“This past weekend I visited Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, three areas where we’re seeing an increase in the number of surrogates who reside here and are joining our program. I wanted to make sure that I went out to these cities to meet and spend time with these wonderful women. We all went for lunch in Edmonton and had dinner together in Winnipeg and Calgary. It was an absolute pleasure to connect with and hear from these women about how we’re doing as an agency. I find that the best way for me to get feedback on how we are supporting the women in our program is to directly ask these women how they feel.
It was absolutely fantastic to hear from the surrogates and begin to develop a community in these regions. The first step to community building is to get people together, and I wanted to bring this community aspect to these women by us all sharing a meal together. The surrogates who have completed journeys were able to share their experiences with those who were completely new to the process, and we were able to sit people beside one another to create these mentorship opportunities. It’s inspiring to see these accomplished women come together and share advice with the women who are newer to the program and surrogacy in general.
At our largest event in Edmonton we had over thirty surrogates show up, nine of them were currently pregnant and the rest were in other various stages of surrogacy. We spent a couple of hours together that were really meaningful, and we talked about how coming together like this really matters. I shared with the surrogates about our upcoming retreats, and how I’m looking forward to planning more of these casual surrogate get-togethers across Canada. After my meeting in Winnipeg, we decided to add a new retreat to our roster this year, one that will be on the border between Manitoba and Saskatchewan near the end of July, so that we can better accommodate those women that live in either of these areas.”
– Leia Swanberg, CEO and Founder of Canadian Fertility Consulting
“I felt blessed and honoured as I attended the Surrogate meet up in Edmonton this past weekend. It gave me the opportunity to meet new surrogates and catch up with those I already know. The event was very relaxed and casual, and it was great to spend time with other like-minded women. Since becoming a surrogate, I have made friendships I know will last a life-time and I am so thankful for that. Canadian Fertility Consulting always make me feel valued and appreciated, and Leia always makes time for the sisterhood to connect. For all of this I am eternally grateful.”
– CFC Surrogate Angel