When Jen and her husband decided it was time to start a family, she went in for what she thought would be a routine cervical smear. Instead, she was faced with an unexpected cervical cancer diagnosis in her mid-thirties, leading her straight into chemoradiotherapy. Thankfully, with the support of a dedicated medical team, she was encouraged to explore fertility preservation before beginning treatment. She took their advice and a year later, cancer-free, Jen was ready to start her family through surrogacy. In this episode, Jen shares the twists and turns of her journey and how the kindness of strangers, friends, and family helped her bring her beautiful baby boy into the world.

----

Episode Info:

Love Makes A Family

Breastfeeding:

Jen: Email [email protected] to get connected

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Get ready for a fun twist in this surrogate episode! I've already spoken with the intended parent, and now it’s time to hear the surrogate’s side of the story. Meet the amazing Nat, who shares her journey of bringing the adorable Lulu into the world—daughter of Christian Newman, featured in a previous episode and founder of Love Makes a Family!

In this episode, Nat opens up about her experience as a single mom of three boys while carrying a girl for the first time. She discusses the importance of having a support person during her journey, the special bond she and her boys formed with the intended parents (and Lulu!), and her decision to document her surrogacy experience on social media. It was such a joy to hear Nat's perspective, and I can’t wait for you to hear it too!

----

Episode Info:

Nat's Instagram

Love From Your Dads Instagram

Love Makes a Family

Growing Families

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Samantha really juggles it all...! While recording this episode, she was just 10 days away from welcoming her twin boys into the world via surrogacy in the U.S. and also managing her thriving organization, Surrogacy Compass. Samantha opens up about her surrogacy journey as an intended parent and how she’s preparing to become a mom of two in just a few short days. Most importantly, Samantha shares what motivated her to start Surrogacy Compass, a service designed to guide intended parents through the surrogacy process...think of it as a "wedding planner for surrogacy" (Samantha even shares what it was like planning her own wedding and surrogacy at the same time)! This episode is packed with valuable insights into surrogacy (especially in the States) and serves as a perfect reminder that you are not alone...Surrogacy Compass is here to support you every step of the way!

----

Episode Info:

Surrogacy Compass:

Fertility Clinic: Reproductive Biology Associates (RBA)

Surrogacy Agency: ⁠Eggceptional Fertility

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

This is a special mini-episode with Sam Everingham, a proud dad to twin girls via surrogacy and founder of Growing Families—an incredible organization that provides education, guidance and support on surrogacy and egg donation globally. They are based in Australia, but offer support related to international (and domestic) surrogacy and host a series of in-person and virtual events around the world. This episode is packed with knowledge and insight related to surrogacy processes from around the world and explains how Growing Families can help you on your journey.

----

Episode Info:

⁠Growing Families⁠

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Kiriana (Kiri) speaks so eloquently and honestly about her surrogacy journey, and the path that led her and her partner down that road. Her story is full of heartbreaking challenges and setbacks, but the power of perseverance, medicine, hope and family (especially one amazing sister-in-law!) resulted in their miracle baby boy, who is incredibly loved by their entire surrogacy "village."

----

Episode Info:

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Laura has done so much for the surrogacy community in New Zealand and is passionate about creating safe and informative groups for surrogates and intended parents to turn to. Laura is a busy working single mother of two and the first double donor surrogate in New Zealand. She shares the beautiful story of helping bring baby Beau into the world for strangers turned friends, and provides so much insight into what to expect as a surrogate...from beginning to end (she even documented her experience on Instagram!). Laura is a big advocate for surrogacy in New Zealand and talks about the communities she's helped create that provide support and community for others going through the surrogacy process.

----

Episode Info:

Laura's Instagram: @theirbabymybody

Nat's Instagram: __theboys_andme__

Love Makes a Family

Growing Families

Facebook Groups:

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

I'm mixing it up this episode, and instead of interviewing an Intended Parent or Surrogate, I'm highlighting a very important part of the surrogacy process...fertility counselling. This episode features Andy Leggat, a Fertility Counsellor and the Psychology Director at Fertility Associates in Auckland, New Zealand (who we were lucky enough to have as our counsellor when we were going through surrogacy in NZ). Andy explains the crucial role that fertility counselling plays in the NZ surrogacy process (particularly with ECART: The Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology), the importance of prioritizing mental health when undergoing fertility treatment and actionable tips to put your mental wellbeing first when dealing with the uncertainty and lack of control that comes with infertility.

----

Episode Info:

Andy Leggat: Psychology Director & Fertility Counsellor @ Fertility Associates in Auckland, New Zealand

NZ Fertility Clinics:

Fertility Counsellor Resources:

Fertility New Zealand

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Laura has quite the amazing story and I was so incredibly grateful she took the time to share it on SurroTales! After facing several heartbreaking miscarriages and medical challenges, Laura and her husband turned to surrogacy to start their beautiful family. Then, a couple months later, she found out she was also pregnant! Fast forward to now, she is the proud mom of two beautiful boys who are only 10 weeks apart. Laura has so much knowledge when it comes to choosing the right surrogacy agency & fertility clinic, the power of leaning into fertility communities and how to talk to your kids about the beautiful way they were brought into the world.

----

Episode Info:

Fertility Clinic: Dr. Smotrich @ La Jolla IVF

Surrogacy Agency: Conceptual Options

Fertility Companies:

Children's Book: Families Grow (Dan Saks)

Laura: Email [email protected] to get connected

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Lacey shares her incredible and fulfilling experience being a surrogate for her longtime friend and his husband. She talks through the many magical moments that came with this journey, along with the challenges that she faced along the way...particularly when it was all "over" once the baby was born. It's important to highlight the ups and downs that come with the surrogacy process, for both IPs and surrogates, and Lacey shares so much wisdom and insight that will be useful for anyone else going through the process.

----

Episode Info:

Stuff Article

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]

Jenni was the very first person I ever met in New Zealand who had a child via surrogacy. And best of all, I got to meet her adorable daughter when she was only a few months old. Jenni shares her experience as an Intended Parent in New Zealand, including what it was like going through the process during Covid.

----

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@surrotales⁠⁠⁠

Email: [email protected]