surrogacy journey

Understanding the Journey of Surrogacy- From the Perspective of a Surrogate

surrogacy journeyBeing a surrogate provides a ray of hope for other families. This knowledge strengthens the resolve of a surrogate and helps surrogates stay strong through the emotional and physical challenges of pregnancy. Surrogates should embrace and celebrate that they will be the giver of the most invaluable gift.

Surrogates work on fostering a connection with the intended parents. Surrogates make them as much a part of the journey as they can so that the intended parents can begin building cherished memories for their future family.

How Surrogacy Affects the Surrogate

Many former and current surrogates say the process of surrogacy will be a life-changing experience but in the best of ways. While they do receive a base compensation for it, the best reward is being able to provide this meaningful gift to a loving couple.

Surrogacy is a selfless and fantastic gift, but it takes a woman of phenomenal strength to volunteer for it and she should feel immense pride.

What Surrogate Mothers have to Say

What does being a surrogate feel like? They say it is one thing to go through the action and the steps, but it is another to embrace the emotional journey. Their best approach, say experienced surrogates, is to hear the stories of other surrogate women, just as they share a glimpse of theirs here.

They say the amazing journey of other surrogate mothers inspires them to become one. For one surrogate mother, her surrogacy journey began with realizing how much she loved being pregnant. She has three little boys of her own. When her own family was complete, she knew she had to share this gift others. In mutual agreement with her husband, she began her inspirational surrogacy journey.

Final Thoughts

For surrogates, helping others comes very naturally to them. For them, surrogacy builds upon one vital truth: they can help two people become parents and experience the extraordinary joy of nurturing a life.

If you would love some guidance on your surrogacy journey, feel free to contact us.

How to Recognize Your Calling for Surrogacy

For couples who have long yearned for parenthood, surrogates are no less than superheroes for them. Selflessness, unconditional empathy, and desire to complete another couple’s family make them superheroes. The amazing fact is that they’re ordinary women, but they do incredible things in their ordinariness, like volunteering for a phenomenal cause.

Every woman is precious and unique: you’ll find women from all walks of life stepping up to be surrogates, including stay-at-home moms, lawyers, teachers, factory workers, and even students. What unites these extraordinary women is their mutual and astounding desire for an experience that is greater and more fulfilling than anything else.

Surrogacy is an incredible calling. But what are the motivating factors or the signs that help a woman recognize her calling for it? Let’s find out below.

1. A Desire to Help Barren Couples or individuals Start their Family

For women, there can be no surer sign that they are called to be surrogates than having a heartfelt desire to help couples/individuals become parents. A woman may know of a barren couple/individual in her circle or may feel the emptiness and longing ache of those who don’t have children.

Hence, if she feels an undeniable desire to help give life and facilitate others experiencing the joy of parenthood, it is a sign of her calling. Realizing her ability to create life and complete another family signifies a calling for surrogacy.

Many women may find it challenging to put their unique perspectives into words. But it is the indescribable desire of wanting to share the unique experience of completion, parenthood, and life-creation that is the first sign of their calling.

2. Empathizing with Those Struggling with Infertility

Infertility has become a widespread struggle for many, as the surrogacy agencies in Texas will testify. Around ten percent or more women in the US alone struggle to get pregnant or carry their pregnancy to term safely every year. Women who are deeply empathetic and passionate with those struggling with infertility realize their calling for surrogacy.

A sure sign of your calling to be a surrogate is when you wish, above anything else, to provide a safe alternative to another couple. Medical experts will testify that surrogacy is the safest alternative for those struggling with genetic pregnancies.

Hence, when you feel the overpowering desire to carry a baby in your womb just so another couple can have a family, you know you are called to be a surrogate.

3. The Experience

Others find pregnancy overwhelming, but those who have a calling for surrogacy find it a rewarding, wholesome, unique, and enjoyable experience. If you relate to all these feelings, you should evaluate how much you would love to be a surrogate.

When some women reach the end of their pregnancy journey, they feel a strange sense of nostalgia. It begins when they experience the first kick, and lasts all the while they are pregnant. If this is what you feel, too, then there can be no doubt that you have the heart and soul of a surrogate.

Often, the reason behind repeated surrogacies is because women wish to relive the amazing feeling of giving life, being a protector and a carrier for a precious bundle of joy. It is even more wholesome and rewarding when this feeling combines with the joy and pride of seeing another family complete because you could deliver for them.

