There are plenty of ways Kim Kardashian manages to stay in the headlines. While many criticize Kim for manufacturing news about herself just to stay relevant, there are rare exceptions. Her recent decision to have a surrogate for their third child was one such natural occurrence. She didn't make the decision in order to get media attention, although it certainly helped. Rather, it was a genuine decision that Kim and her husband Kanye had to make.

As is typical of Kim, she's been open about the process since the beginning. She's highlighted the good, the bad and the ugly of pregnancy with their first two kids. Now, she's opening up about having Chicago West through a surrogate. As The Sun reports, Chicago was born in February of 2018. Now that Kim has gone through the process and is able to look back, she's able to reflect with a clear mind.

With the added benefit of retrospect, Kim is now a treasure trove of information about this important issue. Did surrogacy turn out the way she thought it would? What are some of the challenges of having a kid this way? Would she recommend it to others? These are the burning questions we have. Thankfully, Kim doesn't hold back in telling us everything we've been wanting to know about her thoughts on surrogacy.

15 Kim Only Had One Request For The Surrogate

Being the surrogate to Kim and Kanye's baby was probably stressful at times. If Kim is giving us the full disclosure, it sounds surprisingly much easier than expected. Considering how much control Kim likes to have, we find it hard that she only had one request. But according to Elle, Kim only wished that Chicago be born in Los Angeles.

Why exactly? That's where all her other kids were born. Plus, she wanted her doctor to handle everything. "She was totally comfortable with that," admitted Kim.

Let's think about this one. Have the baby in sunny California with a top-notch doctor handling everything? Sounds like a really difficult question. The way Kim paints it, surrogacy must've been a breeze. It gets even better for the surrogate.

Apparently, Kim didn't put any other restrictions on her. If anything, she encouraged her to even eat all the junk food she wanted.

"I straight-up told her, 'Look, I ate doughnuts every single day. If you want doughnuts and ice cream, go for it. Do whatever you feel.' I'm not going to be picky like that. That's just ridiculous." With Kim already being pregnant in the past, it sounds like she could relate to the surrogate.

14 Oops, She Technically Isn't Called A Surrogate Though

For good reason, there are many questions one has about surrogacy. That's the good news about a high-profile celebrity like Kim going through it. She's able to shed light on some of the gray areas of this topic. According to Kim though, the whole process wasn't exactly surrogacy. For some clarity on the matter, we let Kim break it down on her website.

"A traditional surrogate donates her egg, is artificially inseminated with the father's sperm and then carries the baby to term," wrote Kim on her website by way of Mirror.

So if Kim were actually going about the process with a surrogate, the egg wouldn't have been hers. Apparently, that's not the case.

According to Kim though—as Mirror reports—they used Kim's fertilized egg to plant in their gestational carrier, not the surrogate's egg. Kim admitted to Elle—as per Marie Claire—that she just calls her a surrogate. "I refer to her as a surrogate, but it's completely my and Kanye's DNA, so technically that's called a gestational carrier. A surrogate is when they use the husband's sperm and the surrogate's egg." Now we're not so in the dark when it comes to how this all works.

13 A Lost Embryo Influenced Her To Choose Surrogacy

Surrogacy wasn't just a decision Kim made on a whim. It was likely a long process that took her a lot of time to mull over. There are even some things that led up to the ultimate decision to go the surrogacy route. Back when they were trying to get pregnant for the second time, Kim went through in vitro fertilization, or IVF.

IVF is where doctors fertilize an egg outside the body before it's planted. This, of course, is the process by which the surrogate got pregnant, but it was something Kim went through before she even had Saint.

According to Women's Health Magazine, Khloe once revealed some info about Kim's IVF on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Apparently, Kim lost an embryo after an attempt to plan the egg. This was before they had Saint. This was one of the experiences that led them to go with a surrogate for their third child. When the surrogate had IVF for their third child, Kim was nervous. "It's really nerve-wracking because you know it's only about a 60 percent chance it'll take," Kim admitted. "One didn't work for me. I tried it and lost one of them." It's not surprising that this led Kim to search out another means for their third child.

