Kim Kardashian is arguably the most photographed woman on the planet. But back in 2013, when she was carrying North West, the photos weren't about her fashion—they were about her body. People were mean. Like, really mean. They called her "whale" and mocked her swollen feet, not realizing that behind those designer maternity outfits, she was actually fighting a medical crisis.
The truth? A Kim Kardashian pregnancy isn't just a tabloid story. It’s a case study in high-risk obstetrics.
Honestly, most people think celebrities have it easy because they have money, but money can’t fix a placenta that’s literally fused to your internal organs. Kim didn't "choose" surrogacy for her later children because she didn't want to gain weight. She did it because her doctors told her she might actually die if she tried to carry a third time.
The Preeclampsia Nightmare Nobody Knew About
During her first pregnancy with North, Kim was hit with preeclampsia.
It’s scary stuff.
Basically, your blood pressure spikes to dangerous levels, and your organs start to shut down. It’s the kind of thing that makes doctors panic. Because of the risk to both her and North, Kim had to be induced at just 34.5 weeks. North was born six weeks early, weighing only four pounds.
But the birth wasn't even the hardest part.
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What came next was a condition called placenta accreta. Usually, after the baby comes out, the placenta just slides right after. In Kim’s case, it stayed stuck. It had grown too deep into the uterine wall. To save her life, her doctor had to manually scrape it out—literally using his hands inside her. She later described it as the most painful experience of her life. Her mom, Kris Jenner, was in the room crying because it looked like a scene from a horror movie.
Five Surgeries and a Hard "No" From Doctors
You'd think after that, anyone would be done. But she wanted more kids.
To get pregnant with Saint, her second child, Kim had to go through multiple procedures just to fix the "hole" left in her uterus from the first delivery. She did IVF and eventually got pregnant with Saint, but history repeated itself. She had preeclampsia again. She had placenta accreta again.
After Saint was born, things got even darker.
Kim had to undergo five different operations within a year and a half to repair the internal damage. While the world saw her on red carpets and in Instagram selfies, she was secretly recovering from surgeries to remove scar tissue and fix her uterine lining. When she asked her doctors if she could try for a third baby, they were blunt.
They told her it would be "malpractice" to even put an embryo in her.
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Why Gestational Carriers Changed Everything
This is where the terminology gets tricky. Kim is very specific: she didn't use a "surrogate" in the traditional sense for Chicago and Psalm; she used gestational carriers.
- Traditional Surrogate: Uses the surrogate's own egg.
- Gestational Carrier: Carries an embryo made from the parents' egg and sperm.
Chicago and Psalm are 100% Kim and Kanye’s biological children. They just grew in a different "home" for nine months. Kim has been super open about how weird it felt at first. She felt like she was losing control. She even used a "surrogate therapist" to act as a liaison between her and the carrier to make sure communication was perfect.
It wasn't just about the physical side; it was the mental hurdle of not being the one feeling the kicks.
The Real Toll of Public Scrutiny
We have to talk about the "fat-shaming" during the first Kim Kardashian pregnancy.
It really messed with her.
She gained about 50 pounds with North, but the media reported she was over 200. She later admitted that the way people treated her changed her personality. It made her want to hide. She’s since used that trauma to fuel her business ventures, like SKIMS, but the emotional scars from being called "fat" while her organs were failing are things you don't just "get over."
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Understanding the Medical Legacy
If you’re looking at Kim’s story and wondering what it means for regular people, there are a few big takeaways. First, preeclampsia doesn't care who you are. It affects about 5% to 8% of all pregnancies. Second, placenta accreta is rare—affecting about 1 in 2,500 pregnancies—but it’s becoming more common as C-section rates rise.
Kim’s transparency actually did something useful.
It started a massive conversation about the reality of high-risk births. She didn't sugarcoat the "scraping" or the surgeries. She made it okay for women to talk about the parts of pregnancy that aren't "glowy" or beautiful.
What to do if you're facing high-risk pregnancy issues
If you or someone you know is navigating similar health hurdles, here is the expert-approved path forward:
- Get a MFM specialist: That stands for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. These are the doctors who handle the "scary" stuff like preeclampsia.
- Monitor blood pressure at home: If you’ve had a history of high BP, don't wait for your office visit.
- Screen early for Accreta: If you've had previous uterine surgeries or C-sections, make sure your ultrasound tech is specifically looking at how the placenta is attached.
- Explore surrogacy ethics: If carrying a child is a life-threat, research the legal and emotional framework of gestational carriers in your specific state or country.
Kim eventually stopped at four kids. She said she could have gone for two more, but her sanity and her health had reached their limit. It's a reminder that even for the person who seemingly has everything, nature still gets the final say.