A Personal Story From Intended Parents – Sean. M

Are you looking to start a family of your own through surrogacy or egg donation? It’s natural to have a few questions regarding the process involved and the steps required. If you or someone you know is considering surrogacy or egg donation as an alternative path to parenthood, keep reading to learn about Sean’s experience as an Intended Parent with Simple Surrogacy.

1) What brought you to surrogacy?

My husband and I always knew we wanted to have children as part of our family, and it was something we talked about right from the beginning of our relationship. We both felt strongly about trying to have a biological tie to those children, but never really knew what was possible. After a lot of research, surrogacy seemed to be our best option to achieving our goal of having children with genetic ties to our families, and it is the best decision we have ever made.

2) How was your experience working with Simple Surrogacy?

We had a very positive experience working with Simple Surrogacy. Even being halfway across the country, we always felt like we were a part of the process and Simple made the effort to make our journey feel personal. We met many of the Simple Surrogacy owners/employees and other IPs at their dinner in New York, and everyone was in constant communication to help us throughout our pregnancy. It was also very convenient to have our money in the escrow account right at Simple, and having a coordinator to check in with us throughout the process.

3) What advice can you give to other couples considering surrogacy?

As we went through the process, we kept hearing the word “journey” …and surrogacy really is a journey. No two courses are the same, and they are not always easy, but the end of the journey is so worth it. Over the course of time, you will have a million questions, and not one of them is foolish. Always reach out for help, even if it is just someone to listen to you. And most importantly, never give up your dream/goal. The journey makes you stronger and prepares you to be a parent because you’re already making huge sacrifices and decisions that will be the best for your children.

4) How was/is your relationship with your Surrogate?

We had a great relationship with our surrogate. I’m sure like many matches, it took time to warm up and get to know one another, but we traveled to Texas to see her, went to ultrasound appointments, and meet her family. We were able to go out to eat with our surrogate and her children and spend some time with them around the holidays. We were in the room with her before, during, and after the birth and got to know her even more. After we got home to New York we texted with her almost daily and we feel that to this day we still get close to her from this far away. (We text a few times a week and send pictures of each other’s children.) It is our hope that we remain close and follow her as her children grow up, with a potential to meet up with both of our families some day.

5) What was your experience like with the matching process?

After we signed on with Simple Surrogacy, we were given three potential surrogates within the first month! At that time it was a little overwhelming and we had some concerns about each of them. We spoke with our IVF clinic and decided not to match with these three candidates, understanding that we might have to wait a while to see more. To our surprise, we were given two more profiles shortly after that and we really liked both of these young women. We set up Skype sessions with both potential surrogates, and we really couldn’t decide between the two. Looking into things further, only one surrogate had an insurance plan that covered her medical bills (minus copays) for surrogacy, so we eventually matched with her. Looking back we don’t know how we would have chosen between the two, but we really feel like things happened this way for a reason.

6) Do you plan on telling your children about their birth through surrogacy?

Definitely! We feel it is very important for our children to know how they were born in an age-appropriate way. Early on, they will know they were in the surrogates belly and that they have two dads. Eventually, they will understand about the egg donor and a little more about the process. Hopefully, they will come to understand how much they were truly wanted, and the sacrifices that our surrogate and egg donor went through so that we can be a family.

Interested in learning more about surrogacy, egg donation and what the process entails? Be sure to visit our website or call us toll-free at 1-866-41-SURRO to learn more.