4. Wanting to Belong to the Surrogacy Sisterhood Community

Surrogacy is a tight-knit sisterhood community. It is a community of gestational carriers wanting to carry the baby for other women who are unable to carry a pregnancy to term. If you feel a deep longing to belong and contribute to this community and belong to it forever, you are called to be a surrogate.

The surrogacy sisterhood community uplifts other women by sharing their life-giving journey. It is a community where women reach out to help each other, experience a remarkable journey with them, and be their support to lean on in distressing times.

The community celebrates together when a family completes and does not let a couple’s longing for parenthood and having their own family remain unfulfilled. Those who wish to play a significant part in this journey of completion are doubtlessly born to be surrogates.

Becoming a Surrogate – Evaluate Yourself

When you have identified the signs of your calling and are willing to embark on the journey, take some time to evaluate your readiness. Perhaps you can prepare yourself by questioning your perspectives, your objectives, and yourself with these questions:

  • Do I lead the kind of lifestyle necessary for the process of surrogate pregnancy? What do I need to change or restructure to make it easier?
  • What are my reasons for becoming a surrogate?
  • Am I ready to change my personal life, family responsibilities, and career to become a surrogate?
  • Am I willing to compromise my work time and career objectives for a year?
  • Will I manage to keep up with the medical plan for surrogate fertility?
  • Can anything in my background raise a potential red flag about my ability to deliver a child safely? Do I have optimal health for completing a successful pregnancy journey for another?
  • Am I willing to work with the intended parents for this journey and give them a year of my life to complete their family?

With these questions, your willingness and resolve to become a surrogate will become more straightforward, and even stronger. It will also give you a clear analysis of your emotional, mental and physical readiness to undergo what will indeed be a unique and larger-than-yourself experience of life.

Final Thoughts

The calling of surrogacy is like no other. It rewards the surrogate women in a way that no other achievements in life can match up to. For women who recognize the desires, the empathy, and the soul-deep willingness to end the struggle of another, there can be no greater sign than their greater calling to be a surrogate.

Once you deliver a child safe on another’s behalf, it will change your life in the best way possible. If you have further questions regarding the surrogacy process, feel free to contact us.

 

 

surrogate gift giving

Surrogate Gift Giving

surrogate gift givingOur intended parents often ask us about gifts for their surrogates. Gifts are not required nor expected, but many intended parents would like to express their gratitude with small tokens of appreciation along the journey.

When Shared Conception matches a surrogate with the intended parents, we share the surrogate’s ‘favorites’ list. This document is a tool to help you get to know your surrogate and help aid in the gift-giving search.

Gifts do not need to be expensive but just small ways to say thank you. Here are some examples of when intended parents most often give a gift: the first time meeting face to face, at the 20 week ultrasound or anatomy scan, and at the baby’s birth. Some intended parents may even give a gift on the surrogate’s birthday. These could include homemade treats, candles, lotions, gift cards, grocery deliveries, maternity clothes, or even a prenatal massage.

As your surrogate recovers after giving birth, she will have emotional periods while her body returns to normal. Special mementos of your baby can help remind her of the incredible journey. Even something small like a card with a picture is a great way of saying you are thinking of her. You may also consider a small gift for your surrogate’s children during the holidays; doing so is a way of recognizing the dedication and love she has for her own family. If you are continuing the relationship between your families after the baby is born, gift-giving may continue for years to come. An example of such a gift would be a scrapbook of his or her milestones to present to your surrogate.

Interested in Surrogacy or Becoming a Surrogate?

Surrogacy journeys foster a special bond unlike any that you will ever have. If you any questions or are interested in surrogacy or becoming a surrogate, give Shared Conception a call today.

surrogate compensation

Surrogate Compensation

surrogate compensation

At Shared Conception, most of our surrogate mothers rarely use money as a factor for being a surrogate. They truly enjoy the idea of helping a family, enjoy being pregnant, and feel that the journey is more of a calling for them.

That being said—being a surrogate is a full-time job on its own. Between the matching process, medical appointments, pre-transfer preparation, and transfer, the surrogacy process can take 12 to 18 months. A question we are often asked is how is the compensation disbursed?

Our clients at Shared Conception use a surrogacy escrow agency. This agency, along with your contract, is your direct line to all your financial questions. This prevents any awkward conversations about finances between you and your Intended Parents.

Compensation begins on the 1st or 15th of the month following a heartbeat confirmation and on the same date each month thereafter, usually in 8 additional installments.

