Pathways To Parenthood: An Egg Donor & Surrogacy Agency Celebrating Women’s History Month
At Pathways To Parenthood, we celebrate amazing women everyday! The
amazing women that survive the trials and tribulations of infertility; the amazing
women that are willing to help other women (and men too!) become moms (and
dads too!); and the amazing women that tirelessly work at Pathways To
Parenthood to help make others’ dreams come true. March offers all of us an
opportunity to collectively honor the impact women have made in history, and
the groundbreaking history we continue to make every day.
History is filled with stories of so many exceptional and outstanding women who
have accomplished so much that there are far too many to even begin to
mention. History is also filled with countless courageous, strong, and determined
women who lived their lives working hard and caring for others. They lived, and
are living, their lives as a shining example influencing the next generations,
making the world a better place because they were/are in it.
In the spirit of highlighting what amazing feats women have achieved, and
continue to achieve every day, Pathways To Parenthood celebrates women who
are surrogates and egg donors, past and present. These incredible women offer
themselves, literally, to help bring life into the world for someone else. These
women become surrogates and egg donors because they understand the need,
and they want to help others in a really special and unique way.
The gift of surrogacy and egg donation by the women who give of themselves,
brings joy and happiness that is unlike anything else. We all should celebrate any
woman that has been a surrogate or egg donor, or wants to become a surrogate
or egg donor, for they make the impossible possible.
If it is in your heart to help a family become parents by becoming a
surrogate or egg donor, contact Pathways To Parenthood today and get
started. If having a baby through surrogacy and/or egg donation is an
option you are considering, take the first step and contact Pathways To
Parenthood today! You can reach us at 913-469-5500 or at
www.pathwaystoparenthood.com.
My Surrogacy Experience; By Haley Casillas
I have come to learn that life is a compilation of experiences. Some are beautiful,
some are challenging, and some are life altering. And some are in a category all by
themselves, hard to compare to any other. My journey to and through surrogacy
was unlike anything else I have experienced. It is indescribable because it is so
hard to find words to express what it was like to help a family achieve their
dreams by giving them the gift of life. In hopes of encouraging other women to
consider becoming a surrogate to help others in this way, and to also give hope to
deserving families that surrogacy can help them realize their dreams of becoming
parents, I would like to share what the surrogacy process was like for me.
There were many factors that led up to me becoming a surrogate. It started with
my mom’s kind words that I heard her express when I was young, stating she
would be willing to help someone she loves by carrying a baby for them if they
needed her help. The birth of my own child, and the knowing of love and
happiness that comes with it awoke the memory of my mom’s words from years
ago. I now could understand why she said them. And then my long road through
a marriage that did not work out as I had hoped, and my journey back to my
family to start my life over, is the catalyst that brought me closer to my surrogacy
journey.
Upon returning home and reconnecting with family and friends, I met a woman
who had recently been a surrogate. Listening to her experience ignited a desire in
me to learn more about becoming a surrogate. It was amazing to hear her
surrogacy story. I wanted to learn more about helping others through surrogacy
so I decided to start with contacting a surrogacy agency. The woman who had
shared her surrogacy journey with me stated her surrogacy agency was Pathways
To Parenthood, so I decided to reach out to them to get started.
Once I spoke with Kerry at Pathways To Parenthood, I knew that I wanted to
move forward in the screening process to become a surrogate. After going
through the screening process to become a surrogate, I learned that I was of
sound mind (whew!) and body, and I was one step closer to realizing my dream of
becoming a surrogate! The next steps in the surrogacy process were the
beginnings of matching with my family! It was truly special! I will write more
about that later! Thanks for reading the first part of my story. To be continued…..
If it is your dream to help a family become parents by becoming a
surrogate, contact Pathways To Parenthood today and get started.
They have helped surrogates and intended parents come together in
Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, and Arkansas. If
you live in the Midwest, they are the surrogacy agency for you! You can
reach them at 913-469-5500 or at kerry@pathwaystoparenthood.com
What Is Independent Surrogacy?
Independent surrogacy is a surrogacy arrangement that does not involve a surrogacy agency. Independent surrogacy is also known as private surrogacy. If you are an intended parent looking to build your family through surrogacy, independent surrogacy may be an option you are considering. Below are a few important points to consider as you explore your options.
- What is involved in an independent surrogacy?
There are multiple steps in the surrogacy process whether you are working independently, or working with a surrogacy agency. When working with a surrogacy agency, many of the steps are handled “behind the scenes” and so it may not be possible to estimate accurately what an independent surrogacy process will fully involve. Here are the usual steps involved in an independent surrogacy journey. It is important to note that each step listed below involves multiple steps. These are the “behind the scenes” steps a surrogacy agency does for their clients/intended parents.
- Search for, evaluate, and choose an acceptable surrogate
- Receive medical clearance
- Negotiate terms/work through legal process
- Go through medical treatments (sometimes multiple times)
- Manage the pregnancy
- Prepare for delivery/birth
- Prepare for time at the hospital and after the birth for you and your surrogate
- Follow up post birth for well-being and legal status
- How long will the surrogacy process take?
The time frame from the beginning stages of the surrogacy process to baby can vary quite a bit. With an independent surrogacy, 18-24 months is not out of the ordinary. When working with a surrogacy agency, the surrogacy process will be quicker, averaging 12-18 months, with rare exception.
- What are the financial costs?
There is a misconception out there that an independent surrogacy is less expensive than working with a surrogacy agency. It is certainly possible that will be the case, but very likely it will not be less expensive, and it could be more expensive. This depends greatly on many factors, one of which is the service fees of the surrogacy agency, and the average compensation of their surrogates. With an independent surrogacy, when intended parents are going it alone without the protection and expertise of a surrogacy agency, you don’t know what you don’t know. Therefore you may overlook something that can cost you later, either financially, medically, legally, or some combination thereof.
There are certainly more factors to consider, but these 3 are the primary factors to consider when deciding whether to work with a surrogacy agency, or attempt an independent surrogacy. For more information about building your family
through surrogacy, contact Pathways To Parenthood and schedule your free consultation today! You can reach us at 913-469-5500 or kerry@pathwaystoparenthood.com.
Pathways To Parenthood: An Egg Donor & Surrogacy Agency Celebrates LGBTQ Pride Month
“At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include than be included for who I exclude.”
Eston Williams, Reverend
June is LGBTQ Pride Month and Pathways To Parenthood is proud to support and celebrate the LGBTQ community during the month of June. Although we support the LGBTQ community every month, June is a great time to highlight our support.
At Pathways To Parenthood, we believe everyone has the right to be a parent. We strive to offer the best surrogacy experience and egg donor IVF experience for all couples and individuals that wish to become parents. We respect and appreciate the LGBTQ community trusting us to help them in their journey to parenthood through egg donation and surrogacy. There are many steps in the egg donor process, and/or the surrogacy process and our goal is to help intended parents understand the process well. Also, our hope is to make the egg donor process and surrogacy process as easy and stress free as possible for all parties.
Ultimately, our hope is that the LGBTQ community is supported every day in their homes, communities, and countries. We understand that it is up to each of us as individuals, and businesses too, to communicate our support not only during LGBTQ Pride month but always. One small token of our support is our donation to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project, founded in 1998, is a leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people under 25.
Contact Pathways To Parenthood today for information about using an egg donor and/or surrogate to build your family. Call us at 913-469-5500 or email us at info@pathwaystoparenthood.com.