If you read our last blog post about the process of surrogacy but are still wondering about the in-depth process, this is the place to be! This post will explain the nuts and bolts of the process.
You may still be wondering: how does the while process work for surrogacy anyways?
Well, this post is a rough blueprint to the whole journey.
To start, one of our intake staff will send you an information package. This will break down how the process works and how we can support you.
Lets get started
There is an application you will fill out to become a surrogate. We then send that application out to two fertility doctors that we work with. This is to make sure the medical information you provided us is good to go. Then they will give the green light for you to start the process!
We will ask you to sign a document that will allow us to request your medical records from your previous care providers. This is to ensure that your previous pregnancies were healthy, and they would indicate being able to move forward with another pregnancy. This is important because we don’t want to disappoint you. We don’t want to say yes come be a surrogate, if your previous pregnancies would say otherwise. Our goal is to keep every women safe in our program which is why we have these checks and balances.
After the application
Should everything check out, we would accept your application and you would fill out a criminal record check online.
We would get your medical records and we would have you start looking at profiles of Intended Parents.
Those profiles are usually a video of the IPs expressing their gratitude and how excited they are to become parents. We often hear that this is difficult decision because there are so many wonderful Intended Parents all over the world looking for surrogates in Canada.
Changing lives
Right now in Canada for every one surrogate there are at least 10 people looking for a surrogate.
1 in every 6 people in Canada alone are struggling to conceive
So when going through this journey, you will change these people’s lives and their families lives.
So, then your matched and fall in love, you connect either in person or online with video calls
Then, you will go to screening. This means you will go to a fertility clinic whether it’s in San Diego, Idaho, Utah, Toronto, Vancouver. We of course make all the travel arrangements and make sure the expenses are taken care of ahead of time and arrange any childcare you may need.
Two weeks after your screening you get a letter saying you are medically cleared to move forward.
Next part: legal contracts
It’s really important that you’re protected through this process and that your family is protected. So you will have a lawyer that will act only for you.
This lawyer will ensure that the contract reflects what you have put in your surrogate profile and ensure you are comfortable. Things such as: should you end up on bedrest that your wages are covered, or that your birth preferences are listed that, and everyone’s roles are laid out in that contract.
Getting pregnant
Once the legal contracts are done, it’s time to get pregnant!
There are medications you are required to take throughout the process.
They are a literal pain in the a** because it is an injection in your backside. But the clinic is great about teaching you how to do it and we have a ton of videos on it to help you through.
The doctors will explain the medication and the risks and make sure you are comfortable. There will be a whole online community support you.
Okay so, your pregnant now (YAY!), and it’s a pregnancy as usual. So you will go to your own care provider in your community and update you IPS or they will attend some appointments (should COVID-19 restrictions allow) or they will Skype into appointments.
You will move through the pregnancy with a lot of support.
Our Support
Our therapist will still be available for you, your support team member is available to you, Leia will be available to you.
So now it is the end of the pregnancy, you have the baby, the parents are there (again COVID-19 restrictions allowing).
Typically, 99 per cent of our parents are in the delivery room. However, if you are the one per cent of the people that would rather they wait outside that’s absolutely okay too. This is your birth and your body, this is their baby. However the two meet is totally up to you as the surrogate.
Final Step: Post birth
We make sure in your contract there are finances to help you rest after the birth.
Whether that is taking time off work, or having someone come in and look after your kids for a few weeks. Whatever that is, it’s important to us and so we stay connected for up to six weeks post birth and a lot of times longer because many of our surrogates want to complete a subsequent journey or they want to mentor and cheerlead other surrogates either online or in real life.
So, in a nutshell, that is the journey our surrogates go on.
We hope this blog series was helpful and answered some of the questions you may have. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time with any inquiry you may have on this process. We always look forward to hearing from new surrogates and helping you through this beautiful journey.