[FSC was] amazing! Everyone there knows how to talk to you, they bend over backwards for you, they are there for you when you need them! I was constantly calling and emailing them questions and not only did they get back to me right away, but they were so kind in their answers to my queries. I was never made to feel as if I was a bother or irritating! – FSC Parents R&F

R&F decided to pursue surrogacy after a lengthy journey with IVF. They reached out to FSC in 2011 and welcomed their beautiful twins in 2012 with the help of TeamFSC Surrogate Jill. They’re now the parents of two very active ten-year-olds!

Please describe yourself and your partner. Is there anything you’d like to share about how you met, or what your life is like together today?

We were older parents and couldn’t get pregnant and now are parents of two high-energy 10-year-old twins! We’re never bored! :)

Did you research other avenues of family building? Why did you end up choosing surrogacy?

We did 8 IUI’s and 7 IVFs; both procedures were with my eggs and donor eggs. We looked into adoption but because of our ages, it would be very challenging.

Tell us about your journey. Were there any special events or difficulties along the way?

The beginning was overwhelming at first. There was a ton of paperwork, lawyer visits, doctor visits, and phone calls to get through. However, knowing what the end result would be, made it easy to tackle it. What helped the most is that both my husband and our surrogate were so laid-back (I’m very type A!) – it made things go that much smoother! Especially once she got pregnant, my husband and I could sit back and relax.

Do you remember what you were thinking/feeling when you held your child for the first time?

I felt very overwhelmed – both with excitement and nervousness!

Is there anything you learned along your journey that you wish you had known when you started pursuing surrogacy?

That both my husband and I spent more time learning what it would be like to be first-time parents – we should have read more books, looked online, taken classes, etc. We were lucky in that we had a ton of family support which helped tremendously!

Do you have any advice for other couples/individuals who may be considering surrogacy as a way to build their own family?

Make sure you find a surrogate that you feel really good about! We got very lucky – Jill is amazing. We’re still in touch with her.

Remember not to sweat the small stuff! This will happen! When you look back on your journey, you will be amazed at how fast time went by – both before and during the pregnancy (and since then, too!).

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a parent through surrogacy or egg donation, request a no-cost consultation with one of our Client Relations Managers today!

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.