Surrogate mothers receive compensation for the following items:

  1. Transfer fee
  2. Start of medication fees
  3. Allowance for maternity clothes
  4. Multiples Fee(in the event you are carrying twins)
  5. C-Section (if required by physician)
  6. Medical insurance co-pays and deductibles
  7. Invasive Procedures
  8. Breast milk pump supplies, machine rental and shipping costs

During the surrogate process, there may be additional cases that require contingency fees. Such cases could include if the surrogate is put on bed rest. Items that would be covered would be childcare, lost wages and housekeeping for the duration of the bed request order.

Monthly incidental allowance is also included. This allowance is intended to cover for the surrogate’s travel expenses including meals and mileage (under 75 miles ach way), parking, phone, postage, faxing, childcare, notary, over-the-counter medications and other incidentals.

It’s important to note that the total compensation amount can vary greatly based on experience as a surrogate, what type of insurance the surrogate carries and specific procedures the surrogate may go through.

Final Thoughts

Surrogacy agencies in Texas play an active part in facilitating the process for surrogate women and intended parents. There are many steps involved in the process but Shared Conception is here to help with each step!

For any queries you may have regarding your surrogacy journey or surrogate compensation, feel free to reach out to us at www.sharedconception.com!

pregnant with multiples

What Happens if Surrogate is Carrying Multiples

pregnant with multiples
You decided to take the path of surrogacy but find out your surrogate mother is carrying multiples. Now what happens?

Multiple pregnancies(this is when more than one embryo implants in your uterus) are not uncommon and are often associated with IVF (in vitro fertilization). In the past, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommended transferring more than one embryo for a higher chance of success. However, this is no longer the case. Single embryo transfers are now advised and recommended.

In the event a multiple pregnancy occurs, it’s important for the surrogate and intended parents to discuss their next steps. In some cases, it used to be recommended by the doctor to perform selective reduction. It was a difficult decision for both the surrogate and the intended parents, but in those cases, it might have been the best decision for the babies because it decreased risk and increased the chance of a successful, full-term pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby. This was more common when it was common practice to transfer two embryos, and one or two could split, resulting in triplets or quadruplets. Also, with the current abortion laws in Texas, this is not even an option anymore.

As intended parents, if you are looking for a large family, you may view the advantages of having multiple children at once. Still, it’s important to seriously consider the risks you are asking the surrogate to take on. When a surrogate mother carries more than one child, there is a higher chance of being put on bed rest and a higher risk of complications. Often, a surrogate carrying multiples will be referred to a high-risk specialist.

Other risks a gestational carrier (surrogate) may face if carrying multiples:

  • Preterm labor and delivery
  • Cesarean section
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Placental abruption
  • Low birth weight

These are just a few of the risks. While Shared Conception has rigorous requirements for approval for women to qualify to be surrogate mothers, there is always a chance that unforeseen complications could arise, and that risk increases with instances of a multiple pregnancy.

Another aspect to consider is the increased costs that a multiples pregnancy can incur. NICU stays from a few days to several months are the norm with multiple pregnancies. This could add up quickly for the intended parents, not to mention the extremely high probability of long-term bed rest for the surrogate. During bed rest, intended parents are liable for lost wages, childcare, housekeeping, and other costs. Not only could costs be astronomical for the intended parents, but it also poses an extreme hardship on the surrogate and her family.

If you want to have twins, this is something you, as the intended parents and the surrogate, should discuss in advance and agree upon.

Surrogacy agencies in Texas play an active part in facilitating the process for surrogate women and intended parents. There are many steps involved in the surrogacy process, but Shared Conception is here to help with each step!

For any queries you may have regarding your surrogacy journey, feel free to reach out to us at www.sharedconception.com!

surrogate with child

How to Explain Surrogacy to Your Children

surrogate with child

Introduction

During the surrogacy process, it’s important to educate your children on the subject as well. After all, they deserve to be a part of the journey as well. So you must begin the wholesome journey as a family by explaining surrogacy to your children.

We commend your reasons for becoming a surrogate. It’s true that there are few acts as selfless and compassionate as the act of becoming a surrogate. It is a rewarding and life-altering decision, but it’s not easy for everyone to accept, especially children.

Children can have varying reactions to the prospect of surrogacy. But who can blame them for wondering why their mom won’t bring home their new sibling?