12 Kim Used "The Force" To Pick Her Surrogate

Finding a surrogate must've been quite the process for Kim. As the control freak that she is, we have a hunch she personally oversaw the process of choosing a candidate. It's only natural that she'd want to pick out who'd be carrying her baby for nine months, but the actual process sounded like it went a lot smoother than one would expect. For Kim, it was clear right away who the candidate was going to be. "It was a feeling," Kim said to Elle, as reported by Marie Claire. "You know when you can trust someone."

Call it a woman's intuition—Kim knew who was going to carry her baby as soon as she met her.

It's fortunate that she found the right candidate. It could be a nerve-wracking assignment finding the right person. A lot rides on that one decision. Personally, we like to think Kim is really a Jedi who "sensed" the right person for the job. It's the only way to explain how she made the right choice in the end. Then again, it also answers how she's so famous, smart and successful, too. We'd now like to see a Star Wars spinoff film starring Kim Kardashian.

11 Kim's Surrogate Didn't Know Who The Baby Belonged To

When Kim first embarked on this new adventure of having a surrogate, she had many choices to make. She probably encountered tons of questions about things she never considered before. One such fork in the road she came across was whether to remain anonymous to the surrogate.

"She didn't know at the beginning," shares Kim to The Real, as per the website Parents. "She didn't know. You could do it totally anonymously. You could go that route." Although parents who go through this process have every right to remain anonymous, it'd sure be crazy for Kim and Kanye to go that route.

Kim did decide to reveal that she and Kanye were the parents after all. It was important for Kim to connect with the surrogate. Plus, she wanted to see if the surrogate was a fan or not.

"What if she wasn't a fan? We have amazing fans but we also have crazy haters," said Kim during Live with Kelly and Ryan, as per People. "I wouldn't want that energy around my baby. I wanted them to be respectful and like who I am as a person and want to take that responsibility on." Who can fault Kim for wanting to make an extra fan in the process?

10 The Real Reason She Didn't Carry Baby #3 Herself

Many people want to know why Kim Kardashian—a beautiful millionaire who has everything she could ever want—would choose to go with a surrogate? What may confuse some people is knowing she already had two kids. The reason for Kim's decision was health related. Kim took to her website to give the reasons for having a surrogate for her and Kanye's third child.

"I have always been really honest about my struggles with pregnancy," wrote Kim, as provided by Us Magazine. "Preeclampsia and placenta accreta are high-risk conditions, so when I wanted to have a third baby, doctors said that it wasn't safe for my—or the baby's—health to carry on my own."

There's no doubt this news must've shaken Kim up. She probably just assumed—going into their third child—that it'd be business as usual. The doctors had different news for Kim though, leading her to find a backup plan. Kim hasn't been secret about her pregnancy experiences.

"After giving birth, your placenta is supposed to come out," she shared with Elle by way of Refinery 29. "But mine was stuck." Kim notes that the doctor "scrape it" in what amounted to a painful and traumatic experience. It's no wonder she went with a surrogate their third time around.

9 No Doubt About It, The Baby Is Kim & Kanye's

In case there was any room for baby daddy drama a la Jerry Springer style, Kim puts an end to any questions. Of course, many people are wondering how the entire process works. Since

Kim isn't the one giving birth, so is the child really all of Kim and all of Kanye? How does that work? Thankfully now that Kim has gone through the process, she's a seasoned pro. In fact, it wouldn't surprise us if doctors brought Kim in to explain how it all works to parents considering the process.

"Since we implanted my fertilized egg in our gestational carrier, our baby is biologically mine and Kanye's," Kim announced through her website by way of Mirror. "You can either choose someone that you know or you can go through an agency, like Kanye and I did."

