Gail is a mother of a donor-conceived child and has been writing about her experiences of donor parenting on her blog, Donor Conception and Beyond.  She started writing about donor conception and her experiences, after discovering that her daughter had 100+ donor siblings across the world. Gail is now writing a book for anyone considering gamete donation, including prospective parents and donors, entitled Donor Conception And Beyond: A Step by Step Guide for Australians.

Cara is a trans woman, and together with her partner is pursuing surrogacy to have a child. They’ve been on this journey for more than two years – their first surrogate was Cara’s sister who was offering both eggs and uterus, but unfortunately they didn’t achieve a pregnancy. Now, they’re pursuing surrogacy with two friends as their egg donor and gestational surrogate. It’s been a long road, but all hope is now on them having a baby with the help of their friends and a Clinic.

Miranda is an amazing story teller, so you can understand why I barely said a word in this interview. She is an egg donor recipient, a mum through surrogacy, and had a heart transplant not that long ago. She's inspiring and courageous, and her story will give you goosebumps.

Kate Bourne is the Donor Services Manager at the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA), which provides independent information and support for individuals, couples, and health professionals on fertility, infertility, assisted reproductive treatment (ART) and the best interests of children born. Kate talked to me about VARTA's work with supporting parents, donors and donor-conceived people, and the importance of being truthful about donor conception and telling early. VARTA hosts Time to Tell seminars each year, and also provides a wealth of information and resources for anyone in the donor and surrogacy community.

When it comes to making decisions about using a donor or surrogate in Australia or overseas, Kate has a litmus test that she suggests people apply:  When I talk to my children, can I hold my head up high and say, this is a lovely story to tell them. Is there any part of the story that is awkward to tell?

Kate and I also talked about VARTA's Donor Legacy Project, which aims to provide resources that can assist donors to create and submit information to the Voluntary Register. The Legacy Project is an option to leave a video, or online photobook, for donor-conceived offspring to access at a later date. I love this idea and will be making a video of the DCPs I've helped to create.

VARTA has a wealth of resources, for surrogates, intended parents, donors and donor-conceived people. Check out their website, which is useful for anyone, regardless of which State you live in.

Amber first heard about egg donation before she had her own children, and has now donated to nine families, resulting in 7 children so far. Many of the recipients also needed a surrogate to help them have a family. Amber suffered with terrible sickness on IVF drugs, and still, she persisted.

Amber developed her own criteria and thinking about why she wanted to donate and who she might donate to. This included the importance of the donor-conceived person having access to information about her, the opportunity for a relationship with her, and the opportunity for them to have a relationship with Amber's two children and other donor siblings.

Paul and Jaryd are intended parents in Queensland, who met their surrogate through the Australian Surrogacy Community. They are embarking on a traditional surrogacy journey.

Danny is one of those unsung heroes in surrogacy - the surrogate's partner. I've already interviewed his lovely wife Emmy and the intended parents Henry and Lisa. Danny is like many partners of surrogates, quietly supporting their partner's goals and not complaining too much when they have to submit to counselling and legal processes, even thought there's not much reward in it for them.

So what is it like to support your partner through a surrogacy pregnancy? Is it possible to become as invested in the process as the surrogate? Do you experience the same sense of reward and satisfaction when the baby arrives?

Danny talks about supporting Emmy in her endeavour, and how he cared for her and their children through the challenges of pregnancy. His perspective is unique, and valuable for anyone considering surrogacy - particularly for surrogates and their partners.

Marnie B spoke to me back in Episode 21, when she was heading into the third trimester of her pregnancy with surro-bub. In our first interview, Marnie talked about all the preparation and relationship-building she and her partner did with their intended parents. Since then, Marnie has delivered a baby girl for the parents, and is now 5 months post-partum. In this interview, she reflects on the last trimester, the birth, and the fourth trimester as a surrogate. Did all her preparation pay off? What were her emotions like post-partum? What's her relationship with the parents and baby Sienna?

We also talked about the importance of having a birth photographer involved for a surrogacy birth, and you can read more about that on my Blog.

She's been described as the guardian angel of altruistic surrogates across Australia. Really, how could I not have her on the Podcast with a commendation like that?

Katrina Hale is a Psychologist and Infertility Counsellor with over 20 years counselling experience. She is passionate about surrogacy and a strong supporter of all walks of the community that wish to create a family through surrogacy or assisted reproduction. She is committed to helping Intending Parents and Surrogates and their partners successfully navigate their surrogacy journey together.

Katrina has been my surrogacy counsellor for 2 years, and the impact of her support has been immeasurable. A conversation with Katrina gives me clarity and piece of mind, and allows me to process the complexity of surrogacy, egg donation and family.  Other surrogates say that they feel 'like a huge weight has been lifted off [their] shoulders' when they speak to Katrina. 'She has a great flair for creating metaphors, is a fantastic advocate for surrogates [and] she works tirelessly in the surrogacy community.'

Katrina's Twenty Things to Think About When Choosing Your Surrogacy Relationship is an amazing resource for intended parents and surrogates to consider individually and as a team, in preparing for a positive journey. I'm so privileged to bring you this interview with Katrina, which we hope will be a resource for intended parents and surrogates at all stages of the journey.

When growing her own family, Emmy struggled with gender disappointment and when she finally fell pregnant with a baby girl, she promised herself that she would repay the universe somehow. She tried seeking friends and family who might need a surrogate, but in the end she joined The Australian Surrogacy Community and found local intended parents Henry and Lisa.

Emmy talks about what attracted her to Henry and Lisa and her experience being their surrogate. Emmy birthed baby Harry for his parents in 2018.

Emmy's advice for anyone entering the surrogacy world: Get educated. Get active. And be proactive.