Khloe Kardashian’s surrogacy plans did not go quite as well as she’d expected, she revealed during a June 2021 reunion episode of Keeping Up with The Kardashians.
“I did have one [surrogate] and then it fell through,” the reality star told host Andy Cohen, explaining that COVID was also responsible for her situation.
“There are so many tests they have to do and all these things. So, I’m still on that journey. It’s just… I thought it would be a much easier process. And it’s not.”
Apparently, when the youngest Kardashian sister decided to have her second baby with former husband Tristan Thompson, she thought hiring a surrogate would be quick and easy as she’d already seen elder sister Kim’s IVF and surrogacy journey, which was relatively smoother.
“It’s a very tedious, hard process,” Khloe said. “And it was interesting because Kim went through the journey, and I swear it felt like she said, ‘I want to get pregnant,’ and two weeks later she found a surrogate.”
Khloe Kardashian’s surrogacy struggle
Considering how challenging surrogacy seemed, Khloe was seen second-guessing the process on the final season of KUWTK.
“I’m definitely second-guessing,” she said in May 2021 after an “overwhelming” discussion with a surrogate therapist. “I’m starting to wonder if surrogacy is really gonna work for me and my family.”
The Revenge Body host was seen opening up about surrogacy with sisters Kim and Kourtney in a bonus clip.
Talking to her sisters and Scott Disick regarding her doctor’s advice and the possibility of a high-risk pregnancy, Khloe said, “Dr. A just said it probably wasn’t the best idea for me to carry. She’s nervous and cautious about a couple of things.”
She also asked for the opinion of Kim, who had her third and fourth child with ex, Kanye West, with the help of a surrogate.
“The first time was so scary,” Kim said, “I did a FaceTime first, and then I invited them over for dinner with their two kids, Kanye, and her husband. I wanted to meet them all face to face.
“I wanted to feel and see if this energy was going to work for us. She was amazing, and her husband was so great.”
Kim assured Khloe that she will eventually find the right person and offered to help with the process, once she has shortlisted the applicants.
Planning for another baby
Earlier in the season, Khloe had revealed that she has three healthy frozen embryos, of which one is a girl and two are boys. She wanted to have the girl first so True would have a sister that’s close to her in age.
Back in February 2021, Khloe was seen telling her on-again, off-again boyfriend that it’s time to have another child and she wants to fertilize her frozen eggs.
“True’s getting older, and I feel like it’s now time to have another kid,” Khloe said on the show. “I’m gonna need you. We have to line it up with your schedule so I can make embryos with my frozen eggs.
“I think I’m ready to do the whole pregnancy thing again. This process might take time. I have no idea. I want to be prepared.”
Thompson seemed to be “all for” the idea of having a sibling for their toddler. “I think it’s gonna work,” said the basketball player.
Pandemic problems
Like many other couples struggling with their fertility during the pandemic, Khloe was also bothered by COVID related restrictions.
“If you do need assistance in fertility, it’s much more challenging during COVID,” she told Ellen DeGeneres during an appearance on her show in March 2021. “They say, ‘If you wanna make God laugh, tell him your plans.’ So, the one time I’m actually really trying to plan, God is saying, ‘Uh uh, you can’t make your plans like this!’ My plan was to have kids closer in age. But with COVID and everything, my plan [has] been a little delayed.”
Considering surrogacy amidst marital troubles
Khloe Kardashian and her partner Tristan Thompson have had a rocky history. The NBA player had reportedly cheated with Khloe on his ex, Jordan Craig, while she was pregnant.
The Kardashian family saw the red flag and was initially hesitant in accepting Thompson as a suitable partner for Khloe. However, the two managed to overcome the initial hiccups and declared they were together in September 2016.
Thompson did not seem to mend his ways though. Two weeks after it was reported that the couple were expecting their first baby, Thompson was seen with another woman.
Again, before the birth of their daughter, True Thompson, TMZ published a surveillance video showing Thompson with two women at a hookah lounge outside Washington, DC. The video was reportedly shot back in October, when Khloe was three months pregnant.
Regaining trust
After the whole cheating scandal, the couple got back together last summer as they decided to spend the lock-down together to co-parent their 3-year-old daughter, True, who was born in April 2018.
