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Actress Gabrielle Union has experienced her share of life’s travails, from a rough rise to stardom to dealing with media criticisms. However, her most challenging struggle yet remains her journey to motherhood.

Becoming a mother was a dream come true for the 47-year-old actress, author, and activist, Gabrielle Union. Before attaining her motherhood status, the star went through a difficult phase, followed by the acceptance of her reality. 

Her tough struggles paid off eventually when she welcomed her only daughter, Kaavia James, via surrogacy in 2018. Union shares Kaavia with her husband of six years, Dwyane Wade, whose support she had, every step of her difficult journey.

GABRIELLE UNION’S STRUGGLES WITH GETTING PREGNANT

Gabrielle Union tied the knot with NBA player, Dwyane Wade on August 30, 2014, becoming a stepmother to his three children. The author admittedly had a great time raising Dwyane’s kids, so much so that she countered her long-held resolve never to have kids. Although content with being a stepmother, she soon came to terms with the fact that she wanted to have her own children after all.

After several failed trials, the Hollywood icon realized something was wrong, and therefore needed a new approach. In her memoir, “We Are Going To Need More Wine,” Union detailed her challenging experiences during her struggles to get pregnant. She explained how she went through at least eight miscarriages. Recurrent IVFs and miscarriages made her body a “prisoner of trying to get pregnant” for three years. Recounting her feelings, she said:

“There was a lot of pain and a lot of disappointment. I felt like I was not only disappointing myself and my spouse but all the people who had hung a lot of hope on us. I felt like a complete loser and failure.”

UNDERGOING IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION

While struggling to conceive, she underwent multiple in-vitro fertilization procedures. According to the author, she spent those daunting three years of her life cycling between “going into IVF,” being “in the middle of IVF,” and “coming out of IVF.”

Soon, the “Bring It On” actress sought doctors’ opinions and got her long-awaited answers. In the last moments of her fertility struggles, Union received a shocking yet relieving diagnosis. She found out her difficulty conceiving resulted from a condition called Adenomyosis. The term refers to a type of endometriosis characterized by an enlarged uterus, painful periods, and chronic pelvic pain.

EMBRACING SURROGACY AND WELCOMING HER MIRACLE BABY

Gabrielle Union’s husband stood by her every step of the way, despite opinions from critics who believed her conceiving struggles resulted from waiting too long to have a child. Realizing the actual reasons behind the struggle opened her up to a new reality beginning her quest for a solution.

After weighing several options, the couple opted for surrogacy. They found a gestational surrogate to carry the child after successful fertilization in-vitro.

Their daughter arrived months later, in November 2018. The happy couple took to Instagram to announce the birth of Kaavia James, referring to her as their miracle baby. The now-2-year-old joined the trio of Blessing Dwyane, Zaya, and Xavier Zacharia, Dwyane Wade’s kids from previous relationships. Dwyane’s nephew, Dahveon Morris, is also a part of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union’s family of seven.

Kaavia joined the family in November 2018, becoming the fourth of Gabrielle Union’s children and yet, her only child. Little wonder the actress described the bundle of joy as a “personification of hope.”