What brought you to surrogacy?
We decided to pursue surrogacy after a friend began a journey and showed us that surrogacy was a real option. Up until then we were unsuccessfully trying to carry on our own, choosing to overlook significant medical risks to both the baby and I if I were to carry to full term.
How long have you been looking into Surrogacy?
I was fortunate to find Canadian Fertility Consultants almost immediately upon beginning my research.
How did your family/children/support people react when you told them you were looking into having a surrogate mother?
They had lots of questions, but were very relieved that I had decided not to carry a pregnancy myself.
What do you wish the general public knew about surrogacy?
That surrogates don’t generally want to keep the baby after it’s born!
What do you perceive to be the hardest part about being a surrogate?
Having to account for the personal decisions of someone that is not a part of their family and trying to find a balance between what is best for the surrogate and her family and what is best for the baby.
Do you want to continue a friendship with your surrogate after your journey?
We are on the second journey with our surrogate and consider her and her husband and children to be part of our family. Our surrogate is our daughter’s Godmother and we have never been concerned that there would be boundary issues. Our surrogate is very respectful of our roles as parents and we feel the more love, the better for our children.
What do you intend to tell your children, if anything, about how they came into the world?
We will definitely tell our daughter her birth story from the outset (once she can talk) but have no idea yet what form that will take.
Are there any additional comments you would like to share?
Treat your surrogate as an equal partner in the pregnancy and your baby will grow healthy in a positive environment. And … don’t be afraid of the bond between your child and your surrogate as there is no limit on how much love your child can receive and return.
-Intended Mother ‘L’