parenthood

Olivia Munn has recently opened up about her experience welcoming her daughter, Méi, via surrogate, revealing how this journey reshaped her understanding of parenthood. In an interview with People, Munn described her feelings during the process, likening her emotions to those of an “expectant father.” Reflecting on her journey, Munn, 44, explained, “A lot of times people say, ‘Oh, the dads don’t really connect with the baby until it’s right there in front of them.’ The dads, they’re not carrying the baby. I carried Malcolm, so I understood from the very genesis like, okay, I’ve got a life in me. Your body is changing and your energy is changing and your hair is changing and everything’s changing, so it feels very real all the time.” Despite her connection to the pregnancy of her first child, Malcolm, Munn found the experience of waiting for Méi to arrive through surrogacy to be different. “Even though it all felt very real for me, and our surrogate and I spoke all the time and she’d send me videos, it was a little bit of, ‘Oh wait, she’s coming.’ I felt like an expectant father,” she said. Munn and her husband, comedian John Mulaney, welcomed their daughter on September 14, 2024. The couple also shares a son, Malcolm, who is now three years old. Their decision to use a surrogate stemmed from Munn’s breast cancer diagnosis in April 2023, which led to a series of medical procedures including a double mastectomy. Munn shared that the urgency of her situation forced her to make decisions about her reproductive health quickly, as she had a limited “window” for egg retrieval before undergoing a hysterectomy. “It was important to do it at that moment,” Munn explained. “But it was also scary because my type of cancer feeds on hormones, and there are a lot of hormone injections with IVF.” As Munn navigated her health challenges, she was also focused on finding the right surrogate. Her primary goal was to find someone kind, someone who would understand the unique path she had to take. “I just wanted her to be kind, and I needed her to understand that this is a path that I had to go on,” she said. “This is not a choice I would’ve made for myself.” The search for a surrogate proved to be successful, as Munn expressed gratitude for finding someone with whom she bonded deeply. She initially feared that her inability to carry Méi herself would hinder their connection. However, those worries quickly faded once she held her daughter in her arms. “Méi would cry, and I was the only one who could get her to stop,” Munn recalled. “I knew she knew me, and I knew her. She’s got this stick-straight hair that I had when I was a baby. I think because I wasn’t able to carry her, I really needed to see myself in her. I see myself in her so much.” Munn has been actively sharing snippets of her life as a new mother through social media, including a recent post celebrating her first month with Méi. She posted a series of heartwarming photos, captioning it, “The first month of Méi 💕,” showcasing the joy and love she feels for her daughter. Since becoming parents, Munn and Mulaney have shared glimpses of their family life, including the arrival of their son Malcolm in late 2021, just before Thanksgiving. The couple tied the knot in 2024, solidifying their commitment to each other and their growing family. Olivia Munn’s journey through surrogacy and motherhood highlights the complexities and joys of parenthood, especially for those who face unique challenges. Her candid reflections offer insight into the emotional landscape of welcoming a child into the world through non-traditional means, and her story resonates with many who may find themselves on similar paths. As she embraces her role as a mother, Munn’s experience serves as a reminder of the deep bonds that can form between parent and child, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their arrival.