Paris Hilton Says Teenage Abuse and Anxiety Issues Drove Her to Surrogacy

Paris Hilton knew that she wanted kids, and was certain she’d use a surrogate to make her dream a reality. In an interview with Romper, Hilton reveals why she and her husband, Carter Reum, enlisted a surrogate to bring their children, Phoenix and London, into the world.

“I just have so much PTSD from what I went through as a teenager,” Hilton says, alluding to the abuse she says she suffered as a teen at a therapeutic boarding school in the 1990s. “If I’m in a doctor’s office, I get a shot, anything, I will literally have a panic attack and I can’t breathe. I just knew that would not be healthy for me or the baby, growing inside of someone who has such high anxiety.”

Also, Hilton said, “My schedule is out of control. There never would’ve been the right time to do it because there’s literally no time to do anything in my life.”

As Hilton and Reum were awaiting their son’s arrival, they kept the baby on the way a secret, even from their friends and family.

“My life has been so public, so out there,” she explains. “I didn’t want my son coming into this world with any negative energy. I’m really happy I did it that way, just for Carter and I to have that journey together without the outside world chirping in.”

“My narrative and my story has been told by the media for half my life, and I just didn’t want my child being put out into the world without me being in control,” Hilton adds. “You become a mama bear.”

Hilton realized that her decision to shield her son from scrutiny was the correct choice after sharing photos of Phoenix online, only for commenters to chime in about the size of his head.

“Say what you want about me, but this is a little, innocent baby,” Hilton says. “The fact that there’s people that are sick in the head that they would go and talk about a child like that made me so angry. It just made me think: These people are the exact reason why I kept him a secret.”

One month after that incident, Hilton and Reum welcomed their second child, a daughter named London, into the world.

“I always imagined my mini-me, putting her in little dresses and all the mommy-and-me things we could do together. Just having my little best friend,” Hilton says, adding on the Call Her Daddy podcast, “We are just so happy. I just feel like my life feels so complete. She is so beautiful. It’s just so cute to see Phoenix with his little sister. I’ve always wanted a daughter. My whole life I’ve always wanted to have a little girl named London, so the fact that she’s here now is just everything. “

Welcoming two babies in the same calendar year was an easy decision for the couple, with Hilton explaining to Romper, “We wanted them to be close in age so they could grow up together. He’s going to be the protective big brother. I wish I had a big brother growing up. So many bad things that happened wouldn’t have happened if I had a big brother at school to watch and protect me.”

Now, Hilton says she’s in her “Mom Era,” which she considers her “best era yet.”

“They are such good babies,” she gushes. “They’re on an amazing sleep schedule, eating schedule, so they don’t cry. They’re so happy. I feel so lucky because all my other friends who have kids are like, ‘I’m up all night. They’re crying all night.’ My babies, they’re just so calm, so chill.”

She adds, “I’ve lived this really full and exciting life, but nothing has made me so happy as seeing my baby boy laugh or smile for the first time.”

“I don’t go out for fun. If I never had to go into another club again, I’d be happy. We just stay in. I like to cook. I like to be at home with the babies, the puppies,” she says. “… I used to look at my friends who’d be like, ‘Oh, I have to go home to my kids and my husband,’ like, ‘You’re so lame. This is so fun. I can’t imagine being like that.’ Now I’m one of those boring people, and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

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