Paris Hilton's Family Unaware Of Newborn Son For A Week

Fatima Araos
Closeup of Paris Hilton
Getty | ROBYN BECK

When Paris Hilton and her husband, Carter Reum, welcomed their baby boy in January. It was such a tightly held secret that even her family didn’t know about it.

The Surprise Announcement

The couple surprised everyone in late January when they announced the arrival of their son, whom they had via surrogate. They later revealed his name as Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum.

He Was Already A Week Old When She Told Her Family

During an episode of her This Is Paris podcast, the 42-year-old media personality said, “Not even my mom, my sister, my best friend knew until he was over a week old.”

Private 'Journey'

Paris Hilton posing in a nude dress
Flickr | gogiuk2019

She explained that she wanted it to be her and Carter’s private “journey” because her “life has been so public.”

“I've never really had anything be just mine,” she added.

Excited But Anxious

Paris said that although she and Carter were excited to tell their families, they were anxious, too.

She Wanted To Keep It Quiet For A Change

Closeup of Paris Hilton
Flickr | ride2719

“[I]f you tell a person, then they tell someone, and all the sudden, it's in TMZ or Page Six, and I've had enough of my life like that,” she explained.

The Couple Made A Pact

Because of that, she and her husband made a pact that they would keep the birth of their baby a secret.

Her Family's Reaction

So you can just imagine how surprised her family was when she made the announcement a week after Phoenix was born.

Her Mom Was 'So Surprised'

“When I introduced my mom to our baby boy, it was amazing to see the look on her face,” Paris recalled. “She was so surprised — just the look on her face, it was priceless.”

She Announced It On Instagram

Paris Hilton in a sheer gown
Flickr | thehallofsexy

Paris made the announcement on Instagram on January 24, more than a week after welcoming her son.

What Her Post Said

Her post included a closeup pic of the baby’s hand holding on to her thumb. “You are already loved beyond words 💙,” her caption said.

Face Reveal

On February 23, she revealed Phoenix’s face for the first time in a two-photo carousel on Instagram. The first showed her, Carter, and the baby, and the second showed her giving Phoenix a kiss.

Are They Having More Children?

It seems the Simple Life alum and her venture capitalist husband aren’t stopping at one child, either.

20 Frozen Embryos

In a recent interview with Glamour, Paris revealed that they currently have 20 frozen embryos – all of them boys – but they also want a girl.

Kim Kardashian Introduced Her To IVF

Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian
Flickr | VELVET Tkanina

On the advice of her friend, Kim Kardashian, she’d been freezing her embryos even before she started dating Carter because she wanted to have babies on her own.

Why Did She Opt For Surrogacy?

As for her reason for opting to go the surrogate route, which Kim introduced to her as well, she said it had nothing to do with her age.

It Was Because Of Fear

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in The Simple Life
Flickr | wereallmadhere

Rather, it was because of her fear of childbirth and doctors. Back when she was filming The Simple Life, she’d witnessed a woman giving birth, and the experience traumatized her.

Another Traumatic Experience

She also explained that her fear stemmed from the allegedly abusive treatment she suffered at her Provo boarding school.

Scared Of 'Being In A Doctor's Office'

“I’m just so scared, I think, again, leading back to Provo of even being in a doctor’s office, just all of that. The shots, the IVs that they put in,” she said.

She Longs For A Family

However, she wanted “a family so bad.” It was only “the physical part of doing it” that scared her.