The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 90: Francine and Ian. Francine came to Australia for a 'gap year' - and is still here, many years later! Francine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 31, and is lucky enough to now be cancer-free, 5 years on. They've had a lovely offer of an egg donor and are hoping to create embryos in the coming months.

Francine recommends Brene Brown books and podcasts, and in particular her book Daring Greatly. She's also been trying her hand at sourdough bread! Ian is from Canberra and enjoys gardening - and he should probably have shares in Bunnings! Francine calls him her Macgyver and he's quite handy around the house.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 89: Emma and Alex. Emma and Alex are intended parents in Canberra, hoping to grow their family through surrogacy. They have one child, Felix, and after Emma was treated for cervical cancer they are hoping to grow their family through surrogacy. Emma has been doing IVF (and more IVF) with ovarian grafting treatment in Melbourne. Emma is a teacher, but she would love to be a pastry chef! Alex's hobby is painting tiny wartime figurines!

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 88: Hayley. Hayley is a donor conceived person in Victoria, and her parents shared with her that she was donor conceived when she was 12 years old. When she was older, Hayley did a DNA test with consumer-DNA sites (like Ancestry and 23andme), and worked out who her biological father was, and connected with several donor-conceived siblings. Hayley later connected with her biological father through the Central Register which is managed by VARTA.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 87: Anthony and Patrick. Anthony and Patrick are gay dads in Sydney, and they became dads through surrogacy when their daughter was born in 2017. Their surrogate, Bree, was on Episode 42 of the Podcast, and she and her family live in Victoria. The team progressed with a gestational surrogacy arrangement to have Haesel, and later entered a traditional surrogacy arrangement to try and have a a sibling for Haesel. They are now putting themselves out there for the possibility of meeting new friends who might help them grow their family.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 86: Adelle. Adelle became a mother almost two years ago when she gave birth to her son, Lincoln. The birth was smooth, but the aftermath was anything but. Adelle suffered a significant injury arising from the birth, which resulted in her having an ileostomy, which ultimately saved her life. Part of her journey of recovery and healing from her birth trauma including setting up her personal Instagram page at Overnight Ostomate where she found support and solidarity from other people with ileostomies.

Adelle now runs Haven Legal Co, (also on Instagram @Haven_Legal_Co) where you can get your wills and estate planning sorted. Whether you are an intended parent or surrogate, you should make sure your will is up to date to reflect your intentions for where you want your estate to go if you or your partner die.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 85: Emma-Lee. Emma-Lee is an egg donor, and is also a genetic genealogist - she researches genetic histories as a hobby. This means she can find out all sorts of information about someone, based on them, or their genetic relatives, having uploaded their DNA to a consumer site, such as Ancestry.com.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 84: Crystal. Crystal was a surrogate for friends Martin and Paul, whom she met through the online surrogacy community. You might like to listen to Martin and Paul's episode 73 as well, as this team has some great advice from all their perspectives.

Crystal and I recorded this interview during the COVID pandemic, when she was about six months' post birth. The pandemic meant that the Parentage Order was made in the Judge's chambers, and that Crystal couldn't travel to see Martin, Paul and Zac for the planned hearing and celebration. Crystal reflects on the hormonal roller-coaster post-birth and the fourth trimester, and her experiences of maintaining the relationship and connections when they can't be in each other's company.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 83: Sarah-Jayne. Sarah-Jayne is a Perinatal and Family Psychologist, who provides counselling for surrogacy and fertility and parenting. We talked about the importance of managing our mental health and accessing support on the way to parenthood (and when we get there!) and how the team can support each other during the surrogacy as well. Sarah-Jayne has some great tips for recognising the different stages of the surrogacy and infertility journey and what you can do to build resilience, ask for help and hold on to hope along the way.

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 82: Ben and Matt are intended parents and are sharing their story as part of the Stories Series of the Podcast. What we know about Ben is that he’s a magician and entertainer! And Matt likes Paul Jennings books! They live in Point Cook, Victoria, and are the Fun Uncles in their family. They’re well-travelled and love beach holidays and New York city. My favourite part of this episode is hearing about Matt’s favourite book, and Ben’s favourite movie – but you’ll have to listen to find out the details.

You can follow Ben and Matt’s journey as intended parents on Instagram @2dadsandalittlebaby and see Ben’s magical Instagram account @benmurphymagician

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 81: Helder and Mark. Helder and Mark live in NSW and love travelling and experiencing other cultures.They're now settled in Sydney, NSW and hoping to grow their family through surrogacy. Helder is an agriculturalist, originally from Portugal, and he speaks three languages. He can dream in Spanish, English and Portuguese! Mark is a project manager and is originally from the UK, and he once held up an international airport! I won't tell you what Mark's favourite books are - but you might be shocked! Helder and Mark have an egg donor  and have enjoyed building a relationship with her and her family.