Maria Menounos, husband Keven Undergaro welcome 1st child via surrogate
After weathering battles with a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer and struggles with fertility, Maria Menounos is a mom.
The entertainment journalist told Us Weekly that her daughter, Athena, whom she shares with husband Keven Undergaro, was born on June 23 via a surrogate, calling it "the most special moment of my life."
She added, "I sat with her on my chest, and Keven and I kept looking at each other like, 'Oh, my God.' It was just pure joy."
"For so long, I've felt something's been missing," Menounos continued. "And now I feel so grounded, like I finally know where I belong."
Menounos revealed on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in February that she and Undergaro were expecting a baby and that she had leaned on fellow moms like Zoe Saldaña and Kim Kardashian during the process.
She called Saldaña and Kardashian "so helpful to me in this journey and they both gave me all their advice and people."
Menounos also called her surrogate and her family "literal angels."
Menounous was diagnosed with a pancreatic tumor in January and she underwent successful surgery to remove it, sharing a photo of her scars earlier this month.
"The fibroid was the size of a baby," she told Us Weekly in a health update. "I have a C-section scar, basically, even though I never had a baby -- I gave birth in a different way!"
