Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are the proud parents of 4 beautiful children; North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
The ShoeDazzle founder experienced some complications during her first pregnancy with daughter North. Kim has a condition called placenta accrete. This is when the placenta, which develops during pregnancy, attaches deep into the uterine wall. It then becomes challenging to detach and remove after birth.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West used surrogates to give birth to their third and fourth children (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
Kim has publicly recalled these painful moments following North’s birth when her doctor had to stick his arm inside and scrape the placenta away from her uterus.
Despite experiencing this the first time, Kim had a second pregnancy and gave birth to her son, Saint. Placenta accrete causes significant health risks for mom and baby.
Following her second pregnancy, Kim had surgery that was supposed to allow her to carry a third child. Unfortunately, the surgery did not work, and she experienced complications, leaving her unable to carry more children.
Exploring Alternatives: Kim and Kanye’s Decision to Use Surrogacy
Having a large family has always been very important to Kardashian and West, so following this news, the two started looking into other options. Kim and Kanye used a surrogate for their third child, Chicago, and their fourth child, Psalm.
“After exploring many options, Kanye and I decided to use a gestational carrier. Although I have used the term surrogate in the past, a gestational carrier is actually the technical term for a woman who carries a baby that she has no biological relationship to. A traditional surrogate donates her egg, is artificially inseminated with the father’s sperm, and then carries the baby to term. Since we implanted my fertilized egg in our gestational carrier, our baby is biologically mine and Kanye‘s,” Kim wrote on her website in January 2018.
“Having a gestational carrier is definitely different, but anyone who says or thinks it’s the easy way out is completely wrong. People assume it’s better because you don’t have to deal with the physical changes, pain, or complications with delivery, but for me, it was so hard to not carry my own child, especially after I carried North and Saint,” she continued.
Kim Kardashian shares what it was like having a surrogate – or a gestational carrier (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
“I’m so grateful for modern technology and that this is even possible. It’s not for everyone, but I absolutely love my gestational carrier and this was the best experience I’ve ever had. Our gestational carrier gave us the greatest gift one could give. The connection with our baby came instantly and it’s as if she was with us the whole time. Having a gestational carrier was so special for us and she made our dreams of expanding our family come true. We are so excited to finally welcome home our baby girl,” Kim concluded.
Prominent feminists, including Gloria Steinem, and many women’s rights scholars are opposed to surrogacy.
According to The New York Times, they claim it “turns women’s bodies into commodities and is coercive to poor women given the sizable payments it can bring.”
Identifying the Surrogates: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Journey
There are several factors to consider when choosing a surrogate, but when you are as famous as Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, there are additional privacy concerns to consider.
Kim and Kanye went through a surrogacy agency to find their surrogate. Initially, they couldn’t decide whether or not they would remain anonymous and not tell the surrogate who they (the intended parents) were.
In the end, they decided they wanted to have a relationship with their surrogate and be a part of the pregnancy.
Kim Kardashian was pregnant with Saint West and gave birth on December 5, 2015, 20 days before his due date (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
After the surrogate was chosen (through the agency), they revealed who they were and wanted to ensure she was comfortable carrying their child.
Kim was afraid the surrogate would find out during the pregnancy and would hate them.
Fortunately, their surrogate was happy about the news. She was familiar with the show and Kim’s struggles during her last two pregnancies.
She wasn’t a super fan (Kim thought that would be too weird), but she did like the couple and was excited to be on their journey with them.
There is little known about the woman who carried Chicago. Her face was hidden, but she did make an appearance on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Kim and Kanye were in the room when she gave birth to Chicago. Although they had hoped Chicago’s surrogate would be the surrogate for their fourth child, it didn’t work out, and they used a different one.
They have remained tight-lipped about who the woman was, but she did give birth to a healthy baby boy named Psalm.
On an episode of Ellen that aired in March 2018, the comedian put an end to the mystery about Kim Kardashian’s gestational carrier.
Surrogacy Costs: The Financial Details of Kim and Kanye’s Arrangements
You’d expect this power couple, worth $250 million, to pay a lot for a surrogate, but all things considered, the price was typical of the cost of surrogacy in America.
According to TMZ, to have a surrogate, the Kardashian Wests paid about $100,000, with about $45,000 of it going to pay the surrogate.
