
Maria Menounos turned to her interior circle amid her fertility struggles, together with pal Kim Kardashian who suggested her on surrogacy.
“I give her a lot credit score. She helped us get began and guided me via the fears and the method,” Menounos, 45, completely reveals within the newest problem of Us Weekly. “[Kim] actually guided me to simply belief and have religion.”
The journalist says that Kardashian, 42, “was the primary to know we have been pregnant.” Menounos — who introduced in February she and husband Keven Undergaro have been anticipating their first youngster — explains that she “couldn’t resist telling” Kardashian the excellent news at a gala in November 2022.
“She’s such a chill, calm individual,” Menounos tells Us of the Skims founder. “Anytime I had questions or wanted recommendation, her responses have been on the spot. I had actually leaned on her loads.”
Maria Menounos, Kim Kardashian Shutterstock(2)
Us completely debuted Menounos and Undergaro’s daughter, Athena Alexandra, on Wednesday, July 19. Athena was born by way of surrogate on June 23.
whom she wed in 2017, welcomed daughter Athena Alexandra on June 23 by way of surrogate.
Menounos tells Us that Kardashian’s personal fertility journey — which incorporates welcoming daughter Chicago, 5, and son Psalm, 4, by way of surrogate — gave her “the permission and the braveness to say, ‘OK, I can try this too.’”
Kardashian, for her half, gave start to her and ex-husband Kanye West’s two eldest youngsters, North, 10, and Saint, 7. Following these high-risk pregnancies, the now-exes used surrogates to hold their youngest youngsters.
The Kardashians star’s openness about her personal well being ups and downs resonated with Menounos, who says she’s “actually grateful” Kardashian was in her nook.
The brand new mother calls Kardashian one in every of her “all-stars,” alongside Menounos’ doula, Lori Bregman, Stephanie Levivitch from Household Match and lawyer Andrew Zimmer, who Kardashian launched Menounos to amid her IVF struggles.

“All of those angels got here collectively to assist us be capable of do that,” Menounos explains. “And naturally, the largest thanks [goes] to our surrogate and her household.”
The “Heal Squad” podcast host’s street to motherhood spanned 10 years and included infertility points and IVF therapies. When Menounos was recognized with a mind tumor in 2017, her therapies have been paused. Though the tumor was eliminated, Menounos was suggested to not carry her personal youngster which led to a three-year surrogacy course of.
“Athena is our miracle child,” Menounos tells Us. “The entire home is on comfortable crack! … It’s simply a lot love.”
Watch the unique video above to study extra about Menounos’ life as a mother — and choose up the most recent problem of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.