Following a successful surrogate pregnancy, the surrogate may pump and provide the Intended Parents with breast milk for the baby. Breast milk can be used to supplement baby formula or may as the baby’s primary diet. Many families wonder if breast milk is necessary or if formula is sufficient. Whether you choose formula, breast milk, a combination of the two, or induced lactation – the answer is whatever is ‘fed is best,’ and what is right for your surrogate, your baby, and your family may not be right for everyone.

The surrogate pumps the breast milk and either delivers or ships the milk to the family. For those choosing to ship, the breast milk is placed in a Styrofoam cooler and placed inside a shipping box with ice packs or dry ice. The package is then sent via overnight or 2-day expedited shipping to ensure that the contents arrive within 48 hours of being shipped. Freshly pumped breast milk can be stored in a freezer for about six months and in a refrigerator for up to 4 days.

The intended parents and surrogate should discuss whether the surrogate will provide breast milk before the baby’s birth. Many intended parents discuss this during initial meetings when interviewing surrogate mothers. However, the length of time that the surrogate pumps for the baby can vary and can be decided closer to the baby’s birth or even after the birth. Sometimes the surrogate plans on pumping for an extended period of time, but her milk supply is low, or circumstances change. Remember, deciding to pump breastmilk or not is a very personal decision — and one that’s entirely up to the surrogate.

How Does the Surrogate Benefit By Providing Breast Milk?

When a surrogate provides breast milk, there are additional benefits for her, including her uterus returning to its pre-pregnancy size quicker, decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, increased calorie burn, and extra financial compensation.

How do the Intended Parents Use Donated Breast Milk?

They will use the milk to either feed their baby through bottles or in combination with their own breast milk through a supplemental nursing system.

Interested in Surrogacy?

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options or are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, please contact us at 713-622-1144, and we will be here to help you with any questions.

The holidays can be stressful for anyone, but for surrogates, it can be a particularly busy and overwhelming time of year. Not only are they often taking care of their own family, but they are taking care of a growing baby for the intended parents. As the Intended Parents, you may be wondering how to handle the upcoming excitement of the season, the excitement of your soon-to-arrive baby, and how to make things a little easier for your surrogate.

Here are a few tips:

1. Communicate to your surrogate if you want to share aspects of the upcoming holidays with her and her family. If the feeling is mutual, be sure to plan in advance to make it happen so that neither party has added stress.
2. Send or give your surrogate a gift card to her family’s favorite restaurant so they can enjoy spending an evening together. At Christmas time, you may also decide to gift her children something small. One final gift option to consider is gifting her husband a gift card somewhere he may enjoy—after all, he is also a big part of the surrogacy process.
3. Your surrogate will impact your life for years to come, so one way to commemorate this special moment is to add a sentimental ornament to your Christmas tree. You could also gift the surrogate and her family with a special ornament. If they celebrate Hanukkah, you could buy them a decorative dreidel. The gift doesn’t have to be holiday-themed; any gift from you would be a gift from the heart.
4. If you opt-out of giving a gift card or having her family over for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinner, an alternative idea would be to bake her and her family their favorite dessert and personally deliver it to them.

Most importantly, be sure to let your surrogate and her family know how thankful you are for her decision to help you and your partner start a family of your own.

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options or are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, please contact us at 713-622-1144, and we will be here to help you with any questions.

As intended parents, when a gestational surrogate is carrying and giving birth to your baby, one of the most critical steps in the surrogacy process is to ensure that you are legally recognized as the parents by the appropriate court or legal process.

Pre-birth Order or Post-birth Order

“Pre-birth order” refers to the court process necessary to recognize you as the child’s parents.

Some states require a post-birth order, but Texas is considered a surrogate-friendly state. Therefore, a pre-birth order may be granted and thereby validated so long as the gestational carrier agreement is found by a Texas Court to be in compliance with the statutory requirements of Texas surrogacy law. The statute only refers to married Intended Parents, so obtaining pre-birth parentage orders for unmarried Intended Parents is more complicated and should be discussed with a surrogacy attorney. It’s also important to note that a pre-birth order can be granted regardless of whether the intended parents have a genetic connection to the child.

Why is a “Prebirth Order” Important?

A pre-birth order is important in surrogate contracts. Most parents start this process after the first trimester of the pregnancy, but some do so once a positive pregnancy is produced or even before the surroga

te is even pregnant to ensure everything legal is put in place at the very beginning of the journey.

A pre-birth order ensures that the intended parents have legal rights to their child as soon as the baby is born.

Another importance of pre-birth orders is for insurance purposes. From the moment the baby is born, the intended parents are solely responsible for the child. Thus, being legally recognized as the parents ensures that the baby may be added to their insurance.

Prebirth orders also benefit the awaiting parents during the birth. Having legal custody of the child prior to birth means they will be treated as the parents in the delivery room. Your surrogate professional at Shared Conception can answer any questions you have about pre-birth orders and parental rights.

Interested in Surrogacy?

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options or are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, please contact us at 713-622-1144, and we will be here to help you with any questions.

You’ve begun the surrogacy journey, and if you enjoy working out, you may be wondering how that will still be possible. Continuing physical activity during your pregnancy is not only safe but healthy. Exercise can help prevent headaches, stress and depression, tiredness, pelvic pain, constipation, cramps, and swollen feet.

Workout Tips

If you were active and used to working out prior to being pregnant, you can continue what you’re doing; just consult with your doctor to make sure it isn’t too strenuous for pregnancy. If you are new to working out, start off slow. Walking is a great way to start and be active without being too stressful on your body. Other forms of exercise you can do during your first and second trimesters include yoga, light jogging, and weight training.