To prevent your kids from feeling disheartened, you have to help them understand that the baby is only a guest, like a distant cousin or aunt staying over during the holidays. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to distance your kids from the process altogether. You can tell them that once the baby arrives, you and your kids will gift the bundle of joy to a family who needs it the most. When you treat the baby as a gift that’s meant for someone else, your children will feel excited about the prospect of gifting a baby to a couple that isn’t blessed with children.

Many surrogacy agencies in Texas will also confirm with the surrogate applicants if they have taken this decision with the consent of their families. Conception through surrogacy can be a new and unfamiliar concept for a surrogate’s family. Luckily, there are ways to introduce your kids to the concept.

Process of Surrogate Pregnancy- How to explain it to Your Kids

The sooner you start discussing surrogacy with your children, the more accepting they will become of it. But we recommend approaching the subject carefully and being positive when discussing it.

Nowadays, you can find plenty of children’s books on new concepts. You can even practice family-building techniques. Here are a few ideas to help you introduce surrogate pregnancy to your children.

1.      Book Resources

Fill your children’s library with a host of books on surrogacy. Make sure they’re all kid-friendly and, most importantly, easy enough to understand at their level. These books include colorful illustrations, and reading them is a great family activity. Similarly, trying family-building approaches toward surrogacy will help your family accept the process while strengthening your bond at the same time.

These book resources help normalize surrogacy and explain to children how the baby will go to people who can’t have children. From here, the book will explain how many families can’t conceive naturally, so as a surrogate, you’re making their dream come true.

2.      Introduce Your Children to the Intended Parents

It’s important to ensure that your children feel involved in your decision to become a surrogate. This can start with having them meet the intended parents.

In fact, it would be a great idea to have the intended parents bond with your children. It’s a great opportunity for your kids to bond with the family and understand where the surrogate baby will go.

When you tell your children about what a blessing children are for parents, they will become empathetic towards intended parents who can’t conceive a child on their own. This will drive compassion in your kids. They’ll become more understanding and supportive when they understand what others may be going through.

3.      Make Surrogacy a Concept for Activities

You could involve your children in a range of creative activities, like drawing and painting about surrogacy. You can build your children’s creativity by getting them to draw happy scenes of when the new baby will be with its intended parents.

Talk to them about the joy intended parents feel, just as you felt when your kids were born. Make them draw pictures of it, and use colors, to portray imagination. You could even ask your children to prepare a special storybook for the surrogate-born baby and gift it to the intended parents.

You could have them take pictures to add to the family album. When the baby is old enough, the intended parents can show these pictures

4.      Go Shopping for a Gift

Children will be more accepting of the fact that the baby is a gift from them to the intended parents. You can use a few tactics to help your kids acknowledge this. For instance, take the children shopping to get a gift for the newborn baby. Tell them that the baby and the present will both be a gift from your children to the intended parents during such an important moment in their lives.

You could let them choose an outfit for the newborn, or perhaps a blanket. The activity pleases your little ones and allows them to be proud of being a source of happiness for others.

5.      Arm Your Children with Knowledge

One reason your kids might be apprehensive about the process of surrogate pregnancy is how their peers and society will see them. Hence, it’s best to shield your children by arming them with education and knowledge.

Talk to them in detail about the reasons to become a surrogate, the goodness in it, and the entire process of surrogate pregnancy. Arm your children with the knowledge they can use to respond to people’s comments and questions.

Final Thoughts

The process of surrogate pregnancy is now an educative subject in many states. For this purpose, many surrogate women have started broaching the subject with their children. After all, your family needs to share the journey of surrogacy, including the children.

When you make this decision, it’s a good practice to discuss the subject, your decision, and the process your children may face. You must involve them in the process because it’s their right to be a part of something that will affect your entire family.

Educating the children with the right information will also make them open-minded and more compassionate and empathetic individuals. For further ideas on discussing this with your children or staring your surrogacy journey, reach out to us.

surrogate blog

Was it Hard to Give up the baby?

surrogate blog

New mothers can turn to various practices for an easier pregnancy journey, whether they’re surrogates or not. These can include a birthing ball, pregnancy ball, and even crystals for fertility.

But even though many women are prepared to take up the physical responsibility of becoming surrogate mothers, they’re not so sure of its emotional aspect. Regardless of all the myths, surrogacy isn’t a challenging and apprehensive process. Not only is it fulfilling for many couples worldwide, but surrogate mothers have similar feelings. Although it seems natural to think that the process of giving up the baby is emotionally difficult, it’s actually very different from that.

