Lena Dunham Discussed Surrogacy Months Before Welcoming Baby
The "Girls" creator revealed in an April interview that she was exploring different paths to motherhood, which has now culminated in the birth of her daughter.
Lena Dunham hinted at her plans for starting a family through surrogacy months before welcoming her first child. In an April interview on "Today With Jenna & Sheinelle," the "Girls" creator discussed her evolving perspective on motherhood.
Dunham, who underwent a hysterectomy in 2017 due to endometriosis, stated that she had not ruled out having children with her husband, musician Luis Felber. "Some people don’t dream about being mothers, but I had," she shared. "And a big part of my identity was that I was going to do that someday and in this way." She added that meeting others who had built families in various ways had led her to a place of excitement about the possibilities.
On Wednesday, Dunham announced in an op-ed for Vogue that she and Felber had welcomed a baby girl. She described the moment of meeting her daughter, writing, "I sat on a hospital bed, between the legs of a woman I hadn’t known a year ago, waiting for a glimpse of this person who I had been waiting for with something related to patience, but also none at all." She recounted seeing her daughter’s face and telling her, "Hello, I am your mama."
The couple, who married in September 2021 after a seven-month relationship, are reportedly in the United States and plan to return to their home in North London. Dunham has been open about her health struggles, including her hysterectomy at age 31 due to endometriosis, an addiction to benzodiazepines, and a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder.
Previously, Dunham attempted to conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF) but learned that none of her embryos were viable.