A Second Surrogacy Journey Around Two Impossible Schedules

Ann and Paul welcomed their son through surrogacy in April 2026, eighteen months after signing with Pathways to Parenthood, and they have already started a second journey. Ann works in broadcasting. Paul works in professional sports. Both jobs involve constant travel, and as Ann puts it, “we often joke we are two ships passing in the night.” A schedule that never lines up did not slow their surrogacy journey down. It changed how the journey was managed.

Why Did Ann and Paul Choose Surrogacy a Second Time?

Ann and Paul spent nearly five years trying to conceive, through multiple rounds of IUI and IVF, before a second medical opinion told them a gestational carrier was their best path. By the summer of 2024 they were interviewing agencies. By October they had signed with Pathways.

Their reason for returning is simple. “We had such a positive experience the first time having our son,” Ann says. “If this is the only way to grow our family, it’s an easy choice to do it again.”

What has changed is their confidence. Knowing the general timeline and the logistical requirements makes the second journey feel far more manageable, and it has widened their options. Having been through the process once, Ann and Paul are now open to matching with a first-time surrogate, something they would not have considered at the start.

How Does Surrogacy Work When Both Parents Have Unpredictable Schedules?

Surrogacy works for parents with unpredictable schedules when the agency builds remote participation into the plan rather than treating it as an exception. Ann and Paul were rarely in the same city, and their journey still moved at a normal pace.

Which Appointments Do Intended Parents Need to Attend?

Most prenatal monitoring, scans, and checkups happened in their surrogate’s home state while Ann and Paul were working. “We luckily were able to FaceTime or call in for all of her appointments,” Ann says. The appointments that required travel were the ones that genuinely required it: their surrogate’s initial exam and bloodwork with their fertility specialist, and the embryo transfer a month later. Both were scheduled far enough ahead to plan around.

What Happens When Something Does Not Go to Plan?

Their surrogate went into labor at 36 weeks. Paul was home, but Ann was traveling for work. Their surrogate called them the moment she suspected contractions, and both parents flew out the next morning and made it in time for the birth. Fast communication is what made that possible, which is why Pathways screens for it during matching.

How Long Does the Surrogacy Process Take for Returning Intended Parents?

Most surrogacy journeys run between 15 and 24 months from signing to delivery. Ann and Paul’s first journey took eighteen months:

• Signed with Pathways: October 2024
• Matched with their surrogate: February 2025
• Confirmed pregnancy: August 2025
• Son born: April 2026

Ann describes the pacing honestly. “Some of the parts felt like they went terribly slow while others felt like they flew by.” Returning intended parents typically move faster through the early stages, since medical records, legal groundwork, and expectations are already established. For a full breakdown of each stage, see the surrogacy process for the intended parents.

How Do You Choose a Surrogacy Agency When You Have Limited Time to Vet One?

Ann and Paul spoke with three agencies in the fall of 2024 and chose Pathways for two reasons: access and matching judgment.

Access came from size. “It’s a smaller agency which we appreciated,” Ann says. “It made us feel like if we had a question or concern, we could go directly to Kerry and Tina for an answer.” For two people with almost no free time, being able to reach a decision maker directly mattered more than a large support structure would have.

Matching judgment showed up immediately. Kerry recommended a surrogate who had carried once before, reasoning that first-time intended parents benefit from a partner who knows the process. Ann and Paul matched with the first woman she suggested. “The fact that she nailed it on the first try means she has a great pulse for who needs what throughout this journey,” Ann says.

On cost, having already spent heavily on IVF, Ann is direct: “it’s a price we would pay time and time again to have our baby boy.” Current fee information about surrogacy costs for future parents is available.

Who Should Consider Surrogacy With a Demanding Career?

Agency-managed surrogacy fits couples who travel frequently, work irregular hours, or cannot control their own calendars, because the agency absorbs the coordination those couples cannot do themselves. Parents returning for a sibling journey also tend to find the second experience considerably easier.

Couples who want to manage matching, contracts, and insurance independently may prefer an independent journey. Securing a secondary insurance policy, since their surrogate’s primary plan did not cover surrogacy, was the hardest part of Ann and Paul’s journey. As Ann puts it, “if sorting out insurance was the most stressful part of our surrogacy journey, we’d say things went pretty well overall.”

Could You Be the Surrogate for a Family Like Ann and Paul’s?

Their son is almost four months old now. Ann credits his temperament to the woman who carried him, saying their surrogate was “so laid back, easy going and carried him in such a great environment that he came into the world with a content demeanor.”

Ann had feared she would struggle to bond with a child she did not carry, a worry she believes most intended mothers share. The worry disappeared pretty quickly after her son was born. “There’s no denying he knows I am his mother. He recognizes my voice, my face, my smell.”

Their surrogate made that possible, and she made Ann part of the pregnancy along the way, texting her whenever she felt a kick or a movement. For any woman considering surrogacy, Ann offers this: “if you decide to be a surrogate and carry a person or couple’s child for them, you will be giving them the greatest gift in the world.”

Ann and Paul are matching again soon. If you would like to learn what carrying for a family looks like, we are glad to answer questions with no commitment attached. Learn more about becoming a surrogate.