Pixabay Maria Menounos is a mom.
A “Dancing With the Stars” alum is a mom.
Maria Menounos and her husband Keven Undergaro are the proud parents of a baby girl they named Athena Alexandra. The couple had Athena by way of a surrogate following a 10-year fertility struggle.
“It was the most special moment of my life,” Menounos told Us Weekly of her daughter’s birth. “The doctor literally grabbed her and hiked her onto me. I sat with her on my chest, and Keven and I kept looking at each other like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was just pure joy,” she recalled.
The baby was born on June 23, 2023. Menounos and Undergaro got married in 2017 and have been together for more than two decades.
Here’s what you need to know:
Dozens of Fans Congratulated Maria Menounos & Keven Undergaro on Their New Baby
Menounos and Undergaro wanted to choose a Greek name for their daughter as a nod to Menounos’ heritage. And while many fans thought that Menounos may honor her late mother, Litsa, by giving her baby her name, they decided to go with Athena.
“We had a list, and everyone says when you see the baby, you’ll know, but that was totally untrue for us. We were like, “What do we do?” Athena is the goddess of war and wisdom, and Keven loved the power of that name, so that was it,” the new mom told Us Weekly.
Fans reacted to the baby news in the comments section of Menounos’ Instagram post in which she shared her interview with Us Weekly — and the first photos of baby Athena.
“Congratulations Maria & Keven for your little miss miracle – sunshine Athena,!may she be Healthy & Happy, all blessings to your family! Her Yiayia from Heaven & her Pappou from Earth will take care of the rest,” one person wrote.
“Congratulations!! Enjoy every moment,” someone else added.
“Love the name, honouring her greek roots and with such a powerful meaning,” a third comment read.
Maria Menounos Announced Her Baby News on ‘Live! With Kelly & Ryan’
Menounos has been fairly open about her journey to become a mom and it’s been no secret that she and Undergaro have wanted to start a family for many years.
“We had a lot of plans. We were going to go to Greece in the summer. We’re having to move that up because…” Menounos said on the February 2023 episode. “We’re having a baby. I had to share it here first,” she added.
After learning that she and Undergaro had a successful transfer, Menounos also found out some incredibly difficult news: She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“I was feeling so good, and then I got slapped in the face with a new diagnosis,” Menounos told People magazine. Fortunately, the cancer wasn’t super aggressive and was treatable. Menounos is now cancer free.
In her interview with Us Weekly, she did say that there was a moment when she didn’t know if she’d ever meet her baby, which makes her super thankful for her recovery. She says she’s feeling “amazing” these days.
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