Gabrielle Union has shared a lot of personal information over the years. She’s discussed her rape, her post-traumatic disorder, her relationship dramas, her thoughts on how black women are denigrated and ignored within Hollywood and a lot more. A year ago, while she was promoting her memoir, she opened up about her fertility struggles, and how she had longed to have a child with her husband Dwyane Wade. Union described having “eight or nine miscarriages” over the years as she tried to conceive with Wade. She’s 46 years old right now, and I never knew if it was her age or just a general infertility problem, but she’s been through the wringer.
So, happy news: after all that she’s been through, Gabrielle Union has finally become a mother. Gabrielle and Dwyane used a surrogate to welcome a baby girl Wednesday night. Union and Wade posted photos from the hospital from where the surrogate gave birth, and my take is that the photos probably happened within a few hours of the baby’s birth, with Gabrielle even getting in a hospital bed and Wade doing skin-to-skin contact with the baby.
Wade is already father to four boys, two of them teenagers. My guess is that after four boys, Gabrielle and Dwyane BOTH wanted a girl. I also wonder if this was really a surrogacy, or if it was a gestational carrier situation. Union calls the woman her “surrogate,” so that’s what I’m going with. The difference is with the egg – if they used Gabrielle’s egg, then the woman was a gestational carrier.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Getty.
This makes me so happy for her.
I know, me too! She’s such a wonderful, strong, caring woman. I think Gabrielle will make a fantastic mom!
Me too! She’s been so open with her struggles to have a baby, and I’m so glad that this all worked out for her (and her hubs). Nothing but love for them and their new little one!
Aw, I’m so happy for them.
I read her memoir and I admit I was surprised it wasn’t lighter – I thought it would be more kind of a typical fluffy Hollywood memoir – but I ended up really liking it and having a lot more respect for her afterwards (I didn’t “disrespect” her before, I just didn’t really think of her I guess?) It was hard to read at times because she was so open about some of the bad things in her life – such as the rape – but definitely eye-opening.
I also found it fascinating when she talked about their finances and how they divide their money.
Good to hear. I grabbed it from the library when it was new but never got to it. I’ll look for it again.
Wishing them the best with new little bundle.
Congrats to the happy family!!
Side note- is that common, getting in the hospital bed in hospital scrubs (that I think she’s wearing)? It seems a little… handmaids tale to me.
Many hospitals dealing with surrogacy/gestational carriers/adoption have rooms for parents where they immediately initiate S2S contact for bonding. This is important in the first few days, and parents stay until baby is discharged.
The surrogate may have also given birth via C-section, and if Gabrielle was there for the surgery, she would have been in scrubs.
I also thought it was strange that she was in a hospital gown in a hospital bed. When I first saw pictures on another site I assumed she’d given birth.
I’m an adoption/surrogacy attorney in Oregon (one of the biggest states for surrogates given our laws)- the parents almost always put on a hospital gown so that they can do immediate skin to skin without having to undress during delivery and without ruining their clothes. Hospitals also give the parents their own room until the baby is discharged, since the baby will be with its parents, not rooming with the surrogate.
So this picture, of her sitting in a hospital bed in a hospital gown? This is accurate for almost every surrogacy birth. She’s not being a diva or a handmaiden or weird- she’s wearing the hospital-provided garment to enable immediate skin to skin with her baby while in the room meant for her and the baby (and husband too, of course).
Yes! Thank you!
That seemed so creepy to me.
I get the skin to skin contact thing.
I do. But. Why the no make-up, I just pushed for 18 hours, in a hospital bed with monitors, and an IV cosplay??? Why??? It just seemed a little… extra.
But congratulations girl!
Before it gets out of hand with comments like those on twitter. My take on her wearing a hospital robe and having her hair up is they were in the delivery room and it could have been a long delivery. She’s not stepping out for a magazine shoot, interview or an acting role. She’s at the hospital for the delivery of her baby. I’ve gone to the hospital in pj’s with unwashed hair so at least she was prepared.
Anyway, congrats to her (and Wade too I guess)!
Congratulations!!! I’m glad they found a way to baby.
Not sure Id kick the surrogate who just had a baby out of a bed to take pictures, but maybe they rented a wing so she could recover and baby could stay in hospital a couple days??
I just had a baby, and nowadays hospitals put the baby on mom’s chest immediately after birth, for some “skin-to-skin” bonding time. Gabrielle mentions “skin to skin” in her post, so i assume that, as the baby’s mom, that’s what she’s doing.
@Eliza: I don’t know why you’re claiming they kicked the surrogate out of bed. Likely they are just in a different bed or room. Although Gabrielle didn’t give birth a lot of hospitals try to make it as close as possible to give the mother the closest experience when it’s a surrogacy or adoption situation.
