Notable People
Gabrielle Union and her husband, Dwayne Wade, welcomed a baby girl via surrogate in 2018. Union has since opened up about what that journey was like.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union met back in 2007, but the two didn’t start dating until 2009. They were married in 2014, and Union has been open about her fertility struggles. Ultimately, the couple chose to welcome a baby via surrogate because it was the best option for their situation.
However, Union has opened up about her initial feelings toward surrogacy, and how she had to “fight” to build a connection with her little girl while the baby was growing in someone else’s body.
Gabrielle Union revealed that the surrogacy decision was a hard one
Union and Wade wanted to have a child, but Union was dealing with some fertility complications, and it was difficult for her to get pregnant. While speaking to Jay Williams on “The Limits” podcast in 2022, Union explained why she initially felt betrayal from Wade, plus how she had to find a way to connect with her baby after deciding to welcome a girl via surrogate.
“When he [Wade] co-signed with the doctor about, you know, surrogacy, I felt betrayed again,” Union said; at first, she didn’t love the idea. “It took a while to ultimately get to a place of agreement about the surrogate.”
But once Union and Wade did commit to surrogacy, she realized that for her, it was about building a “connection” with her baby in a different way.
“It [surrogacy] can be fraught with feelings of worthlessness and a detachment … You have to fight for the connection while your child is baking in someone else’s womb and after they arrive. But ultimately, where I’ve landed is in a place of gratitude. But it did not feel that way at all — at all.”
Union said that she and Wade would send voice recordings that their baby could listen to while in the womb. They also sent their surrogate different playlists for the baby to listen to “so she recognizes the vibe of our house.” Today, Wade and Union share daughter, Kaavia James, who was born in April 2018. They also parent Wade’s children from a previous relationship.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are protective of their family
Wade and Union have a close-knit family; they support their kids entirely and love being parents. And they’re always the first ones to protect their kids and put their needs first. Inv 2020, Union opened up to Katie Couric about parenting their daughter, Zaya Wade, during her transition.
“It is a process, and it is a journey,” Union said. “And it is her journey, and we respect that .. That’s just step one.” Union and Wade have taken Zaya to a number of red carpet events in recent years, too, as Zaya hones her own style and image.
