Surrogate Pregancies That Require Bed Rest

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During a surrogate pregnancy or right after going through IVF, the doctor may order bed rest. This may sound like a prison sentence to some, but you might find that the time spent in bed can actually be very productive. Here are some ideas.

  1. Learn a new computer skill. From improving your typing skills (Mavis Beacon) to Photoshop, there is an array of programs that you can use to boost your value. Try website building or even blogging about your surrogacy journey!
  2. Study a new language. While in bed, you have the opportunity to listen to foreign language learning CDs (or online courses). You can even read some books about the language you’re learning. It would be fun to practice by speaking to the baby!
  3. Learn a craft. You may have always wanted to learn how to knit and now you have your chance! There are all sorts of kits available including knitting, sewing, make your own teddy bear,jewelry, painting, card making, calligraphy, and even scrap booking. You could even make something for the baby. Make sure to use a serving tray as a work surface; that way you aren’t digging around for kit parts that get lost in the bed.
  4. Take an online class. If you’re going to be on bed rest for several months, you can take a regular length online class. If you are going to be on bed rest for 3-to-6 weeks, you can take accelerated classes that are shorter and more intense. Barnesandnoble.com offers free courses and your neighborhood community college offers low-cost ones.
  5. Check out www.stumbleupon.com. This is a great way to discover new things online. You just never know what you’ll stumble upon (sorry we just couldn’t resist). After going to the site, just download the tool bar onto your screen. You will have a form to fill out that specifies your likes and dislikes. It uses your preferences to find interesting sites that suit you.

These are just a few things you could do while resting and passing the time as a surrogate on bed rest. It doesn’t have to seem like a prison sentence or solitary confinement; not when you’ve just learned a new language or made a cute new set of baby booties for those grateful intended parents!

Surrogacy Book List

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More people are sharing their stories in new book releases and there are even children’s books to help children understand their birth story.

We’ve compiled a list of great books for you and your family and if you’ve written a book on surrogacy, be sure to let us know.

Children’s Books

I loVe my Family: A book about assisted conception for young children
Tammy Troute-Wood, Heather Cobb, Brent Patrick Gough and Christine Korol
“I loVe my Family is a carefully crafted tool to assist families to discuss assisted conception with children 3-to5-years old.”

Why I’m So Special: A Book About Surrogacy
Carla Lewis-Long
“This book tackles a very difficult, complicated subject in a sweet, whimsical way. A lighthearted picture book on surrogacy. “

The Kangaroo Pouch: A Story About Gestational Surrogacy for Young Children
Sarah Phillips Pellet
“The Kangaroo Pouch introduces young children, ages 2-to-8, to the concept of surrogacy. The story is narrated by a young kangaroo named Oliver whose mother has decided to help another family have a baby.”

Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Surrogacy
Irene Celcer and Horacio Gatto
“Follow an inquisitive little boy who learns of his parent’s quest to have children, and the success they ultimately achieve in creative a family.”

For Intended Parents

Considering Surrogacy
Lisa Oliver
“The purpose of this book is to provide a factual yet balanced report on both sides of the surrogacy process.”

A Sacred Thread: A True Story of Becoming a Mother and Finding a Family—Half A World Away
Adrienne Arieff
“An inspiring, often funny, true story of one mother’s journey to having her children.”

Surrogacy Was the Way: Twenty Intended Mothers Tell Their Stories
Zara Griswold
“Surrogacy Was the Way will open their (intended couples) eyes to amazing possibilities. It will show them that they do have options, and persistence and faith, they can achieve their dreams of motherhood after all.”

Pathways to Parenthood
Stacy Ziegler
“Pathways to Parenthood is a how-to-guide to Surrogacy. It covers Gestational Surrogacy via IVF as well as Traditional Surrogacy via Artificial Insemination.”

How to become an intended parent

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At Shared Conception, we know each intended parents’ journey is different. Whether failed IVF treatments or the inability to conceive, each parent has a different reason for reaching out to surrogacy. Our agency is proud of its outstanding reputation in joining surrogates with intended parents to create a baby.

When intended parents start the process with us, we offer a free consultation that explicitly explains the surrogacy process and what is required. The intended parents will fill out paperwork, answer a few questions and get started on the journey of working with a surrogate. We take our time to make sure a great fit is made with the surrogate and intended parents. We set up an agreement that outlines several things including communication avenues between the surrogate and the intended parents.

For the intended parents, in-home evaluations are made as legally necessary. With the intended parents, we offer referralsto psychologists, fertility clinics (as needed), attorneys specializing in surrogacyand escrowagents.Our surrogacy parent program will arrange travel arrangements and accommodations for the intended parents or surrogate (as required).

Of course the first step to starting the surrogacy journey, is to contact us at Shared Conception. We will answer all your questions and set your mind at ease about any concerns that might arise. Ready to begin? We’re waiting for you!

