Adrienne Bailon had a very good reason why she kept her baby news a secret from friends, family and fans – her mental health.
The former ‘Cheetah Girls’ star – who secretly welcomed her son Ever James earlier this month – said that after learning that her surrogate was pregnant, she only told six people the exciting news in an effort to keep her fear at bay. to keep.
“It was important to me for my own mental wellbeing and for my family,” Bailon, 38, told People. “I was like, ‘I’m just not going to say anything.’ It was actually very peaceful that way, you didn’t have anyone’s opinion.”
While the former talk show host wanted to share the happy news with her friends and viewers, she managed to keep the secret a secret for nine months.
“Honestly, everyone was shocked,” she told the outlet. “Even my sister, who has been watching ‘The Real’ all last season, literally said to me, ‘Adrienne, I’m impressed.’ She says, “I’m so proud of you. You’re really holding this.” I did that because it was really sacred to me.”
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the actress was finally able to share the big secret with the world in an emotional Instagram post.
“Our baby boy is here and we are so in love!” Bailon wrote alongside a black and white photo of the family of three.
“We’ve been praying quietly for the past nine months as we sat on this most magnificent secret,” she continued. “He is worth every tear, every disappointment, every prayer postponed, every IVF cycle, every miscarriage. Everything.”
Fans and followers of the new mother – including Khloé Kardashian, her former sister-in-law – quickly congratulated the singer on the surprising news.
Bailon and her husband Israel Houghton welcomed their son to a home birth at an Airbnb in Lake Tahoe, California.
She described the day as “incredible” after going through a very “nervous” surrogacy process.
“Someone else has your child with them. We call that extreme carefulness for nine months. It can make you very anxious,” she told the outlet, adding that it was just another reason she chose to keep things private.
“I feel like people ask me, ‘How are you?’ That would make me a lot more anxious, so I just wanted to have some peace and a little joy that I could keep to myself every day and something to look forward to.”
Bailon and Houghton decided to try surrogacy after the actress went through eight failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and one miscarriage.
She had been very open about her infertility journey over the years in an effort to help other women going through the same thing.
Although the couple used surrogacy for their last pregnancy, Bailon has yet to give up hope when it comes to expanding their family.
“That’s the ultimate dream for me,” she told People. “I’m not giving up on that dream. Maybe one day I will wear it and I can’t wait for that. I still hope for that.”