I’m guessing the surrogate is recovering in her own bed.
Congratulations.
Congratulations to them!!! I believe that skin to skin contact and nursing is a good thing right after the birth, but as with many infant-related things, I wish the hospitals would do more to let new mothers understand that it’s not the end of the world if they can’t do it. Both of my children were taken to the NICU within a few minutes of their c-section births. With my first I was terrified that we wouldn’t bond or breastfeed. It didn’t help that the birth wing had giant posters telling the mothers how important skin to skin is in the first few hours after birth. One of the NICU nurses finally had to tell me that she needed to eat even if it was from a bottle. I was a lot more chill with my second. It turned out that my second couldn’t breastfeed due to allergies but by then I realized that it wasn’t the end of the world the way that I thought it would be with my first.
What I wish is that women didn’t feel the need to provide an explanation for not breastfeeding (not you, I mean overall). It’s no one’s business and is up to the mom to decide. I didn’t breastfeed and I don’t feel bad or apologetic. My son got what he needed.
I agree with you completely. I didn’t mean to make it sound like other women need a medical reason not to breastfeed because they certainly don’t need to explain to anyone. What I was trying to say (perhaps badly) is that the message from the medical world is absolutely that skin to skin and nursing is vital to the development of your child and you better have a good reason not to do those things. It was only after I couldn’t do those things and everything turned out fine that I realized how overblown that message is. The medical complex is contributing to the pressure on new moms to be the perfect earth mother which isn’t necessary.
Congrats to them! I’m happy they were able to realize their dream of completing (or maybe not yet!) their family. Families are formed in so many ways, all of them special and valid. I’m sure their baby girl will be just as loved as his sons. Happy day!
I’m stuck on the fact that she’s 46 years old!!!! She looks amazing.
Good for them!
Congratulations!!! I hope for nothing but blessings for Gabrielle, Dwayne and their happy family!!
There is something that I find a little bit off in the pictures. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with pictures that seem to make it look like she just gave birth. Am I the only one to feel uneasy about the staging? Having said that, she seems like she has gone through a lot and I wish her and her family a lot of joy and happiness. I am sure she will be a wonderful, loving mother.
It is not “staging.” This is becoming common in hospitals regarding surrogates and gestational carriers. The parents receive their own hospital room and are encouraged to do skin-to-skin contact with the baby immediately for bonding, etc. She’s wearing scrubs because she was likely in the delivery room.
OK, thank you MariaS! Good to know.
@MariaS thank you for the facts. Why is everyone jumping to assuming the worst of Gabrielle here? (Claiming she’s kicked the surrogate out of her bed to stage these photos??)
I have to be honest I raised my eyebrows a little at first but then reading everyone’s comments I understood it a bit more. Maybe her surrogate went into labor in the middle of the date and she just threw her hair up and ran to the hospital (I would have done the same and not cared about having my hair and makeup done) and hospital gowns are easier for skin to skin. A new baby is a blessing and the pics are adorable!
Congratulations 🎉! Wishing the new family lots of luck. I’m happy to see Gabrielle acknowledge the surrogate. Such an amazing gift.
Happy for her but my god I really wish she’d had left that turd instead of choosing to have a child with his cheating a$$. I didn’t realize she had issues conceiving…can you imagine dealing with that then finding out your man went off and got some chick pregnant while you guys were unofficially apart ( the whole timing of when it occurred is shading ASF)! I cannot believe she took him back. This man has proven to not be a good or faithful partner but I hope for her sake he’s an excellent father. Again I’m happy that she’s happy as she seems like a smart and caring person but just wished she found happiness with a different partner as he most likely will slip up again.
Yes, agree. Hate to see women with a cheating man, when there are plenty who would be faithful. Why put yourself through that? Once he cheats and you stay, then you’re always worried he’s doing it again. I dont get it
Congratulations, been there with infertility and understand the pain. Happy for women who achieve their dreams.
Her book is one of my favorite I’ve ever read. Highly recommend! She talks a lot about tough subjects, but I loved how she discussed being a stepmom. I’d say “she’ll be a great mom”, but she already IS a great mom. Congrats to them!
I think it’s refreshing to see there are alternative ways of bringing new life that women can be honest about and celebrate without facing criticism for not doing it “natural” whatever that means. Gabby has been so heartbreaking open about her infertility, this is a topic that is often even more taboo amongst WOC. Congrats Gabby!
Congrats Gabrielle! Nice to have some positive news in this world of ours.
Why is she lying in a hospital bed as if she gave birth?
Because she’s bonding with her child. And doctors express the importance of skin to skin contact to start the bonding between a newborn and their mommy (and dad).
I’m not going to assume her egg wasn’t used because she used the term surrogate. People confuse the terms.