Gabrielle Union Gets Real About Motherhood With the Sweetest Photo Tribute to Her Baby
Gabrielle Union’s daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, just celebrated her first birthday.
Union reflected on the past year of being a new mother with a touching photo tribute to her daughter on Instagram.
Union welcomed Kaavia via surrogate with husband Dwyane Wade after struggling with fertility issues.
Nov. 7 was a special day for Gabrielle Union, and it will be for the rest of her life. Her daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, turned one. In celebration, she posted a slideshow of photos from her baby’s year of life on Instagram, and in a beautifully written caption, she reflected on the emotional rollercoaster that was her first year as a mom. Union remembered how scary it was at first, and commended herself for how far she’s come.
“Scared to hold you. Scared to burp you. Scared to reveal I have no clue what I’m doing. Scared to go to work. Scared to stay home. Scared when you sleep. Scared when you wake up. Scared I’m not living up to some impossible standard of motherhood. Scared I’d lose myself. Scared I’d be exposed as a failure, as less than, not as good as, not as comfortable as, not as... anything,” she wrote.
“But there you were, everyday, looking up at me, like ‘gurl, you got this!’ When I let go of my fears of judgement and just did my best and recognized that my best would and could change from day to day and life would magically go on... Man, I finally allowed myself to just enjoy you @kaaviajames and relax into the peace of imperfection.”
A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Nov 7, 2019 at 12:44pm PST
Her husband and Kaavia’s father Dwyane Wade commented on the post with a line of hearts. TV host Jeannie Mai commented, tagging Kaavia’s Instagram. “@kaaviajames can u tell mom to write a book thx,” she wrote. (She has! It’s called We’re Going to Need More Wine, and it’s a New York Times bestseller.)
Rapper Cardi B, mom to one-year-old daughter Kulture, commented, “Happy Birthday Kaavia. You a gift to the world. Bring the world smiles.”
Other fans thanked Union for being so open and honest about the hardships of motherhood. “Possibly the best thing I’ve read about being new to motherhood,” one person wrote. “Thank you for sharing a vulnerability many would shy from sharing. This is beautiful. Happy birthday to your little angel.”
Union later shared a real-time post with Kaavia on her birthday in which she held her outside of what appeared to be her filming trailer for L.A.’s Finest. “@kaaviajames blessed the set of @lasfinesttv and thank God, cuz I was about to crumble missing her Birthday cuz I’m filming,” Union wrote. “Her smile makes everything golden.”
A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Nov 7, 2019 at 5:38pm PST
John Legend commented on the behind-the-scenes photo. “Happy birthday baby girl!” he wrote. Being Mary Jane star Lisa Vidal commented, “Aw!!!! Beautiful !!!❤️”
It’s safe to say that this mother-daughter pair share an unbreakable bond. And it’s a particularly cherished one because Union and her husband faced many hurdles in pursuit of parenthood, including multiple miscarriages, failed IVF attempts, and Union’s adenomyosis diagnosis, a painful condition associated with infertility, per People.
“Fertility issues strike so many people,” Union told Today in January. “You do not have to be lurking in the shadows, going to your doctor’s appointment in full disguise. You are not defective. You are part of a very, very, very large community that understands every step you have been through. There is hope.”
Union added that she finally got over the fear of judgment for welcoming her child via surrogacy, and that “it’s OK to bring your child into the world in a way that is not through your body. The world will not consider you a failure. Every route to parenthood is perfect, worthwhile and amazing.”
Now, she sees hope in baby Kaavia every day. “She brings us all the joy we could have ever imagined but there’s this extra layer. She is dreams fulfilled,” she said of her daughter. “She is the living embodiment of not giving up.”
Happy birthday, Kaavia!
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