Meet Erin!
“Family Source Consultants was wonderful to work with. They were really good about spelling out the process and were always responsive and helpful. The monthly support groups were great to connect with other surrogates and make each step in the journey feel easier knowing that I wasn’t alone in my concerns.”
Q: What led you to become a Surrogate?
I loved being pregnant but knew I was done growing my own family. I decided carrying a child for another family would be a great way to help them grow their family while allowing me to have the opportunity to enjoy pregnancy again.
Q. Who was/is your greatest support person/s throughout your journey?
My husband was very supportive during my journey, as well as my mother, and it actually surprised me, but I found a lot of support from the (intended) parents.
Q. What made you decide to choose your Intended Parents?
I felt like my husband and I had a lot in common with the intended parents. They met all my preferences for a match and our initial meeting went really well.
Q. What are some of the highlights of your journey?
I think every day was a highlight. Every day was amazing to me knowing that a family was trusting me to take care of their child until they were born. Every day was amazing to me knowing I was able to help a family make their dream of having a child of their own come true.
Q. Do you have advice for women who are interested in becoming a gestational surrogate?
Being a gestational surrogate is more stressful than carrying your own child, but it is also incredibly rewarding. I think it is something you feel called to do.
Q. What did you find was the biggest misconception people had about surrogacy?
The biggest misconception people seemed to have was that it would be hard to give up the baby. As a gestational surrogate, I am not genetically related to the baby, and I was thrilled to have the baby go home with her family. The next biggest misconception was that the baby would be genetically related to me, but as a gestational carrier, my eggs were not involved.
Q. How was this pregnancy different from your other pregnancies?
Honestly, this pregnancy was more difficult than my pregnancy with my daughter. I had a lot more morning sickness and stretch marks, and a lot more fear and worry. It’s hard to say if the physical differences were because this was a surrogate pregnancy, or if it was just because I’m older and not in quite as good of shape as I was before having my own child. I definitely worried more about the surrogate baby than my own child because I knew the parents had so much invested into the process.
Q. What did you do to prepare yourself for separating from the baby after it was born?
I had complete faith that the intended parents would be great parents. I have no desire to relive the sleeplessness and emotional distress of caring for an infant.
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