Create A Happy Family

On today's episode, we are talking to the kids! We had an amazing opportunity to get to talk to some of our kiddos whose mom's not only work for Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions. But were all surrogates! I got to ask them their perspective and what they remembered from the journeys and they shared some of their favorite memories, stories, advice for other kids and for other moms who are thinking about becoming gestational carriers themselves. This episode was all so much fun, so silly, and full of great stories!

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and listen to a few surrogates, as they tell their stories, talk about their why behind choosing to be a gestational carrier and hear some great advice!

More Stories!

Leslee Murphy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience with a unique specialization in women's health, including infertility, reproductive loss, family building, high-risk pregnancy and postpartum mood disorders. For the past 16 years, Leslee has operated a private counseling practice in Houston, Texas and served as the Mental Health Consultant for CCRM Fertility Clinic. In this episode we discuss the importance of that psychological consultation piece that is part of a surrogacy journey and how this is so vital as you begin to build a relationship between intended parents and gestational carriers.

Memorial Wellness & Counseling 

Juli Velasquez is a 3 time surrogate and now a doula and lactation consultant who is studying for her RN in order to be a lactation consultant in a hospital setting.. In this episode Juli tells her own stories of being a surrogate and pumping as well as shares some valuable information that would be beneficial to all surrogates who are going to be pumping. We even talk about the task of shipping milk!

Juli's Pumping Tips

“Do you want to help make babies?” will forever be the question that would change attorney Joni Franklin’s life! Joni has been an assisted reproductive attorney for 14 years, and is licensed in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. She is passionate about creating happy families through surrogacy and egg donation and has helped bring in to the world over 1000 babies! She is incredibly knowledgeable about ART Law and we grateful for her time as she brings her expertise to our listeners.

To find out more about Joni please go to www.jfranklinlaw.com 

Wanting to make a difference in just one person's life, Holly set out to become an egg donor her senior year of college. She went on to donate 6 times, and that one decision changed the course of her life. To this day, Holly continues to work in the world of infertility at Progyny Fertility, helping other families navigate their own journeys. Life drastically changed for Holly and her husband when their son Blake was born but passed away just 4 months later. Holly shares her story of what that grief process has been like, and how she, her husband, and Blake's two little sisters celebrate him daily. 

When Lauren first found out about surrogacy, there was no question that she felt called to help a family. Her journey led to a beautiful set of twins and 14 years later, Lauren's passion for surrogacy has only deepened. She went on to become our very own matching coordinator, bringing intended parents and gestational carriers together and getting them started on their journey.

Always with a heart for helping others, Blake knew that supporting his wife while she was an egg donor and surrogate was just one more way their family could be a blessing to others. 

www.createahappyfamily.com

With the desire to be a part of a team Dr. Daniel Skora was drawn to specializing in fertility and obstetrics and has gone on to create many happy families! Dr. Skora serves as the medical director for LGBTQ+ services at Fertility Specialists of Texas and is passionate about spreading the word for how other clinics can become more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. 

We all know surrogacy impacts so many families, but who knew that Angela's journeys would have such an influence so close to home! After watching her mom take part in five journeys, Tristan was inspired to become a surrogate herself and delivery day is just around the corner!