Traditional vs. Gestational Surrogates

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When a woman begins the process of becoming a surrogate, she can easily become overwhelmed with new terms and new definitions. One of those areas that can sometimes become confusing is the type of surrogate to become. There are two main types: gestational and traditional.

At Shared Conception, we work with only gestational surrogates. What does that mean, exactly? Gestational surrogates are women who have no biological link to the babies they are carrying. The baby is a combination of the intended parents or an egg donor. The gestational surrogate has no biological connection to the baby or babies she is carrying at all.

Other agencies use traditional surrogates. Traditional surrogates are women whose own eggs are used in the pregnancy. Shared Conception does not work with traditional surrogates due to the obvious legal and emotional aspects of this complicated situation.

Are you ready to get started finding out more about becoming a gestational surrogate? Ask us!

Favorite Blogs We Follow

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There are several great blog sites available that journey through the process of surrogacy. Here are a few of our favorite blogs to check out!

– A Surrogate’s Journey. (http://beautifulsurrogacy.blogspot.com/) Brandy is a surrogate who writes a blog geared toward people considering being a surrogate or using one. She is candid, open and honest about her journey.

– Life of a Surrogate. (http://lifeofasurrogate.blogspot.com/) Kim is a blogger who has already been a surrogate and is on her journey to be a surrogate again. This is an honest blogger who details the highs, and lows, of being a surrogate.

– 4 Star Womb. (http://4starwomb.blogspot.com/) This mother of four is starting her first surrogacy. It’s so exciting to watch her experience all pregnancy has to offer!

– I’m Not the Mom, I’m Just the Stork. (http://justthestork.blogspot.com/) A two-time surrogate shares the stories of her life.

What are you favorite bloggers to follow?

Why should you choose Shared Conception?

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We know when you Google “Surrogacy Agency,” a person can become overwhelmed with the results. There are lots of surrogacy agencies and choosing the “best” one is sometimes a daunting task in itself. However, we believe Shared Conception is the best option as a surrogacy agency and we’re ready to prove it to you.

First, we take our job so seriously. We work hard to match surrogates with their intended parents. This step is so crucial and important to the entire surrogacy journey. Finding the right fit for both parties is one of our many strong points. We excel in finding the right surrogates with the right intended families. A comprehensive questionnaire and interview process is only the beginning aspects of this process.

We screen both intended parents and surrogates to find out about their personalities, beliefs and ethics. This is just one way we make sure a perfect match is made.

Second, we are here for both the surrogates and intended parents through the entire journey. Whether emotional or physical support is needed, we are always available.

Third, we refer you to the best professionals in the business including top notch attorneys and psychologist They know how to cross their “Ts” and dot their “Is” when it comes to the psychological evaluation and the legal agreement.We want to make sure both the intended parents and the surrogate are comfortable with the documents, contracts and paperwork.

Ready to get started on the journey through surrogacy? Shared Conception is your best place to start.

Breast Milk and the Surrogate

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Surrogates can continue helping their intended parents even after the birth of the baby. Several recent studies highlight the benefits of feeding your child breast milk through their early, developing stages. For those heading through the journey of surrogacy, many intended parents wonder where that leaves them and their child.

The great choice with Shared Conception is that surrogates can offer their breast milk to their intended family. The surrogates pump the breast milk and either deliver or ship the milk to the family. This is such a win-win opportunity for everyone involved. The baby received the highly nutritious breast milk and the intended parents get to continue feeding their child the nutritious milk and bonding with the little one.

During the negotiation process is the perfect time to talk with the surrogate about the possibility of pumping milk after delivery. The surrogate usually includes the option for expressed milk in her contract for an additional fee. During negotiations is also the time to discuss how long the intended parents would like to feed their baby breast milk.

Have a question? Let us at Shared Conception help!


 

Surrogates can continue helping their intended parents even after the birth of the baby. Several recent studies highlight the benefits of feeding your child breast milk through their early, developing stages. For those heading through the journey of surrogacy, many intended parents wonder where that leaves them and their child.

 

The great choice with Shared Conception is that surrogates can offer their breast milk to their intended family. The surrogates pump the breast milk and either deliver or ship the milk to the family. This is such a win-win opportunity for everyone involved. The baby received the highly nutritious breast milk and the intended parents get to continue feeding their child the nutritious milk and bonding with the little one. 

 

During the negotiation process is the perfect time to talk with the surrogate about the possibility of pumping milk after delivery. The surrogate usually includes the option for expressed milk in her contract for an additional fee. During negotiations is also the time to discuss how long the intended parents would like to feed their baby breast milk.

 

Have a question? Let us at Shared Conception help!

 

 

Surrogates can continue helping their intended parents even after the birth of the baby. Several recent studies highlight the benefits of feeding your child breast milk through their early, developing stages. For those heading through the journey of surrogacy, many intended parents wonder where that leaves them and their child.

