Meet Shelbie!
“I have nothing bad to say about FSC. The team I’ve dealt with has been great through the journey and each step. It’s been fairly easy.“
Shelbie is an amazing surrogate that is delivering a a healthy baby for our intended parents in March!
Q: What led you to become a Surrogate?
I have honestly always thought about it since having my son and how easy of a pregnancy that was for me. I then had a very close friend go through a hardship trying to conceive that I offered to carry for but she then had a successful IVF pregnancy, I knew from talking with her that so many people simply can’t conceive even with IVF that if I wanted to help someone there were people waiting for their perfect match to help create or extend their own family. So I decided then and there to start looking and apply.
Q. Who was the most significant support person throughout your journey?
Honestly my partner is my biggest supporter in this. Pregnancy is tough especially when you already have littles while also maintaining a career so it’s a process. Without him it would be a bigger challenge.
Q. What made you decide to choose your Intended Parents?
I loved that the IPs I matched with live so close. That truly helped and has been the entire journey that much more meaningful and exciting.
Q. What are some of the highlights of your journey?
The beginning of my journey was a lot of appointments and labs. After getting through those and having our transfer day, I truly felt bonded to the family I am matched with. We are very similar in a lot of ways and I feel like we relate in multiple ways as well. I love that it feels like we communicate regularly and are interested in one another’s lives. We have already went on a double date once and are planning another where they actually meet my kids. It’s so cool to form this bond.
Q. Do you have advice for women who are interested in becoming a gestational surrogate?
I think it’s important to do your research and honestly stand your grounds on your authentic self. Don’t agree to something you actually aren’t comfortable with or share views on. Being real and honest will only make your journey that much more meaningful and genuine.
Q. How do you feel about your experience working with Family Source Consultants?
I have nothing bad to say about FSC. The team I’ve dealt with has been great through the journey and each step. It’s been fairly easy.
Q. What would you like other people to know about surrogacy?
It’s a process! I transferred almost 9 months after matching. I think in my mind I though I would have the baby by now or by the end of this year but it all takes time so trust the process and let things roll out as they should or need.
Q. What was the funniest/strangest/most common question you were asked and how did you answer?
Do I feel attached or are you going to hold the baby after delivery. I honestly just laugh, I think becoming a surrogate you truly have to know your place and understand that this isn’t YOUR journey…it’s theirs and you’re simply there to help them have the magic your body was equipped to do. I knew going into this journey that my IPs would be running the show. Like if they want a maternity shoot, I’ll give it to them. If they want to contact once the baby’s born, you have to understand their journey is so tough and they have had to grieve the fact they can’t do what you are doing for them. It’s a gentle topic and you should treat it as such. Your IPs are you with your kids, try to think about roles reversed.
Q. How has becoming a surrogate impacted your life?
The beginning was hard with scheduling but after transfer and the being released to my own OB it’s been a breeze. Luckily I have y experienced morning sickness or anything to where it just feels like another pregnancy for me except I have a lot less prep to do this time around lol.
Q. Was this pregnancy different than your other pregnancies? If so, how?
Honestly no, although I didn’t have to do IVF with my kids…that is entirely new and was a lot for me. After a few weeks you create a countdown to be done with those meds.
Learn more about becoming a surrogate by submitting a request for information, or start your surrogate application today!
Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants, has been a prominent leader in reproductive medicine for over two decades. Through her strategic vision and dedication, she has developed Family Source Consultants into a globally recognized agency specializing in comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy services. Under Staci’s leadership, the agency has become a trusted partner for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors worldwide, known for its rigorous standards, compassionate support, and commitment to excellence in third-party reproduction.
Her professional insight is uniquely informed by her own family-building experiences. As an intended parent, Staci welcomed her son via gestational surrogacy in 2005, and as a known egg donor, she assisted an infertile couple in expanding their family. These experiences lend a rare depth to her leadership and have fueled her ongoing dedication to ethical, empathetic, and professional support within the field of reproductive medicine.
