Kansas City Infertility Awareness 8th Annual Conference
Pathways to Parenthood was happy to be a part of this great community event that took place on Saturday, April 28th at Johnson Count Community College. Our founder, Kerry Christifano spoke to a group of participants on using an egg donor to build their family.
For information on building your family with and egg donor, please look at our website at pathwaystoparenthood.com.
Pathways To Parenthood in Kansas City is Five Years Old!
Five years ago, in May 2013 Pathways To Parenthood started the amazing journey of serving families, egg donors, and surrogates. The journey actually started long before with a dream of providing intended parents, egg donors, and gestational surrogates with a local agency that was professional, compassionate, and hands-on. It was important to me that all people we had contact with and work with felt valued and important.
My passion for helping others build and grow their family continues to grow when I see the joy that others feel when realizing their dream come true. It is also amazing to see how our egg donors and gestational surrogates feel after helping others in such a special and unique way.
I look forward to continuing to provide top-notch service and compassion to our clients, egg donors, and surrogates in the years to come!
Kerry Christifano M.A., LCPC
Founder of Pathways To Parenthood
Using A Gestational Surrogate or Egg Donor In Kansas City
The meaning of family is a personal one to each of us, and is colored by the unique experiences of our families that came before us and that we became a part of when we came into this big, wide, and beautiful world.
For individuals and couples that are about to embark upon building their family through egg donation or surrogacy, one scary question most people have is: “What will I tell my child about where they came from and who they are?” The answers to that question sometimes brings out fear and anxiety about what their child might think, and if their child will view them as their parent(s) or family.
These fears, that are very common to individuals that build their family in non-traditional ways, typically do not play out to be true. It is important to recognize that the fears that you may be having are yours, not your future children’s. In addition, if you consider your family system and dynamics and those of your spouse or partner, you will likely find that some of the most amazing stories of love and family do not come from genetic connections.
The most important consideration is to take your time and be well informed when making decisions about what to tell your child and children about their conception and birth. Talking with a counselor about any worries you may have will likely give you some peace of mind about your decision-making process. For more information about using an egg donor or gestational surrogate to build and grow your family, visit us today at www.pathwaystoparenthood.com.
Pathways To Parenthood Seeking International Surrogates In Kansas & Missouri
If you are considering becoming a surrogate, you have the opportunity to help a family that lives outside of the United States. You likely have many unanswered questions if you are trying to decide if being a surrogate is right for you. The possibility of working with international intended parents certainly adds to the list of questions that need to be answered.
It is essential to first decide if being a surrogate is the best choice for you regardless of whether you work with intended parents living in the United States or internationally.
If you are open to working with an international family, one important consideration to think about is that for intended parents that live outside of the United States, they have limited options. Surrogacy as a family building option is likely illegal in their country. Another consideration is that fertility care in the United States is typically more advanced which gives intended parents a greater chance of success; pregnancy and then a baby (or babies)! When you consider that family building through surrogacy costs $65,00+, increasing their chance of success is a huge factor for international intended parents.
Finally, it is helpful to know that families in other countries may speak a different language than you, and have different cultural beliefs and practices than you, but they are searching for the same thing all intended parents using a surrogate want: compassionate and trustworthy professionals and surrogates that are willing to help them have a baby.
Please thoughtfully consider helping international families realize their dreams of becoming parents by being an international surrogate.