Tia Mowry-Hardrict is the picture of pregnancy bliss. But after trying for years to conceive another child with husband Cory Hardrict, the actor was in disbelief that it was actually happening a second time around.
“I was in denial, to be honest with you. I probably went through 20 pregnancy tests,” the 39-year-old confessed to Mini magazine. “It was hard for me to get pregnant, so I wanted to be super positive before I got too excited.”
While fertility is a sensitive topic for many couples, Mowry-Hardrict has been open about the difficulties she has experienced getting pregnant. After having her son, Cree, the actor wanted to welcome another bundle of joy into the Mowry-Hardrict household, but an endometriosis diagnosis made conceiving a baby difficult.
According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is “an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus.” It can result in abnormal and painful periods, impaired fertility, and in rare cases, women with endometriosis have higher rates of certain cancers.Last summer, Mowry-Hardrict, who released the cookbook Whole New You last year, said she was dealing with the condition by cleaning up her eating habits.
“I am working on my diet,” she said back in June. “Endometriosis basically grows from inflammation,” so Mowry-Hardrict planned on focusing on foods that would help her “get rid of inflammation in my body.”
Apparently, it worked. Mowry-Hardrict and her husband are expecting a baby girl this year — and she’s totally excited.“For some reason, I didn’t think I would have a girl,” she admitted. “I was shocked! I started crying because I knew how much my husband wanted to have a girl.”
“I want her to grow up knowing she is beautiful, no matter what anyone says,” Mowry-Hardrict added. “And I want her to see the world with an unconditional heart.”