 

The great choice with Shared Conception is that surrogates can offer their breast milk to their intended family. The surrogates pump the breast milk and either deliver or ship the milk to the family. This is such a win-win opportunity for everyone involved. The baby received the highly nutritious breast milk and the intended parents get to continue feeding their child the nutritious milk and bonding with the little one. 

 

During the negotiation process is the perfect time to talk with the surrogate about the possibility of pumping milk after delivery. The surrogate usually includes the option for expressed milk in her contract for an additional fee. During negotiations is also the time to discuss how long the intended parents would like to feed their baby breast milk.

 

Have a question? Let us at Shared Conception help!

 

Surrogates and health insurance

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Surrogates and health insurance

Shared Conception welcomes surrogates who both have and do not have health insurance. For those women who do have health insurance, we will happily look over your health insurance policy to see if there are any exceptions for being a surrogate. If there are no exceptions, and if the surrogate is willing, then we will use her own health insurance policy for the prenatal, labor and delivery portions of the pregnancy.

As always, the intended parents pay for all medical bills for the surrogate. This includes all co-pays, deductibles and other health-care related expenses.

If a surrogate does not have health insurance, then Shared Conception can help locate an outstanding health insurance policy for the surrogate. The intended parents will pay for the health insurance policy during the term of the pregnancy.

Have a specific health insurance related question? We can help answer it.

 

Great gift ideas for surrogates

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Your surrogate is giving you the greatest gift you could ever imagine… your child. Some intended parents like to thank the woman who has given so much, in a special way. Here are a few ideas of special, meaningful gifts intended parents could give their surrogates.

– Spa Treatments. Who wouldn’t love a day of pampering? You could choose to give it to her while she’s still pregnant. Many spa facilities and women centers specialize in pregnant massages. Or, intended parents could wait until after she delivers the baby and have her enjoy a day to herself.

– Pamper Basket. Include her favorite magazines, soothing lotions and some gift cards to her favorite restaurants or stores. A basket full of goodies just for her, will always be a welcome treat.

– Specialized services. How nice would it be to surprise her with a maid service for a day? Who wouldn’t love a clean house? A gift to help her would make a happy surrogate, indeed.

Have other suggestions? What would you love to get if you were a surrogate?

 

Guest Blog! Independent vs. Agency

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By Carmela Cancino

One of the first questions that a potential surrogate must answer is whether or not she will be working with an agency to find her match. I started my surrogacy journey with an agency that, in my opinion, threw up too many red flags and tried to take advantage of me. After making an extremely hard decision, I decided to walk away from my match and my agency, having learned a hard lesson. An agency can be your best friend, but only if you pick the right one.

Incidentally, I ended up going “indy” or searching for and matching on my own for my surrogacy. I was fortunate enough to meet a sweet couple and our journey went about as smoothly as one could. That’s not to say that all independent journeys are so. Agency or not, if the right steps are not taken and the time to get to really know one another and talk through important issues isn’t spent, things can still go awry. However, there are some advantages to having a good agency on your side.

For any person considering surrogacy, I would recommend several hours of research and the asking of many questions. Your contact at an agency can help guide you and walk you through these steps and take you through different scenarios that you may not have thought about on your own. It’s my opinion that you should always, always, always have psychological and background checks for all parties (potential surrogates and intended parents or “IPs”) and some of those questions will be discussed in the screenings. However, an agency can help pinpoint specific areas which will make or break a good match. Concrete things like compensation amounts, home or hospital birth and termination are significant items for discussion. These issues are not always so easy to discuss and either party may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed for bringing them up. It is imperative that they be discussed and that everyone is on the same page and the agency representative can help bring those items to the table so that both parties feel comfortable about discussing them.

Agencies also assist with the matching process and can help fine tune your search. I’ve searched through ad after ad and spent time responding and then feeling badly when I didn’t feel like it was a match. I’ve also spent days emailing with someone only to have them drop off the face of the Earth. It can be a bit frustrating when you are so eager to help someone only to get discouraged before you ever really get started. Usually agencies have a pool of would-be surrogates and IPs that are serious and waiting to get started. There are never any guarantees that nothing will go wrong, but I feel like the risk is greatly diminished with the use of an agency as the screening process seems to weed out some less than desirable candidates (on both sides).

Lastly, an agency can be your go-to source for the questions that pop up at 2AM (although I usually write them down and wait to call or email in the morning) and a great support system. There were many times during my journey where I didn’t know how to proceed and if I should “worry” the parents with things. Having someone to bounce those things off of would’ve been a wonderful resource (although I was fortunate enough to have a group of surrogates that knew almost all the answers to any of my questions)!

In short, an agency can prove to be a valuable asset that can streamline and help fortify the foundation for a good journey.