After a 10-year journey of trying to have a baby, Maria Menounos and her husband have welcomed their first child via a surrogate
Congratulations are in order for Maria Menounos! The 44-year-old old actress and TV host just welcomed her first child with husband Keven Undergaro. The couple shared with Us Weekly that their little girl, Athena Alexandra, was born via a surrogate in late June.
“It was the most special moment of my life,” Menounos said. “The doctor literally grabbed her and hiked her onto me. I sat with her on my chest, and Keven and I kept looking at each other like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was just pure joy.”
During a February appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Menounos made the surprise announcement that she and Undergaro had a baby on the way. Her joy was honestly palpable as she spilled the beans for the first time in public.
“So we had a lot of plans. We were going to go to Greece in the summer. We’re having to move that up because we’re having a baby,” she said. “I had to share it here first because you guys are my family, you guys have been on the journey and I’m so grateful.”
Starting to cry, Menounos added that she’s been feeling “emotional,” but that she’s “super excited” about this next step for her family.
It’s been a long and sometimes difficult road for Menounos and Undergaro. In 2016, Menounos shared that she had been undergoing IVF, but that it wasn’t successful and she hadn’t been able to become pregnant. During her appearance on Live, she opened up about how she and her husband had kept trying while keeping their journey out of the public eye.
“Almost like a decade, guys,” she said. “It’s been a long time. We’ve done everything—I mean, literally everything. They’ve tried to get me pregnant; that didn’t work. Keven had a surgery; that didn’t work. He’s hung me upside down like a chicken; that didn’t work!”
Menounos also gave a shout-out to the people who have helped her along the way, including Kim Kardashian, who connected her with a lawyer who helped find her surrogate.
“We’re just so so grateful because these people really help you bring life forward and without them we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” she said.
Menounos also opened up about the happy news with People magazine.
“Just after a decade of trying everything, we are so grateful to the beautiful family helping us conceive our baby,” she said. “Keven, my dad, and I are all beyond excited for this soul to come into our lives. What a blessing.”
