Everything Khloe Kardashian Has Said About Forming a Bond With Her Son Tatum After Surrogate Process: ‘It Takes Time’

Credit: Courtesy of Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Everything Khloe Kardashian Has Said About Forming a Bond With Her Son Tatum After Surrogate Process: 'It Takes Time'

An adjustment period. Khloé Kardashian has candidly discussed the challenges of having a child via surrogacy. The reality star became a mother for the first time when she welcomed daughter True in April 2018 with Tristan Thompson. The former couple, who began their on-again, off-again romance in 2016, expanded their family again in the aftermath of his paternity scandal with Maralee Nichols. After Kardashian and Thompson's son, Tatum, arrived via surrogate in July 2022, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the pair hadn't rekindled their romance. (The insider also that their second child was conceived ahead of the athlete's drama with Nichols — which resulted in son Theo's birth in December 2021.) The Good American cofounder later shed a light on her personal ups and downs as a mother of two. "A surrogate process — Kim [Kardashian] knows — is very hard for me. It's a mindf—k. It is really the weirdest thing," Kardashian said in a May 2023 episode of The Kardashians. "[I do feel less connected]. People do say it takes a minute to feel connected but Kim said hers was easy. This is not easy." [sendtonews type="float" key="BYDTH7rC2O-2827221-14453"] Kardashian elaborated on how the bond with her son didn't feel immediate, explaining in a June 2023 episode, "When you compare it to True and him, it is a very different experience. Like the connection. With True it took me a couple of days to be like, 'OK, this is my daughter.' It was just days. But with him, it has taken me months. I love him and I love kids but I definitely don't have that complete bond. So many people say it takes time." Earlier that year, the Strong Looks Better Naked author gushed about the quality time she has spent with her baby boy. “He’s eight months old and he is a little chunk and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she shared during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in April 2023. “He is a quiet baby. He’s a happy baby, which is amazing and my daughter was the same, so I’ve been lucky twice.” The Hulu personality went on to say that True "loves being a big sister" to her sibling. “I was worried because I wasn’t pregnant and I didn’t know if it would be hard for her to understand," Kardashian continued. "And it’s just crazy how resilient and instinctual children are and she’s so maternal and loving and she’s such a good big sister.” Scroll down for Kardashian's most candid quotes about welcoming a child via surrogacy:

Credit: Courtesy of Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Everything Khloe Kardashian Has Said About Forming a Bond With Her Son Tatum After Surrogate Process: 'It Takes Time'

An adjustment period. Khloé Kardashian has candidly discussed the challenges of having a child via surrogacy. The reality star became a mother for the first time when she welcomed daughter True in April 2018 with Tristan Thompson. The former couple, who began their on-again, off-again romance in 2016, expanded their family again in the aftermath of his paternity scandal with Maralee Nichols. After Kardashian and Thompson's son, Tatum, arrived via surrogate in July 2022, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the pair hadn't rekindled their romance. (The insider also that their second child was conceived ahead of the athlete's drama with Nichols — which resulted in son Theo's birth in December 2021.) The Good American cofounder later shed a light on her personal ups and downs as a mother of two. "A surrogate process — Kim [Kardashian] knows — is very hard for me. It's a mindf—k. It is really the weirdest thing," Kardashian said in a May 2023 episode of The Kardashians. "[I do feel less connected]. People do say it takes a minute to feel connected but Kim said hers was easy. This is not easy." [sendtonews type="float" key="BYDTH7rC2O-2827221-14453"] Kardashian elaborated on how the bond with her son didn't feel immediate, explaining in a June 2023 episode, "When you compare it to True and him, it is a very different experience. Like the connection. With True it took me a couple of days to be like, 'OK, this is my daughter.' It was just days. But with him, it has taken me months. I love him and I love kids but I definitely don't have that complete bond. So many people say it takes time." Earlier that year, the Strong Looks Better Naked author gushed about the quality time she has spent with her baby boy. “He’s eight months old and he is a little chunk and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she shared during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in April 2023. “He is a quiet baby. He’s a happy baby, which is amazing and my daughter was the same, so I’ve been lucky twice.” The Hulu personality went on to say that True "loves being a big sister" to her sibling. “I was worried because I wasn’t pregnant and I didn’t know if it would be hard for her to understand," Kardashian continued. "And it’s just crazy how resilient and instinctual children are and she’s so maternal and loving and she’s such a good big sister.” Scroll down for Kardashian's most candid quotes about welcoming a child via surrogacy:

Credit: Courtesy of Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Not Enough Knowledge

"I definitely was in a state of shock from my entire experience in general. I felt really guilty that this woman just had my baby and I take the baby and go to another room and you are separated," Kardashian recalled in a May 2023 episode of The Kardashians. "It felt like such a transactional experience because it is not about him. I wish someone was honest about surrogacy and the difference of it. But it doesn't mean it is bad or good. It is just very different."

The California native said her personal issues with Thompson distracted her, adding, "I definitely buried my head in the sand during that pregnancy that I didn't digest what was happening. So, I think when I went to the hospital that was the first time it really registered. It has nothing to do with the baby."

Credit: Courtesy of Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Their Initial Time Together

While filming her reality show, Kardashian opened up about the first few months with her son.

"He sleeps until 4 A.M. every night now and that's just a godsend because the beginning is really crazy," she told cameras. "You just forget how mind-boggling it is because no one would do it again and again if they remembered how torturous the beginning is."

Credit: Courtesy of Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Being Patient

"When you compare True and [Tatum], it is a very different experience. Like the connection. With True it took me a couple of days to be like, 'OK, this is my daughter.' It was just days," Kardashian told Kris Jenner in a June 2023 episode. "But with him, it has taken me months. I love him and I love kids, but I definitely don't have that complete bond. So many people say it takes time."

Credit: Courtesy of Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Ups and Downs

In the June 2023 episode, Jenner noted that her daughter needed to "deal with her trauma" before questioning herself as a mother. Kardashian, for her part, admitted she felt "bad" about not connecting with her son sooner.

"Not bad but I feel guilty sometimes like, 'Why isn't it the same?' I don't treat him differently — I just question myself sometimes," she continued. "Being a mom is truly one of the most magical experiences ever."

Credit: Courtesy of Hulu

Getting Candid

[Michele Morrone and I] were talking before the [Dolce & Gabbanna] show and he's like, 'I have two kids and they are in Lebanon.' And I said, 'That is nice. I have two kids. My daughter is 4 and my son is still an infant," Kardashian recalled during a June 2023 episode of The Kardashians. "So he was like, 'You look great.' And I said, 'Oh, I didn't [give birth to] the baby. It was a surrogate. ... And it was so f—king weird.'"

Credit: Frank Micelotta/Shutterstock

Making Progress

During the season 3 finale of The Kardashians, which aired in July 2023, Kardashian said bonding with Tatum has "definitely gotten easier" for her over time.