Just like that, Kim puts to rest so many questions we have. Therefore Chicago West—in that case—is 100 percent Kim and Kanye's. That should silence those still wondering how much the child really belongs to them. This confirms—as Mirror reports—that Chicago is certainly both theirs from a biological standpoint.

8 Think Surrogacy Is Easy? Think Again

Whenever the Kardashian world is full of drama, Kim always finds a way to smile. While it's not rare for her to be honest, she always has a tendency for optimism. We can appreciate that kind of approach. It's not always easy to project feelings that don't always match how one feels in the inside. When it comes to some of the challenges of surrogacy, Kim's feelings leak through.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight by way of People, Kim shed some light on how the process proved difficult. "You know, it is really different," Kim said, opening up about surrogacy. "Anyone that says or thinks it is just the easy way out is just completely wrong."

She goes on to say that the process was much harder than pregnancy. Would she have made a different decision if she had known that beforehand? There's no saying for sure, but we'd imagine it's just like pregnancy, bringing both positives and negatives to the table. "Knowing that I was able to carry my first two babies and not my baby now, it's hard for me," Kim admitted. Who would have imagined that Kim would not only realize this, but share it with the world?

7 We Hope Chicago West Doesn't Mind Hand-Me-Downs

In an ordinary child's life—if they have older siblings—they're going to get hand-me-downs. It's just too expensive to buy totally new things for each new kid. In a surprising move though, it'll be the same for Chicago West.

We don't doubt that Kim will pamper her more than her past kids. She just won't be getting any new baby stuff when it comes to the nursery.

According to Hello Magazine, Kim shared with Architectural Digest her plans for Chicago's nursery. "I'm pretty much using the same crib and everything that I had for our other kids," Kim said, talking about Chicago's new set up.

"We have a Vetro Lucite crib and we have a Royère bed in there and a really fluffy cream rug. We had a changing table made. I have a glider with an ottoman for feeding. With the first baby, I had a rocking chair, and I just love a glider so much more—you can move easier. Everything in the house is light colors and woods and soft and natural colors."

Either Kim is the laziest parent ever in using the same stuff, or she's for once a normal parent like everyone else. In the end, it doesn't matter whether Chicago is the surrogate baby. She's getting the same crib just like the other kids.

6 Surrogacy Gets Kim's Highest Recommendation

Surrogacy is no walk in the park. Kim has been open about all the ups and downs involved with this grueling process. In the end, she's able to look back fondly on the whole experience. That not only says a lot about the journey but Kim's maturity as well. It's not easy for someone to admit that a thing was good when it's a complicated matter. We tip our caps off to Kim for being so bold.

Returning to surrogacy: Kim is without a doubt its biggest proponent. After going through it, we think she's the best person to speak on this issue.

Speaking to Elle—as reported by Marie Claire—Kim admitted, "I would recommend surrogacy for anybody." She puts it simply, but that certainly says a lot. The fact that she's able to come to that conclusion is really remarkable.

Plus, she wouldn't recommend it unless she was positive about giving the experience her seal of approval. She's confident many others will benefit from it like she has. Now as a result of her bravery, plenty of others will feel compelled to explore surrogacy as an option. It just takes someone like Kim to go through it before others are open to giving it a try.

5 Don't Be Surprised If Kim Gives Surrogacy Another Shot

For some parents, kids are like tattoos. Once you get one, you can't stop. Eventually though, it gets to the point where the parents are physically or monetarily unable to have any more. That's why Kim had to have a surrogate in the first place for their third child. But now that Kim's had her third child, one can't help but look ahead. Many are wondering whether she and Kanye are up to having a fourth child.

"My home and my heart feel really full right now," said Kim in an interview with Elle, as reported by Marie Claire. "I don't think I could handle more than [four children, if that].

My time is spread really thin. And I think it's important that in all couples, the mom gives the husband as much attention as the kids." Here, Kim is speaking very responsibly as the matriarch of her family. She knows a lot rests on her shoulders. Instead of her emotions getting the best of her, Kim faces reality. She realizes that from a practical standpoint, a fourth kid may not be in the cards. She also leaves the door open, should she ever wish to go down that path again.

