05/02/2019
Here's a story from one our most experienced gestational carriers!
For the love of surrogacy…
I’ve had the opportunity to help build six families through surrogacy. I’m a seven time surrogate, delivering nine babies for other people, including two sets of twins. What an incredible journey it has been!
I’ve delivered babies who live half way around the world, to babies who live within driving distance. I’m still in contact with all the families I’ve helped, making me lucky enough to watch these miracle babies grow up. I always tell people I didn’t add just a baby to my family, I added a family to my family. How great is that? Every experience is unique in its own way, but every one of them has been nothing short of amazing.
People often tell me being a surrogate is something they could never do. It’s true, surrogacy isn’t for everyone, but for some of us, it’s everything. For infertile couples, surrogacy makes their dreams of having children come true. For surrogates, it makes their dream of helping others build their families come true. For me, surrogacy has given great meaning to my life. I’ve watched couples struggling with infertility, shed tears of happiness as their babies are born into this world. I’ve witnessed the battle of infertility be conquered and won. It’s never an easy battle, but it brings a child(ren) into this world that will never be taken for granted.
I’ve had people ask me, how can you give them a baby you’ve carried and bonded with for nine months? For me, it’s not just bonding with the baby, but the parents too. It’s about hearing the excitement in their voice when they hear the news that they’re expecting. It’s about watching the joy in their eyes as they see their baby on the ultrasound screen and hear it’s heartbeat for the first time. Then comes the most amazing day of all, when you witness the couple you’ve grown to love become parents as you deliver their baby into their arms. Words can’t express the love that fills the room on that long awaited day. It’s truly nothing short of a miracle. Let’s not forget, this baby was never mine. It’s been their baby since the very beginning.
If you’re considering being a surrogate, do all the research you can. I suggest reading blogs of both surrogates and IP’s (intended parents). Reading peoples personal experiences will give you a great idea of what you’re getting into. It can help you determine what’s important to you when pursuing your own journey. You’ll read about journeys that are near perfect, to journeys that are heartbreaking, along with everything in between. It can be very eye opening. It’ll either make your desire to pursue surrogacy even stronger, or it might make you realize it’s not for you.
It’s also important to become knowledgeable about the process. It requires many, many shots and more doctor appointments then you’ve probably ever had before. It involves hormones and roller coaster emotions that are brought on by all those hormones. It’s important to have the support of your family. It will impact their lives just as much as yours. It requires many sacrifices, but it’s so incredibly worth it. If surrogacy is for you, hold on for the ride of a lifetime!
