How much contact will I have with my Intended Parents or Surrogate throughout the process and beyond?

This is a decision Intended Parents will need to make depending on your own level of comfort. Some Intended Parents prefer a lot of contact throughout the pregnancy; i.e., regular updates via e-mail and/or phone, and the expectation to attend many of the doctor appointments (RE and OB) with their Surrogate. It may be highly important to the Intended Parents to be “included” in the pregnancy. Similarly, Surrogates may also like the prospect of a close relationship with their Intended Parents. Surrogates and Intended Parents oftentimes have a life-long friendship—even after the birth of the baby/ies—and in many cases, this is a completely realistic notion.

A percentage of Intended Parents and Surrogates commit to a fairly low level of contact—perhaps occasional updates or phone calls—but do not necessarily want or need a close relationship throughout the pregnancy and post delivery. This may be viewed by some as a “business relationship” of sorts. The Intended Parent/s may not be able to (or may choose not to) attend doctor appointments and may not meet the Surrogate throughout the pregnancy until time of delivery. Surrogates may be comfortable with this type of relationship because, although they are fulfilled in helping someone else have children, it isn’t crucial to them that they develop a strong relationship with their Intended Parent/s. Of course there are many degrees of what constitutes a “close” relationship, and there are many scenarios that are somewhere in between the different ends of the spectrum mentioned above. Family Source believes that it is most important that, regardless of the expectations you have of your Intended Parent-Surrogate relationship, you agree during the matching process and when entering into a contract together to make every effort to follow through with expectations.