The Perks Of Being A Celebrity Surrogate, And Why Kim Kardashian And Kanye West’s Surrogate Deserves Privacy

Earlier this week, reports came out that Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West are expecting their third child and that the pregnancy is being carried by a surrogate mother. While most pregnancies are met with cheer and elation, the revelation about Kim’s pregnancy via surrogate was coupled with controversy and concern.

Hiring surrogate mothers is not a new thing in Hollywood, especially for women who couldn’t go through pregnancy due to medical complications. In Kim’s case, she suffered from a condition called placenta accreta while pregnant with North West and Saint West.

The high-risk condition prevents the placenta from naturally coming out after childbirth and causes severe pain during the pregnancy. In an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the reality star’s doctor also revealed that she suffered from toxaemia and “very traumatic” labors with her previous pregnancies.

Kim Kardashian West has been very open about wanting a big family of her own, and because of medical concerns having a surrogate seems to be her best option in making that a reality. With Kim’s celebrity status and huge following, the surrogate paired with her was among the cream of the crop.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who also had two children via surrogates, told the Post that famous people will get extra-special treatment when it comes to the choice of their surrogates.

“Most surrogates are already extremely well-vetted, but if you’re famous, your agency will give you the best of the best — and fast,” he told the Post(via Page Six).

TMZ claimed that the Wests paid the surrogate $45,000 to carry their third child. The surrogate is said to be an African-American college graduate who also has two children of her own. The website added that the surrogate is in a happy and solid marriage, and that she’s also in “great physical shape.” According to the Sun, she’s also a registered Democrat.

Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian and their mother Kris Jenner previously offered to be surrogates as well.

Other celebrities who turned to gestational surrogates to carry their children include Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Banks, and Tyra Banks.

Jane Groenendaal, surrogacy director at New Beginnings Surrogacy Services, told Page Six that celebrities do not get attached to surrogates in the early stages of the process and often prefer to call them by their first names only.

“They don’t want to get close and attached to their surrogate if she’s not going to get pregnant. Communication definitely starts off slow in the beginning until there’s a confirmed pregnancy.”

Once a pregnancy is confirmed, that’s when the biological mother and the surrogate develop a more solid bond. Groenendaal revealed that there was one famous woman who treated her surrogate like a little sister, whom she pampered all throughout the pregnancy. The surrogate even had full access to a personal yoga trainer and chef.

Some celebrity parents also prefer to have the surrogate live nearby, so they opt to rent nearby homes for her to live in. This way, it’s easier for them to check on the surrogate mother and be with her the moment she goes into labor.

All the expenses, including the base fare, puts at least a $100,000 price tag on surrogate pregnancies in Hollywood. For Kim Kardashian West, the amount could include expenses for a bodyguard, too.

Protecting the surrogate and the baby she’s carrying is one of the major concerns for celebrity parents. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker’s surrogate went through the worst case of privacy invasion when her phone and personal computer got hacked. The surrogate also received threats and experienced harassment.

“On a daily basis, on an hourly basis, I am greatly concerned for her health and safety and the safe delivery of our children. I am incredibly outraged by the sort of extraordinary and unprecedented invasion of her privacy,” Parker told Access Hollywood when she opened up about having a surrogate carry her twins, Tabitha and Marion.

Giuliana and Bill Rancic, who documented their surrogacy journey on their own reality show, blurred out the surrogate to conceal her identity. After Giuliana and Bill’s son was born, it was only then the Delphine, a French au pair, was introduced as the surrogate.

Kardashian, too, decried the reports of her pregnancy as a deliberate invasion of privacy. When she addressed the reports about expecting her third child via surrogate, she told E! News’ Catt Sadler that she thinks people are being “super invasive” when they put so many details out in the open.

Although the 36-year-old mother of two did not officially confirm the pregnancy, she said they’ll let people know when they’re ready.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were married in May 2014 and have two kids together, 4-year-old North and 1-year-old Saint.

[Featured Image by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]