Khloé Kardashian says her doctor offered to help with her son when she wasn’t bonding with him

Despite the prevailing narratives about parenthood, plenty of parents don’t immediately bond with their babies as soon as they’re born. Khloé Kardashian understands this, opening up about how it took her longer to connect with her son Tatum after his birth than she did with her firstborn, daughter True.

The reality star served as a guest on the May 7 episode of the SHE MD podcast with Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney, and she got candid about how different her experiences were with both of her children. Though she delivered True herself, she worked with a surrogate the second time, welcoming Tatum in July 2022. During the pregnancy, news broke that her boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, had fathered a baby with another woman while the couple’s surrogate was pregnant, contributing to her struggles. She also kept her surrogate’s pregnancy a secret, even from her family and closest friends.

Sharing how she had trouble choosing Tatum’s name, she revealed, “That was tough for me. I wasn’t carrying him, I didn’t really feel anything.” She didn’t legally give him a name for eight months after he was born. 

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Kardashian said she didn’t accompany her surrogate to many doctor’s appointments in an effort to protect her privacy, leading to a less-connected feeling overall. “And then the first week of December, I found out that my ex was actually having a baby with somebody else,” she continued. “And I never told my family I did the transfer. I wasn’t going to tell anyone until it took, because I wanted to surprise everyone. So no one knew.” She didn’t even decorate the baby’s nursery for fear of staffers or camera crew on the family’s reality show finding out, adding that she felt “ashamed.”

Kardashian admitted she “buried [her] head in the sand,” adding, “I was really detached. I couldn’t really face it. I very much think I was in denial.” When the news broke about Thompson’s latest indiscretion, “It devastated me because that’s when all the judgment and the knives were thrown at me.”

Just before Tatum’s birth, Kardashian had planned to take True for a trip to Disneyland, but her surrogate needed to deliver ASAP. “The baby wasn’t due for another week or two and this was my last weekend with my daughter True,” she said, “I just needed the weekend.”

Dr. Aliabadi came through to help Kardashian “snap out of it,” offering to take baby Tatum home to give her some time. “She goes, ‘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,’ ” Kardashian said. “And I was like, ‘What?’ I’m like, ‘Who does this? Who even offers that?’ And she did. And I remember I was like to myself, ‘Khloé, snap out of it. This is life. We got to do this.'”

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Of course, most new parents barely get a single night in the hospital, let alone a doctor offering to care for their baby for them. But Kardashian’s hesitance and difficulty connecting with her baby is relatable for so many new moms, and it’s totally normal and natural if you don’t have a picture-perfect pregnancy, delivery, and beyond. Every feeling is valid, and the support of your loved ones and doctors can help you get through those tough times.