In this blog, we will talk about surrogate mothers’ personal experiences and the joy they experience in helping couples and individuals start families.

Giving up the Surrogate Baby- Was it hard?

A common misconception is that surrogate mothers must navigate all these emotions independently. But really, surrogates have an intial consultation, and follow-up sessins if needed, with a mental health professional to help prepare for the process.

According to one surrogate mother, she received third-party reproduction support and mental health education, which helped her tremendously. It armed her with the appropriate strength, understanding, support, and motivation to become a wonderful candidate for surrogacy.

She explains that the process of surrogate pregnancy didn’t feel like she was giving up her baby because she started the journey believing that it was a gift she had to give. She began the process with a clear goal of giving the surrogate baby back to the real parents. While she shared a visceral connection with the baby during the nine months they were together; the real parents were the ones that would bond with the child.

Of course, it’s natural to want a healthy bond with someone during your pregnancy, and in this case, the surrogate mother developed one with the intended parents throughout the term. Surrogate mothers have a mutual desire to bring the baby into the world so that the intended parents could finally become a family.

Her experience is not unique. Instead, it is that of the entire surrogate community. Every surrogate mother will surely feel emotional after the birth, which is a natural consequence of the process. But in surrogacy, a woman realizes her calling and potential as someone who can complete families through the gift of a child.

For surrogate mothers, the journey focuses on the act of giving or returning what they created for the baby’s intended parents. A major reason mothers form a bond with their children is that over nine months, they feel like it’s just them and their baby. But in surrogate pregnancies, over an entire year, everyone surrounding the surrogate mother is excited for the baby to arrive. That means it’s not just one woman and a baby but a whole community, and once that goal comes to fruition, the surrogate’s primary feeling is joy.

Becoming a Surrogate-The Key

It’s common for people to wonder how a surrogate remains detached while carrying a baby in her womb? As an onlooker, it’s only natural for people to assume that the surrogate will find it challenging to give up the baby that she has been carrying.

Here, thanks to proper psychological counselling and guidance, the surrogate woman never considers it a pain to give up the baby. This allows her to focus on the joy and the privilege of completing a family from the very beginning. You must focus on the sense of accomplishment and pride you will feel and the appreciation you get for this selfless act. Just the thought of being an instrumental part of such an extraordinary and life-changing journey and sharing that blessing with others is rewarding.

It is important to stay focused on the fact that the baby is the rightful child of the intended parents. You’re doing someone a great service by taking care of yourself and moving forward with the delivery. Proper support and appreciation condition surrogate mothers to look forward to the moment when the intended parents finally meet their baby.

When you think about the joy that you give to a couple who wanted children, there’s no room for regrets when it’s time for you to hand over your baby to the intended parents.

In fact, there’s very little you have to do in this regard. Once you willingly commit to the process of surrogate pregnancy, you live each day knowing that you’ve helped a couple feel unconditional love for a child. You will feel proud that you have given them a precious bundle of joy to wake up to every day: a child who brings them endless joy with their smiles, soothes their hearts with warm hugs, and supports them when they’re older.

Surrogacy is an intimate journey that a woman shares with a couple, but she doesn’t suffer from a loss due to the process. Rather, she emerges as a stronger and more generous individual, a proud woman who has completed someone else’s world.

Gestational Surrogates – How is it for them?

Those without prior experience with surrogacy may not understand that the experience isn’t an emotional struggle but a rewarding one. Gestational surrogates don’t consider the final step as giving up the baby. In fact, they think of it as returning the baby to the parents who had entrusted her to care for it.

Gestational surrogate moms also emphasize the idea that the children they’re carrying have no biological relationship with them at all. The sperm and egg source are from the intended mother and intended father and if their sperm and/or begg is not able to be used, they obtain them from an egg donor an/or sperm donor. Then at the beginning of the process of surrogate pregnancy, they use the egg and sperm to form embryos and they transfer one embryo to the surrogate’s womb. Then, surrogate mothers look after themselves and the baby, considering themselves an important but only temporary part of the baby’s journey.

Final Thoughts

The process of surrogate pregnancy is not like adoption, which involves the emotional decision of giving up one’s child. In fact, in a surrogate pregnancy, there is no emotional decision-making or challenges at all.

