Kim Kardashian’s struggles with both of her pregnancies and trying to get pregnant over the years have been shown on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Now, she is opening up more about the identity of her surrogate. Just last month, Kardashian and husband Kanye West welcomed their third child, a daughter named Chicago West, with the help of surrogate, La’Reina Haynes, according to Radar Online. Kardashian expressed on KUWTK that she really had hoped to be able to carry her third child, but she was unable to make it happen. On the show, she first revealed, “I feel like surrogacy is the only option for me. Kanye and I are going to look into other options and see what we are comfortable with … but I’m definitely leaning towards [surrogacy].” Kardashian suffered from placenta accreta during both of her pregnancies, which is life-endangering. It causes the placenta to grow into the wall of the womb.
Kardashian’s surrogate was revealed during a KUWTK episode and when talking to us about her experience, Haynes said, “Surrogacy is a very positive movement to make despite what others may think. I love having been a person for someone to trust with blessing them with a miracle.” Let’s get to know about the woman who has been Kardashian’s gestation carrier for baby Chicago. Read on below for our 5 Fast Facts on Haynes.
1. Haynes Is a Stay-at-Home Mother
According to Radar Online, Haynes is a stay-at-home mom, but she also has a degree in criminal justice from the University of Phoenix. Haynes already has two sons and has previously been a surrogate for another family. Us Weekly also reported that Kardashian and West went through an agency in order to find the right surrogate. Us Weekly also reported that Haynes is in her 20’s and currently resides in San Diego, California. Her husband is a military man.
2. Family Creations Is the Surrogate Program Used by Haynes
Radar Online has reported that Haynes was in a promotional video for the company Family Creations, which is a surrogate program. In the video, she reportedly called being a surrogate a “humbling” experience. Radar has reported that Haynes was previously a surrogate in 2014, for a family who resides in Los Angeles, and it was a success. For the Kardashian-Wests, Haynes has reportedly been paid $45,000 to carry their child, which was paid in 10 monthly installments of $4,500. They also had to pay the agency a hefty fee as well, according to Metro UK.
In April 2015, Haynes talked about her connection to Family Creations and how she has enjoyed being a surrogate, writing on Facebook this message, “Family Creations LLC has made not only choosing to be surrogate amazing, but being guided through the process by their staff has been, for lack of better words, utterly amazing! I am still in the beginning stages but confident that all the way to the end of this process will be easy and nurturing. Thank you for having an amazing staff and helping me be paired with amazing intended parents.!!!!”
3. Kardashian Gushed About Her Surrogate Via Instagram
After the birth of Chicago West, Kardashian took to her app to gush about her surrogate, according to MSN. Chicago West was born on January 15, 2018 and Kardashian publicly thanked her “gestational carrier” just three days later, writing, “I’m so grateful for modern technology and that this is even possible. It’s not for everyone, but I absolutely love my gestational carrierand 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.”
4. Haynes Had Some Strict Guidelines to Follow as a Surrogate
TMZ previously reported that while Haynes was pregnant, she had to adhere to certain guidelines and rules. According to TMZ, “The surrogate is required to refrain from smoking, drinking and drugs during the pregnancy. She also agrees to restrict sexual activities in the weeks leading up to the pregnancy, including foregoing sexual intercourse for 3 weeks following embryo implantation. The surrogate cannot go in hot tubs or saunas, cannot handle or change cat litter, apply hair dye, drink more than one caffeinated beverage per day or eat raw fish.” Most of these are guidelines for any pregnant woman, who is aiming to carry out a healthy pregnancy.
5. Kardashian Reportedly Spent Months Trying to Find the “Perfect” Candidate
When it came to choosing a surrogate, People reported that the process took months for Kardashian to find someone who she felt would be a good fit. After the surrogate was a few months pregnant, a source told People that, “The entire family is over the moon. Kim had been looking for a surrogate for months until recently when she found the perfect candidate. Given her health scares in the past, Kim felt the need to hire a surrogacy agency that helped serve as the liaison in finding a healthy woman who would be a great surrogate option for her and Kanye. Both of them have been super involved in the process. They want everything to be perfect and for the baby to be extremely healthy.” Previously, there were actually rumors that Kardashian’s sister, Kylie Jenner, was her surrogate. Clearly, this is not the case.