Adrienne Bailon Kept Pregnancy Under Wraps For 'Mental Wellbeing'

Adrienne Bailon is opening up about her newborn son, including why his conception was a big secret!

The former 3LW band member has never shied away from sharing her struggle to have a child with her husband, Israel Houghton. However, the "Playas Gon' Play" singer admitted that the stress from repeatedly trying and failing to conceive left her emotionally exhausted.

In a recent discussion with PEOPLE, the 38-year-old entertainer got candid about her newborn son, Ever James, whom the New Yorker welcomed via surrogacy. The former "Cheetah Girls" Star's precious bundle of joy arrived earlier this month. However, news of his conception was kept under wraps from Bailon's loved ones, plus the ever-nosy media.

Although the "Cheetah Sisters" singer had previously shared details about her conception issues to support those in similar situations. The weight of failing to expand her family was more challenging than the TV personality imagined. On December 11, 2021, the new mother learned that the surrogate she privately hired was pregnant. However, the "That's So Raven" actress's emotions stopped her from revealing this information.

Instead, the former co-host of "The Real" talk show decided to surprise her loved ones by keeping the latest addition to the Bailon-Houghton clan a secret. Once the news got out, the New Yorker's family was pleasantly shocked and impressed by the entertainer's ability to hide her son's conception. In the 38-year-old's words:

"Even my sister, who watched The Real throughout the whole last season, literally said to me, 'Adrienne, I am impressed.' She's like, 'I am so proud of you. You are really holding this.' I did that because it was really sacred to me."

Although the Disney alum wanted to share the exciting news with the world, the media personality managed to keep the matter confidential. But, she eventually caved and told six people about her son's conception. The mother-of-one presumably did this to keep her anxiety at bay as the retired talk show host confessed to the news outlet that she felt extremely vulnerable.

Following eight failed in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments and one miscarriage, the "I'm in Love with a Church Girl" star became mentally exhausted. This was why the actress prioritized her health by staying quiet about her baby. "It was important to me for my own mental wellbeing and for my family," Bailon confessed. "I was just like, 'I'm just not going to say anything.' It was actually very peaceful that way. You didn't have other people's opinions."

Not having the public or her loved ones hounding her with questions about the surrogacy ended up being crucial for the "All Things Adrienne" star. According to the mother-of-one, staying calm for nine months was difficult as she was never interested in taking the surrogate route. However, things changed when the couple thought they were left with a final viable embryo.

"I got to be honest, even the process of surrogacy can be quite nerve-wracking,"  Bailon said. "Somebody else has your child with them. We call it extreme babysitting for nine months. It can cause you to be really anxious," she added. The XIXI jewelry line founder added that leaving her baby in someone else's hands left her plagued with thoughts about her child's condition.

Nonetheless, worrying about the situation herself was better than having other people question her about the baby. The 38-year-old confessed that keeping her son a secret gave her "a little joy and something to look forward to."

As previously reported by The Blast, Bailon's status as a new mom filled the entertainer with immense joy that she had to commemorate the achievement. Taking to her Instagram Stories, the 38-year-old shared a picture of her newly tattooed hand, designed by the artist Michelle Santana.

The artwork featured Bailon's son's name, Ever, written in a curly font and inked below the TV personality's pinky finger. In a second post, the doting mother cuddled her baby while keeping his face hidden. For her third and final post, the former talk show host shared a picture of a Styrofoam coffee cup with the words "Ever's Mami" penned on the side.