It’s all about loving the baby for as long as it’s in your womb. It’s the same way some of us look after our nieces and nephews when they stay over on the weekends. When it’s time, the woman entrusted with a child’s care must return it to his/her rightful parents.

For further help with your surrogacy journey, feel free to reach out to us at Shared Conception and let’s talk!12

Embryo Transfer Process for Surrogates

If you’re looking to become a surrogate mother and this is your first time, you probably have a lot of questions.

For starters, you may have some misconceptions, such as that the process of surrogate pregnancy is complex. While its true that the process can be challenging to navigate, you have all of us at Shared Conception to help you with that! Plus, a surrogate pregnancy itself is no different than a normal pregnancy. You can expect to feel and experience the same health conditions and emotions that you do during a normal pregnancy.

Of course, one crucial difference is that of embryo transfer. As you may already know, this part is quite different from a normal pregnancy. Even so, you don’t need to worry, because you’ll be in the hands of highly experienced medical professionals.

Embryo Transfer Process

When you visit the IVF clinic for the first time, the doctors will conduct some tests and you’ll undergo a thorough checkup to make sure that you’re healthy enough for the surrogacy process. In case you’re wondering about the medical expenses, don’t worry. The intended parents are liable to pay all medical expenses associated with the surrogacy process. So once you clear up all the details, you can schedule the embryo transfer. The doctor will also give you some instructions on how to take care of yourself, along with some medication.

Preparing for Embryo Transfer

Before you undergo the embryo transfer process, you’ll have to mentally prepare yourself to become a surrogate mother. Hence, you need to start by taking good care of yourself in the days leading up to the embryo transfer. A good way to do this is to sleep on time and get enough rest to relax your body. Maybe take some extra naps that week. Next up, don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated and watch what you eat. You should add protein, fiber, and carbohydrates to all your meals in proper proportions while ensuring that you choose the best sources for all your nutrients. When you start off by taking good care of your diet and sleeping routine, you’ll feel ready when it’s time for the big day, i.e., embryo transfer.

Some other things that you need to do before going through the embryo transfer process are as follows.

  • Discuss your concerns about the IVF plan with your IVF doctor. Make sure that this plan caters to all your needs and requirements so that you feel comfortable.
  • Stay on top of your current medications. They will help improve your chances of getting pregnant.
  • As the day of embryo transfer draws near, write down any questions you may want to ask your doctor. This way, you can address all concerns before the day of implantation.
  • Do some research on your IVF center and try to understand what equipment they have.
  • Review what days and times you have to visit the center.

The Big Day

When you visit the fertility clinic, it’s likely that you’ll be feeling full, as the doctor will have instructed you to come with a full bladder. They will ask you to enter a room where you will lay on a bed. Note that the embryo transfer requires thawed embryos. These are embryos that were frozen and underwent a preservation process after being removed from the uterus of the donor mother.

The implantation process is relatively painless and quick, so you won’t have to take any anesthesia either. When you lay straight, the doctor will insert a catheter into your uterus, carrying an embryo. The process is somewhat similar to a pap smear.

Depending on the clinic, they might also monitor the process through an abdominal sonogram. Some clinics also let the surrogate see the procedure in real-time with a doctor. The doctor will strategically push the embryo into your uterus by inserting a small puff of air. Then, they will slowly remove the catheter to prevent pain or irritation in your uterus. That’s it. The process merely takes a minute or two, so you won’t even notice how quickly it ends.

Since the doctor performs the process with care, there will be no reason to stay at the clinic. So, you just need to rest at the clinic for a few minutes, and you’re good to go home.

After the Embryo Transfer Process

Once the process is over, you can carry on with the surrogate pregnancy like a normal pregnancy. You don’t have to expect anything different, except for a few extra visits to a doctor. At first, you need to visit the clinic every few days to confirm your pregnancy. Afterward, you’ll need to make a few ultrasound and bloodwork visits to the clinic so they check up on you and your baby’s health. Around the eight to twelfth week of pregnancy, you’ll start seeing your own OB of choice. Usually it’s the same OB that delivered your own children.

Besides that, you can also expect to keep the intended parents in the loop throughout the pregnancy. They will check your results and discuss your pregnancy with the doctor. Of course, they’ll also ask you to look after yourself. By the time you get pregnant, you will start receiving promised surrogate compensation on designated days. An obvious factor that makes surrogacy different from other pregnancies is that the intended parents will pay the entire surrogate cost.

