The joy felt by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union was marred somewhat by backlash over the way in which their daughter’s birth announcement was presented. That resulted in the couple explaining to Oprah Winfrey their reasons behind taking that approach.
Critics had commented on the fact that the 46-year-old Union was pictured in a hospital bed holding the infant, despite the fact that the child was born to a surrogate.
Union emotionally explained to Winfrey that her past struggles with infertility were connected to the decision to use the photo:
“I’m already getting choked up. It’s still hard to let go.”
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https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7vTN0niqW/
Last year, Union published a memoir that explored her struggle to have a child of her own, a period that included what she said were eight or nine miscarriages. Those issues were related to her being diagnosed with Adenomyosis, a type of endometriosis that only occurs in the uterus.
“For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle or coming out of an IVF cycle.”
In September 2017, Union had described to PEOPLE how her relationship with Wade, which included their 2014 marriage, changed her mind about having children:
“I never wanted kids. Then I became a stepmom, and there was no place I’d rather be than with them.
“So then I thought, ‘Well maybe I might be good at this, and maybe this is something I want to explore.’ And I’m madly in love with this dude, so [having a baby] is something we could look into.”
The naming of Wade and Union’s daughter didn’t come immediately, but Wade explained on social media the origin of the unique name of Kaavia James Union Wade:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNcLENHFMt/
Wade and Union’s interview with Winfrey will air on OWN on Dec. 8.
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