4 Kim Thanks God She Wasn't Pregnant

It always struck us a little odd how much praise pregnancy gets. Don't get us wrong. Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful things anyone could ever go through. Bringing another human being into the world is a miracle that can't be topped; but pregnancy itself is also a lot of work.

It's hard to romanticize something that's going to be hard and painful for a lot of women out there. To back us up on this, we can safely add Kim to the list of moms who don't feel like she's missing out. Plus, Kim already went through pregnancy herself. She's perfectly fine with not having to go through it again.

In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres show, Kim recalled what it was like to be there for Chicago's birth. What's interesting though is that she witnessed her own child being born though she wasn't the one giving birth. Ellen asked her what it was like to be there without going through contractions. "The moment she was getting the epidural, I was like, 'Thank god this is not me,'" Kim admits, by way of PopSugar. When it comes down to it, the surrogacy prevented Kim from going through all that pain again. That's something she sure was thankful for.

3 Kim Connected With Chicago Instantly

For any parent going through surrogacy, there's got to be doubt along the way. One of the biggest questions is whether their child will bond after they're born. Kim—like any rational parent—thought about this. The good news is that all those fears were allayed. Kim sat down for an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show.

Of course, Kim beamed about the whole process. Then the conversation steered to some more serious questions. Kim had good news to say about these difficult questions.

"The second she came out, any fear that I had—Will I not have this connection? Will she not look at me?" Kim said to Ellen, as reported by Pop Sugar. "All of that [went] out the door. Instantly, she's ours. It was such a good feeling."

That must've been the highlight for Kim to have this relief come over her. All of her questions and doubts leading up to Chicago's birth evaporated in a second. While there are still many challenges for the family ahead, it must've been nice to have security in this area. It just goes to show that Chicago knew who her mother was even though Kim wasn't pregnant with her.

2 It Was Hard Giving Up Control

As much as Kim is singing the praises of surrogacy, she can't help but shares some of the challenges as well. As successful as the entire process was, it still wasn't without its trade-offs.

Even if Chicago came into the world healthy and is bonding with the family, a part still feels missing for Kim.

Through her website, Kim used the platform to open up about going through the process. "People assume it's better because you don't have to deal with the physical changes, pain or complications with delivery, but for me, it was so hard to not carry my own child, especially after I carried North and Saint," wrote Kim, as provided by Today.

As anyone can imagine, the Kardashians value the control they have. By entrusting a surrogate with her child, Kim had some struggles. "I think it is so much harder to go through it this way, because you are not really in control," shared Kim with Entertainment Tonight, as provided by People. It just goes to show that by having a surrogate, Kim had to relinquish control. It must have been one of the hardest experiences for Kim to have control stripped away from her.

1 Surrogacy Was The Best Decision She Ever Made

For those wondering if Kim's experience of going with a surrogate was good or bad, the wait is over. Before going into it, there are plenty of doubts Kim must've had about the process. It's only natural for one to feel that way going into a new adventure. Even the Kardashians go through firsts. There are unknown territories they have to navigate without their experience going into it.

Surrogacy has certainly paid off though. According to People, Kim went so far as to admit surrogacy was the best decision. We've no doubt that there were rocky parts along the way, even for a Kardashian. She's provided plenty of insight into the process. But now that the baby was born healthy and she's bonding with Chicago, we can see why she's so enthusiastic. Some might question whether she actually believes it was the best decision of her life. It's hard to deny how happy she seems now that it's all over.

"It's a game changer, having to not go through [nursing] every few hours," admits Kim, as per People.

"I can spend so much more time with the older kids and getting them used to the baby." With all of Kim's time freed up—not to mention she didn't have to go through the pregnancy process—we can see why she'd be thrilled with the outcome.

References: The Sun, People, Refinery 29, Us Magazine, People, Today, Parents, Mirror, Marie Claire, People, Hello Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, Pop Sugar