‘I really hope to keep my baby off the social media’

By Stella Dimoko Korkus

Nollywood Actress, Ini Edo, who recently welcomed a new baby, in an interview with journalist and blogger STELLA DIMOKO KORKUS, explained why she adopted the surrogacy method to have her child and other speculations surrounding the child’s father. Excerpts:

Ini, you recently allegedly welcomed a child through a surrogate mother. Can you confirm it and tell us why you chose this path? Please also tell us if you used your eggs as well.

Wow! Here we go Stella… 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.

Tell us about your baby’s father.

I opted for a donor for me and my baby’s peace of mind. Another major reason I opted for a donor is because it scares me so much when I see banter and controversies between a mother and a father over a baby in public fora 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, its 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.

Were you avoiding talking about her?

No, I was not, I was hoping to talk about her on her first birthday in a few months but mischief makers beat me to it and spoilt the beautiful story with lies. The sad thing about this is dragging an innocent man into something that has absolutely nothing to do with him. Stella, I naturally make friends better with guys than women. I do have a few female friends don’t get me wrong but I relate better with people who are older and way more experienced in life than I am. I relate with people who bring real value to my life. How many people can one possibly date? I have loads of male friends, most of them; I am friends with their entire family including their wives. It is so sad that in Nigeria, when a ‘single’ woman is friends with a guy, it must mean to people that they are dating. I mean make it make sense, Kome has been my friend for years and that’s what it is, period. He is a responsible family man and doesn’t deserve to be dragged into my motherhood story. Anyone saying that he is the father of my daughter is a lie from the pit of hell

What is the process to surrogacy like?

Surrogacy process is quite expensive, and starts with the stimulation process, egg retrieval and insemination on the chosen surrogate which in my case was all handled strictly by the hospital.

How do you feel being a mother?

It is an awesome feeling and experience and as I watch my daughter grow every day, I am in awe of the miracles that God has sent my way and I am so thankful and grateful to be my daughter’s mother.

Would you recommend this route for all women trying to conceive naturally but finding it difficult?

I would recommend surrogacy for anyone having difficulty conceiving. I had a series of miscarriages in the past but that wasn’t my reason for going this route. I still hope to carry babies in my womb in the future, God willing.

Will you flaunt your baby on the social media soon like some of your celebrity colleagues?

I really hope to keep my baby off the social media, and this was why I’ve been reluctant putting her out there. I would love to keep everything about her private for now. There are a lot of celebrities whose children are not growing up on the social media pages and living normal lives. That is how I want it to be for my daughter. It is a choice to put her out there or not and I choose to keep her private.

Any plans to get married?

Right now, marriage isn’t my priority, I’ve been married before and it wasn’t exactly a bed of Roses. Marriage is a good thing instituted by God and ultimately most people’s desire but I am not just crazy about the distractions and the complications that come with it. I am not against it though.

Any last words?

I’m in the phase of taking care of my child and focusing my positive energies on motherhood and my running businesses. This is all I have time for right now and shun all negative news or energy. Thank you for always reaching out to get the truth when the lies start spreading, I guess that is what being a seasoned journalist entails.

Originally published at Nigerian Tribune