable to physically deliver a child followingmultiple miscarriages and rounds of in vitro fertilization.
“People want to see the bump, hear that you got hemorrhoids — they want to know you’re like them,” the actress said. “I was like ‘This is going to seem like the most Hollywood s— ever. Will I be embraced as a mom?’ It’s terrifying.”
Peggy Sirota for Women’s Health
Gabrielle Union forWomen’s Health.Peggy Sirota for Women’s Health
Once Union came around to the idea of surrogacy, though, she fully embraced her role in the process. In fact, there was a specific trait she looked forin Kaavia’s gestational carrier.
“Some people care about the race, religion or food habits of their surrogate. Iwas like, ‘I want a reader,’ “recalled theBeing Mary Janestar.
As far as the personality cornerstones she wants to instill in little Kaavia, who was born on Nov. 7, Union toldWomen’s Healththat she aspires to “let her be free” in her decision-making as she grows up, trusting that she has given her daughter the right foundation.
“I wantto 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.”
Gabrielle Union coversWomen’s Health.Peggy Sirota for Women’s Health
RELATED VIDEO: Gabrielle Union Tells Oprah She’s “Blessed” to Be a Mom After Suffering Multiple Miscarriages
Just because she didn’t carry Kaavia herself doesn’t mean Union didn’t see changes to herbody as a result of IVF treatments, which she said made her face resemble “the surface of the moon.”
“Small chunks of hair were falling out,” revealed the10 Things I Hate About Youactress. “At 9 a.m. I had a flat stomach. By noon, I looked like I was five months pregnant.”
To get back to feeling like her old self, Union consulted a nutritionist — whose detoxing to-do list for the starincluded eliminating caffeine, gluten, dairy and alcohol.
“I felt like she was trying to torture me,” she joked. “[But] I did it for six weeks. Then I was like, ‘I need a drink!’ “
source: people.com
