Israel Houghton, wife thank ‘God’ for baby via surrogacy after years of ‘disappointment’
Worship leader Israel Houghton and his wife, Adrienne Bailon Houghton, took to social media to celebrate the birth of their first child together via surrogacy after years of not being able to conceive naturally.
"For this child we have prayed," Houghton wrote on Instagram last week along with a photo of him posing with his wife holding their son, Ever James Houghton.
"Just to hear our baby cry. Skin to skin and face to face. Heart to heart and eye to eye," he continued. "Our baby boy is here & we are so in love! If you have followed our love story… you know that our journey to baby has been very challenging - But God is true to His word and His promises."
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The former Lakewood Church worship leader and his wife married in November 2016 in an intimate ceremony in Paris, France. They began trying to conceive shortly after the wedding to no avail.
"We have quietly prayed while sitting on this most magnificent secret for the last 9 months. He is worth every tear, every disappointment, every delayed prayer, every IVF cycle, every miscarriage. Everything," Houghton's post added. "All we feel is joy and overwhelming love & gratitude. Grateful to God, to our angel surrogate and to all of our friends and family who have stood with us for over 5 years on this journey. He's here and we have never been happier to lose sleep!"
Adrienne Bailon Houghton shared the same post and later added, "Life is sweeter than I could have EVER imagined."
The Emmy Award-winning TV show host shared her fertility journey in 2018 while a co-host on "The Real."
"I think for myself, I always thought that it would happen so easily for me and it just hasn't happened that way," she said at the time. "I have had to come to peace with it – When it's God's timing and I believe in that and I have faith in all of that but it can be really discouraging and it can be really frustrating."
The former "Cheetah Girls" star admitted that she was under the impression that because she feels youthful and is a Latina, she would get pregnant immediately.
"My ovaries are what they are; that sucks to hear that," the New York native added.
She ended her confession by offering advice for other women trying to get pregnant, telling them to keep "calm" and not to focus on those who are getting pregnant while they are not.
Israel Houghton has five children from a previous marriage.
Surrogacy is defined as an arrangement where a woman agrees to deliver/labor for a family looking to welcome a child of their own. Surrogacy is often a legal agreement.
While many couples who struggle to conceive and others in same-sex relations often turn to surrogacy to expand their family, critics denounce it as "exploitation" and the commodifying of a woman's womb that leads to high-risk pregnancies. Proponents argue that the Bible doesn't explicitly condemn surrogacy and is a needed service for couples suffering from infertility.
It is unknown whether the Houghtons paid for a surrogate, but they are celebrating their new child as a miracle from God.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