Bottom Line

Surrogate mothers don’t need to worry about the process if they have given birth before. This is because the embryo transfer process only takes a few minutes and is almost painless. After that, you can expect the same experience as a normal pregnancy.

We know surrogacy is a complicated topic in itself. If you need more assistance, you can contact Shared Conception to address your concerns.

 

the process of surrogacy

The Process of Surrogacy

the process of surrogacy

Introduction

Surrogacy is a beautiful journey, just as it ought to be. But it’s important that you follow certain steps to ensure that all goes well throughout the term.

If you’re ready to take on the most rewarding and life-changing journey of your life, we can provide you with essential information. Below, you’ll find detailed information listing some of the steps involved in the surrogate pregnancy process.

When you decide to grow your family, or another’s through the process of surrogate pregnancy, you will also have to take a few important decisions.

Firstly, you must decide whether you want to approach surrogacy domestically, such as within the United States or internationally. So whether you’re a surrogate or a couple looking for one, you can choose a match from your own locality or approach someone in a different country.

You may have rightful concerns about the several legal requirements regarding surrogacy. Don’t worry though, because several authorities around the world work to facilitate legal proceedings. While it’s certainly a life-changing decision, surrogacy has helped complete many families around the world.

States have laws in place to offer thorough protection and streamline the journey so all parties experience a smooth process. Governing authorities do their best to ensure protective rights for both parties so intended parents and surrogate mothers don’t face complications later.

Process of Surrogate Pregnancy

A common term that you’ll come across during the journey is gestational surrogacy. The intended parents and surrogates must sign a gestational agreement which spells out the duties of both parties; financial and non-financial. Part of this is that the intended parents pay the surrogate pre-birth child support payments, so she can care for their unborn child and carry the child to term.

In addition to paying the fixed sum of money that potential intended parents have agreed upon previously, they must also provide for medical expenses. In fact, in most surrogate pregnancies, the intended parents must also cover for the lost wages, housekeeping and childcare if the surrogate needs to go on bedrest at any point during the pregnancy.

You can consult surrogacy agencies in Texas to learn all about the terms and conditions of gestational  surrogacy. However, once the surrogate is matched with intended parents, both sides are able to get the assistance and guidance of legal professionals.  It’s the responsibility of all involved parties to ensure their terms align with the regional and state laws of where they live, which is part of what the legal professionals assist with.

If you live in a state where surrogacy is not an option, you could always research and seek out the assistance of a surrogacy agency in a surrogate friendly state such as Texas, where this process is legal and common.

Meanwhile, laws governing gestational surrogacy don’t require continued communication between the intended parents and the surrogate mother. It’s entirely up to both parties if they want to keep in touch after the birth but most of our surrogates and intented parents have wonderful friendships that continue after the birth!

Surrogate Requirements

Besides wanting to help a couple become parents and start a family, you must meet the following agency requirements.

  • The surrogate should be able to travel throughout the process of surrogate pregnancy, when and as needed for appointments and legal meetings.
  • The surrogate woman must not have current STDs
  • The surrogate woman mustn’t have a history of postpartum depression.
  • The gestational surrogate must not have any history of severe complications from previous pregnancies.
  • The gestational carrier or surrogate woman must have had at least one successful pregnancy in the past.
  • She should not be someone with a history of more than five vaginal and three cesarean deliveries.
  • The gestational surrogate must not have a smoking habit or use illicit drugs.
  • The surrogate woman must rely on government assistance.
  • The gestational surrogate must have a BMI no higher than 32.
  • The surrogate women must be within the recommended age limit of twenty-one to forty-five.

The stepwise process that ensues is as follows:

  1. The surrogate woman submits her application and waits for a prescreening coordinator to reach out.
  2. When the prescreening coordinator gets in touch, the surrogate’s medical records go under review and evaluation, and they run background checks.
  3. The agency’s coordinator consults with the surrogate woman and her primary support person.
  4. Then, the matching process takes place, in which surrogate women meets the intended parents they will work with.
  5. Once everyone unanimously agrees on the match, the match becomes official.
  6. The psychological testing IVF medical screening takes place next.
  7. The surrogate woman begins taking medication and attending local monitoring appointments.
  8. The surrogate’s pregnancy is closely monitored by the fertility clinic for the first two to three months and then is released to her own OB for further care.
  9. The process of surrogate pregnancy ends with the delivery and handing the baby over to its intended parents.