However, during your third trimester, you will have to start taking it a bit easier. Physical activities such as walking, gentle swimming, light cycling, and rowing are all great ways to continue working out without putting too much stress on your body or the baby.

Try to avoid exercises that involve sit-ups, stomach crunches, or contact sports.

Do’s and Don’ts

Be sure to keep yourself hydrated while working out. You should be drinking water before, during, and after your workouts.

Always listen to what your body is telling you. If anything feels uncomfortable, stop immediately. Be sure to let your body rest.

Take care of your feet! Wearing supportive shoes is important during your pregnancy. Wear clothes that allow for easy movement and allow your body to not get too hot.

Who should not exercise while pregnant?

While exercising while pregnant is safe for most women, there are some conditions where exercising is not a good idea. You shouldn’t exercise while pregnant with multiples or if you are experiencing other risk factors such as gestational hypertension or severe anemia. In some instances, your doctor may tell you that low-impact activities such as walking are still okay.

In the end, every pregnancy is different so again, consult with your doctor in advance to see what activities will and won’t be safe during your surrogacy journey.

Interested in Surrogacy?

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options or are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, please contact us at 713-622-1144, and we will be here to help you with any questions.

Announcing the birth of your baby is always an exciting moment. Typically, these announcements are made with pictures of the new baby with the stats such as weight, length, and time of birth. But how do you announce the birth of a baby born via surrogacy? Here are some tips.

Photoshoots are a popular choice to tell others about your surrogacy journey visually. These photoshoots can include the intended parents, with or without the surrogate. However, including the surrogate is a fun way to document the journey for your child.

Another tradition many soon-to-be parents partake in is the gender reveal party. This is still possible even when you’re having the baby with a surrogate. Inviting your surrogate to the party, will help build upon your connection with her and help you feel closer to your baby. A gender reveal party can be combined with a baby shower. Even if you are not the one giving birth to your baby, the idea is to celebrate the baby and pregnancy. It should be a fun occasion for the Intended Parents and for the surrogate. It’s also a great way to introduce your surrogate to your friends and family.

If having a party seems too impersonal, you can start by having an intimate sit down with your loved ones. This conversation should be held somewhere everyone feels at ease, such as at home. Most likely, your family will have many questions about surrogacy, so be prepared to answer questions they may have. Having this intimate conversation will make for less stress for all those involved.

Many doctors recommend with a traditional pregnancy, parents wait until 12 weeks of pregnancy to make any announcements- at this point, the risk of miscarriage decreases significantly. While this is still true with surrogacy as well, many intended parents wait until halfway through the pregnancy or even when their baby is born to share their news with the world. While telling loved ones early on in the journey is important, this can be done privately, and then once the baby is here, it can be announced to everyone else in your network.

In the end, this is your story, and it’s completely up to you on how and when you choose to announce it.

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options or are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, please contact us at 713-622-1144, and we will be here to help you with any questions.

Parents have always found it a little uncomfortable to discuss where babies come from with their children. When the birth involves social, emotional, or other complexities such as surrogacy, it can be extremely overwhelming.

While it can be difficult, experts agree that it is important to be honest with your children about their surrogacy story from the very beginning.

Why Should You Tell Them?

Many experts, including psychologists and reproductive experts, believe that children have a right to know their origins. They believe this contributes to a child’s sense of identity, self-esteem, and view of their place in the world.

Another important reason is that you may have to disclose your child’s familial history every time they visit a doctor. It can become uncomfortable if you try to keep it a secret from your child, especially as they get older. This is especially important if you use donor eggs or sperm. At Shared Conception, about half of our clients use donors during their surrogacy journey.

If you are in a same-sex marriage or partnership, your child will likely also have questions about where they came from.

These are all important reasons to have the surrogacy discussion with your child. Whatever your reason is, it is essential to be honest with your child about their conception.

How Do I Tell Them?

You want to remain honest but also age-appropriate in your explanations. Begin with a more gentle introduction to the concept. You can do this in several ways such as reading them a children’s book that explains surrogacy. Young children tend to be extremely open-minded, so it’s crucial to establish surrogacy as a positive story from the beginning and as early as possible.

It’s good to be straightforward when explaining surrogacy to children versus overwhelming them with details they may not fully understand yet. If they ask questions, answer them in the same fashion that any other parent would when it comes to conversations of this type.

What If I Feel Overwhelmed About Telling Them?

If you feel like having this conversation with your child might be too overwhelming for you, that’s ok! Ask for help. Family therapists are often very comfortable talking with you and your child about modern family dynamics and norms.

If your surrogate is still part of your family’s life, it is ok to ask them to help explain. It would be great to show you child pictures if there were any taken during the pregnancy phase. At the end of the day, you just want your child to know that they are loved and supported.

What Happens If My Child Handles It Negatively?

It’s natural for children to sometimes feel upset, angry, confused, or awkward by these types of conversations, and that’s ok! Remember, your child still loves you; they’re just absorbing a lot of information, and they have to process it in their own way. You can also talk to a family therapist to help the child understand and work through their emotions. Always show your child empathy and consideration and remind yourself these feelings are not directed at you personally.

Final Thoughts

As intended parents, you need to view the discussion of surrogacy as an ongoing conversation with your child rather than a one-time talk. The more information you provide your child with, the better their understanding of the situation will be.

If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options or are interested in becoming a surrogate mother, please contact us at 713-622-1144, and we will be here to help you with any questions.