Being Mary Jane star Gabrielle Union is not one to shy away from a fight, especially when it comes to protecting her family. When the actress, who’s now a mom to her daughter Kaavia James with husband Dwyane Wade, welcomed her first child via surrogate in November 2018, she knew the world would have something to say. And guess what? Gabrielle wasn’t about to let anyone dictate how she should parent. In a recent interview with People, she revealed her no-nonsense approach to handling critics from day one.

Gabrielle Union's Bold Approach to Mommy Shamers

“I had to hit the mommy-shamers day one,” Gabrielle said with a fiery determination. “I’m going to do things my way. Of course, I’m going to make mistakes—I’m human after all. And when I ask for help, which I definitely will, I’d love to hear all your advice. But let’s not forget, I’ve been through a lot to get here. I’ve faced pain, anguish, and even trauma on this journey to motherhood. Now that I’ve arrived, I owe it to myself to enjoy every single second of this joy. No one is going to take that away from me.”

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Unbothered. Well one of us 😁
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A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Jan 25, 2019 at 5:08pm PST

When Criticism Hit Home

Not long after bringing Kaavia home, Gabrielle found herself at the center of a social media storm. This time, it was over something as simple as kissing her baby on the lips. Critics were quick to weigh in, but Gabrielle wasn’t about to back down. She took to her platform to remind everyone that Kaavia’s health and safety are her top priorities. “Kaav is healthy, and I don’t even touch her without washing and sanitizing myself and everything around her,” she explained. “If you think I waited this long and went through all of this just to put my baby in harm’s way, you’ve got another thing coming.”

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Best feeling in the world… Well, when I'm not getting those deep sniffs of baby neck.
A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Jan 23, 2019 at 11:39am PST

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Staying True to Herself

At the end of the day, Gabrielle knows that what matters most is staying true to herself. “I want to be able to make whatever choice I want to make and not have to answer to anybody but me,” she told People. “As long as I feel good and confident about my decisions, screw you. Look in the mirror and fix your own life. I want to set an example for others—someone who refuses to let anyone dictate what I do or don’t do, say or don’t say.”