The Good American co-founder spoke of regaining trust in Thompson as she planned to have another baby with him.
“I know the growth and all the work that he’s done, I know all of the help that he’s gotten and the constant efforts that he makes every single day and how hard he fought to get back with me currently,” she said. “I mean, you can ask everyone, it really wasn’t an easy thing for him. I don’t understand why someone would go through all that if they weren’t serious.”
“In the past few months, Tristan has really shown Khloe that he has changed,” a source close to the situation had previously told PEOPLE. “He is an amazing dad and partner.”
Asking Kris Jenner to be the surrogate
Forgetting the whole cheating scandal during the final days of her first pregnancy, Khloe was seen telling Kim that the energy during pregnancy is passed on to the baby and because she was so calm when pregnant, her baby True is so “chill” now.
She rejected one potential surrogate because she like EDM and Khloe thought she might be inclined to use ecstasy during pregnancy. Kim didn’t seem to agree, as she asked Khloe stop worrying by reminding her that she “didn’t even meet” her second surrogate.
Tristan, meanwhile, also expressed his excitement about embarking on this “new chapter” for their family, saying that he’ll be there for “whatever Khloé needs.”
Surrogate’s body, her choice
Talking to a surrogate therapist, who raises the possibility of multiple pregnancy and fetal reduction, Khloe seemed surprised that the surrogate may have the option to terminate a pregnancy. “Don’t they have to go along with our wishes?” she asked.
“I know it’s her body, but I didn’t know it was her choice. I did not put two and two together that this means she’d have control over terminating a twin. This is a big eye-opener.”
Totally overwhelmed with the process, Khloe expressed to her mother, Kris, that she feels really reluctant trusting a complete stranger with the health of her child. “You’re trusting the surrogate with your unborn child and it’s just scary,” she said.
Thank you so much! That’s so sweet of you to send me this nice tweet. Watching my sister go through her surrogacy journey it seemed so seamless and easy. maybe it is for some people. My journey has been a lot more intense and grueling but still a huge blessing https://t.co/lE0JcMW9PF
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) May 14, 2021
At one point, she even asked the 65-year-old Kris Jenner if she’d be willing to be a surrogate for them instead.
However, Khloe and Tristan continue to look for a surrogate as they believed it’d be “selfish” to deprive their child of a sibling.
Birth of Baby Tatum
Khloe Kardashian’s surrogacy journey may not have started well but it gave her a beautiful outcome. Khloe and Tristan welcomed their son, Tatum Thompson, on 28th July, 2022.
The baby was born two weeks before the due date given by the doctor and sent Khole into a tizzy again. As we know from watching the Kardashians, Khloe is a planner and likes to be in control of the situation but you can never really be completely in control.
She’d planned to spend the weekend with her daughter True, who was 4-years-old at the time.
“I remember, Dr. A. called and said she just had a checkup with my surrogate, and she said, ‘Khloe, we have to deliver within 24 hours,’” Khloe revealed on the SHE MD podcast. “The baby wasn’t due for another week or two and this was my last weekend with my daughter, True. I just needed the weekend. We were gonna just have a hotel weekend.”
Khloe explained that when the doctor informed her about the urgency of the situation, she didn’t want to go through with it—not because of her weekend plans with True, but just because she felt “now this is real.”
The Good American founder found herself crying hysterically on the phone, so her doctor said, “You know what? I’ll deliver the baby. I’ll take the baby and you let me know when you’re ready to pick him up.”
Khloe was like, “What? Who does this? Who even offers that?” And she told herself, “Khloe, snap out of it. This is life. We got to do this.”
Elder sister Kim Kardashian came to help her through the process, and although happy with his safe arrival, Khloe initially struggled to connect with her new-born.
Grateful for surrogacy
In a few weeks though, she grew close to baby Tatum and now, the entire Kardashian clan gushes over the 2-year-old, who has striking resemblance to their brother, Rob.
Khloe said she’s extremely grateful to have the option of surrogacy
“I think it is such an incredible blessing that we have this option and I’m so grateful for the women out there who are giving up their bodies to carry someone else’s baby to then give it back to their mother,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful thing. But give yourself grace. Give yourself patience.”