Their specific arrangement paid their surrogate $4500 monthly for 10 months—this cost is within the national average. The average cost for a surrogate when using a surrogacy agency is between $98,000 and $140,000, varying with each state.
When using a surrogate, there will be a set fee, but there are often many other fees to be considered throughout the pregnancy.
The average amount of compensation for a surrogate, including expenses, can range from $50,000 to $80,000 (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
In addition to the $4500 monthly fee, if their surrogate ended up carrying an additional fetus, she would be paid an extra $5000/month per child.
There is always a contract involved; typically, the bigger this contract is and the more stipulations there are, the more money the surrogate will be paid.
Kim and Kanye’s surrogates were prohibited from smoking, drinking, or doing drugs and could not have sex leading up to and following the embryo implantation.
These are pretty standard for any surrogacy arrangement. Additional stipulations include not going into hot tubs, saunas, not handling cat litter, not dying their hair, not eating raw fish, and limiting caffeine.
Basically, the healthy practices for pregnancy are put into a contract. Unforeseen expenses, like missing work due to health complications, will also be covered.
Some arrangements pay the surrogate for all pregnancy-related costs, including maternity clothes and supplements.
Understanding the Risks: The Complexities of Surrogacy for Kim and Kanye
In an interview, Kim spoke of the difficulties with surrogacy. She said it was much harder to go through this because you feel like you don’t have control.
This is one of the most significant risks for parents using a surrogate. You are trusting another person with the development of your child. They had to trust that she wasn’t smoking or drinking or wouldn’t disappear one day. It can be a scary feeling.
A pregnant Kim Kardashian shows off her feet a month before giving birth to North West (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
There are also risks for the surrogate mother, and they can experience their share of challenges. A surrogate can experience any of the risks of pregnancy, including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and fetal growth restriction.
There can be a high degree of emotional stress, as well. Even when they know they will be handing the baby over to the intended parents, surrogate mothers experience a significant level of attachment and emotional pain as a result.
There can be a financial risk for surrogates, too. If they do not use a reputable agency and incur medical expenses, the agency may not pay up, and the surrogate could be left to pay the hospital bill.
Although risks are involved, some of these can be mitigated using a well-respected surrogate agency.
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💚 My Girls 💚. Swipe to see North trying to teach Chi to make a peace sign. ✌🏼
Will Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have a fifth child? Babies are still top of mind for the mom of 4. However, instead of using a surrogate, Kim is now looking into adoption.
Apparently, this pandemic and quarantine have given Kim a new perspective, and she wants to give a loving home to a child currently in an orphanage. She is rumored to plan to adopt early next year.
Kim Kardashian flaunted her curves in a black and white strapless Kardashian Kollection at Lipsy jumpsuit (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that the Kardashians’ signature look is big, voluminous hair and figure-flaunting attire.
Kim Kardashian wore her newly-chopped hair curled and pushed to the side (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
Therefore, in September 2014, it was no surprise that Kim Kardashian arrived at the BBC Radio 1 studios all decked out in an outfit that emphasized her curves to no end.
Kim Kardashian’s vintage Yves Saint Laurent gold tassel clutch (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
The then 33-year-old squeezed herself into a black and white strapless Kardashian Kollection at Lipsy jumpsuit which, we hope, wouldn’t start a campaign of replacing the letter “C” with a “K”.
Kim Kardashian styled her jumpsuit with black ankle boots (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
The jumpsuit fitted Kim like a glove – emphasizing her nipped-in waist and curvy hips and showing everyone an ample view of her bosom.
The reality star went on and wore this with a pair of Tom Ford Fall 2011 ankle boots and carried a vintage Yves Saint Laurent gold tassel clutch.
North West’s mom wore her newly-chopped locks, which she previously debuted on her Instagram account, curled and pushed to the side.
Kim Kardashian arrives at the BBC Radio 1 studios in London on September 3, 2014 (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Instar / DJDM)
Besides the shiny gold bag, this look is surprisingly bereft of bling. I guess Kim counted on her figure to complete her outfit. Anyway, if you love her look, here are some similar jumpsuits you can try:
1. Self Portrait One-Shoulder Jumpsuit, $325.00
2. ONE by Hunter Bell Katie Jumpsuit, $253.00
3. Alice + Olivia Structured Bustier Jumpsuit, $495.00
4. Sachin + Babi Rennie Jumpsuit, $495.00
5. Alice + Olivia Tank Pleat Jumpsuit, $198.00