Nollywood actress, Ini Edo has opened up on how she had six miscarriages before deciding to have her daughter through surrogacy.
The screen star welcomed her baby girl back in 2021 and is now spilling on how she had to do surrogacy.
Speaking on the third season of the reality show Young, Famous & African released on Netflix, an emotional Ini Edo explained how she had repeated miscarriages which led her to consider surrogacy.
She added that she is happy with the decision of opting for surrogacy – a type of pregnancy in which a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for a person who is not able to have children.
In a surrogate pregnancy, eggs from the woman who will carry the baby or from an egg donor are fertilised with sperm from a sperm donor to make an embryo.
The embryo is implanted in the uterus of the surrogate mother, who carries the baby until birth.
“I never thought I would have fertility issues, but I’ve had problems carrying pregnancies long-term,” the 42-year-old actress said on the show.
According to her, as she approached her 40s, time became a crucial factor in her choice for having a child.
“When it wasn’t happening as I hoped and I wasn’t getting younger, I decided to explore my options. Surrogacy became the best path for me, and I’m very happy with my decision,” she added.
On the child’s father, Ini Edo insisted that he is currently not involved in their lives even though he is alive.
“I’m raising her alone. There was no man in my life at the time, but I wanted to have a child. There are different ways to go about that.”
Speaking further, the mother-of-one added that she has always wanted to have a child of her own.
“It’s not something people just wake up and decide to do. For me, it wasn’t a fancy way out—I’ve always wanted to be a mother,” she said
She also recalled her failed marriage noting that she had a different timeline planned out at the time.
“I got married at the age of 26 because I thought that at 31, I would have been done with childbearing and I would have retired and faced my career. But life didn’t pan out that way. I tried. I have had over six miscarriages.”
In a 2021 interview, the actress had said that she did surrogacy to fulfill her life-long dream.
‘‘Yes I do have a daughter and I had her through surrogacy. The Eggs are mine and so genetically she’s my blood. I chose this path to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother. I still have a good number of eggs frozen in case I decide to do surrogacy again or carry my baby myself .who knows,” Ini Edo said while adding that she opted for a surrogate for her peace of mind and that of her baby.
“Another major reason I opted for a donor is that it scares me so much when I see banter and controversies between a mother and a father over a baby in public forums or when I see the man insisting he wants his child if things don’t work out between both parties.
“For me, it’s the fear of what that would mean for the child . Ideally, it’s marriage then children but we are not living in an ideal world.
“I am not someone who allows any situation to control me. I make lemonades out of lemons thrown my way and have no regrets. Life itself is so fragile and short to be striving for perfection. I am well and capable of taking care of my own child as I’ve been taking care of myself. I wanted a child and thank God for the options of surrogacy and donors.”
Ini Edo was previously married to businessman Philip Ehiagwina in 2008. The marriage ended in 2014 without children.
