“Where do babies come from?” Many parents live in dread of hearing these words from their children. Answering that question can be even more complicated if you have a child born via third-party reproduction, or if you’re a gestational surrogate whose own children have questions about surrogacy. What—and how much—should you tell them?
The six children’s books listed below offer a gentle, thoughtful introduction to third party reproduction. They explain how surrogacy works in an age-appropriate manner and reassure their young readers that they are loved and special. Whether you’re a gestational surrogate or an intended parent(s), these books can help spark a conversation about surrogacy between you and your child/ren.
Children’s Books About Surrogacy
Happy Together, a two-dad egg donation and surrogacy story by Julie Marie and Ashley Lucas
The “Happy Together” series uses rhyming prose and colorful illustrations to teach children about different aspects of and reasons for surrogacy. In this entry, two bears fall in love and turn to surrogacy to add a child to their family. This series also has books about egg and sperm donation, invitro fertilization, and more.
Wanted by Carolina Robbiano and Francesca Massai
Wanted follows a family of hippos who decide to pursue surrogacy to expand their family. Along the way, they learn about the many different ways of building a family, and that all families are unique and special, no matter how they are formed. Wanted is written in both English and Spanish.
Umi & Uma: The Story of Two Mommies and a Baby by Nyesha and Samantha Davis-Williams
Written by the mothers of the child featured in the book, Umi & Uma is a brightly illustrated, semiautobiographical tale. Using the narrative framework of a little girl asking her grandmother for a bedtime story, it follows Umi and Uma as they fall in love and decide to bring a baby into their lives.
A Very Special Lady by Neil Carswell and Sarah Merrigan
There are two versions of this book: one about a boy and one about a girl. Each tells the story of how the child’s parents struggled to have children until receiving help from “a very special lady”: the egg donor who made their dreams of parenthood come true.
My Mom is a Surrogate by Abigail Glass and Riley Robertson
Created specifically for the children of Gestational Surrogates, this book tells the story of two siblings whose mother decides to carry a baby for someone else. Glass not only explains surrogacy in a child-friendly way, she reminds the children of surrogates that they play an important role in the surrogacy process!
Why Do I Have Two Mommies?: A Journey of Self-Discovery by Janai Akerele
As with A Very Special Lady, this book has a “girl” version and a “boy” version. Each child embarks on a quest to learn why they have two moms instead of a mom and a dad. They quiz all of their family members until they discover the answer. This book has more text than some of the other books on this list, making it appropriate for slightly older children or for family reading
FSC’s third party reproduction journeys are personalized and unique in their own way. Whether you share the IVF story with your child/ren, or not; there is no right or wrong decision.
Family Source Consultants continuously looks for ways to provide support and solutions to our intended parent(s). We are here to help!
Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants has been involved in the field of reproductive medicine since 2002. Staci has vigorously grown the comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy agency to become a worldwide leader in the third-party reproduction field. Staci is a former intended parent herself. She and her husband welcomed their son via gestational surrogacy in 2005. Additionally, Staci had the experience of assisting an infertile couple (AKA Recipient Parents) build their family through her efforts as an egg donor, with her donation resulting in the births of their son and daughter.