Final Thoughts

Surrogacy agencies in Texas play an active part in facilitating the process for surrogate women and intended parents. There are many steps involved in the process but Shared Conception is here to help with each step!

For any queries you may have regarding your surrogacy journey, feel free to reach out to us at www.sharedconception.com!

 

 

The Heart of a Gestational Surrogate

Parenthood is one of life’s most fulfilling and poignant phases of a woman’s life. Unfortunately, it does not come easily to every woman. Therefore, the process of surrogate pregnancy has become increasingly popular. It serves as a miraculous solution for those who cannot carry their own pregnancy but wish to have children.

Becoming a surrogate mother is a life-changing decision. It requires a compassionate, empathetic, extremely generous, and courageous heart.

What does it take to have a Heart of a Gestational Surrogate?

If you consult surrogacy agencies in Texas, they will tell you that intended parents cannot use the eggs of the surrogate mother or the gestational carrier. They do not create the embryo, but they will transfer it to the uterus of the surrogate mother so that she can carry the pregnancy.

While the reasons to become a surrogate are clear in most cases, it is natural to wonder what motivates a woman to bear the pains of childbirth for another couple. Over the years, many gestational carriers have shared their reasons for becoming a surrogate and the factors that motivated them to deliver someone’s child.

In most cases, gestational carriers share the joy they feel from being pregnant. They love experiencing the wholesomeness it brings and the feeling of being complete. For others, it is the comfortable financial cushioning the process of surrogate pregnancy provides. It is true that intended parents have to pay a lot of money to the surrogate mother to deliver their baby. Women who already have children of their own but want to help others experience the say joy may opt for surrogacy. It would provide them with sufficient financial compensation to fulfill the needs of their own family while giving the intended parents what they have longed for.

It is no hidden fact that gestational carriers can earn around forty-five thousand to sixty-thousand dollars and more for delivering a surrogate baby. Compensation can vary, and surrogate mothers can earn even more depending on their locality, support factors, insurance arrangements, and more.

For most, though, the motivation that helps volunteer women to develop the heart of surrogate mothers is the joy of helping another couple become parents. Parenthood is one of life’s greatest gifts and pleasures, and facilitating others in obtaining it can be an exceptionally rewarding experience for surrogates.

Choosing to Become a Surrogate

For most intended parents, there is no limit to the joy every moment of the surrogate’s pregnancy entails. You will always see almost a child-like glee on their faces whenever they hear the heartbeats of their unborn baby in the surrogate’s womb and their tiny body developing in each successful ultrasound.

Helping couples experience this unfailing joy is the sole reason why many women choose to become surrogates. The process of surrogate pregnancy is the same for women as carrying their own babies. They’re as comfortable as they are in their own baby’s trimesters, and everything progresses just as it should.

However, many surrogate women will relate to how they feel even more relaxed and comfortable carrying a surrogate baby to term than their own. Perhaps it is because they look upon it not too differently than a babysitting job, acknowledging the responsibility of another person’s child under their care.

Working with an Agency is better

For surrogate mothers, it is not really a good option to navigate the emotional and legal process of delivering another couple’s child on their own. The entire experience can be too overwhelming and unnecessarily difficult. Rather if you choose to work with an agency, such as Shared Conception, which is one of the surrogacy agencies in Texas, you will have experts leading you every step of the way.

From the application, screening, and matching to the preparing process, our experts will guide you and the intended parents through every step of surrogate motherhood. Surrogacy is also a sensitive legal issue, and it is important to enlist the help of reputable and authentic authorities to see it through.

Besides, a reputable agency makes the process of surrogacy even more memorable, stress-free and joyous for everyone involved. However, before initiating the process, it is important for the gestational carriers to discuss it with their children and spouse.

Since surrogacy is still a widely debated topic, there can be varying reactions from families. While some may be supportive and even excited to share the GC’s journey, other families may find it unacceptable. Hence, discussing it beforehand and involving your children and partner is necessary.

Final Thoughts

The process of being a surrogate demands selflessness, empathy for couples devoid of the joy of children, and a generous heart. It takes willingness, courage, and steadfast commitment to carry another couple’s baby in the womb and deliver it to term. For some, the emotional transfer of the surrogate baby to the intended parents can be challenging too.

But with the right approach and objective, you will find surrogacy to be a rewarding experience, just as it must be. For any additional help, you may need with your journey of surrogacy, feel free to contact us. Any of us at Shared Conception would be happy to give you more information!