Surrogacy in 2021: Taking the first step…
You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.
Martin Luther King Jr.
As we begin this fresh new year, there are many hopes and dreams we all carry in our hearts for 2021. If having a baby is one of your dreams, and surrogacy is part of that dream, taking the first step can be very difficult. Making the decision to build your family through surrogacy can certainly be daunting enough. But it is just the beginning as you embark on the surrogacy process, which can feel so overwhelming. It is hard to take the first step because you may not know what the first step might be, and how many steps there are.
Consulting with a surrogacy agency can be so helpful if you find yourself in this situation. As the quote from Martin Luther King Jr. states, you don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step! It would sure be helpful though wouldn’t it? Talking with a reputable surrogacy agency can be the first step that helps you see the whole staircase. They can also assist you in developing a plan and timeline to get the top!
If you aren’t quite ready to embark on your surrogacy process yet, that is okay! It can still be quite beneficial to take the first step of gathering information and developing your plan. Below are a few questions that a consultation with a surrogacy agency can help you with as you consider building your family through surrogacy.
- What are the costs for the surrogacy process?
- How long does it take to have a baby using a surrogate?
- What is the surrogacy matching process like?
- What is the surrogacy screening process?
- What kind of women want to become a surrogate?
- Is surrogacy legal? What is the legal process for surrogacy?
You likely have more questions than are on this list, but it is a good start. These are very important questions to get answers to as you take the first step of gathering information about having a baby through surrogacy. Whatever your hopes and dreams are, may they be fulfilled in 2021!
If it is your dream to help a family become parents by becoming a surrogate, contact Pathways To Parenthood today and get started. If your dream is having a baby and surrogacy is an option you are considering, take the first step and contact Pathways To Parenthood today! 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 www.pathwaystoparenthood.com.
Happy Holidays From Pathways To Parenthood: An Egg Donor & Surrogacy Agency
From our family to yours, may this holiday season bring you peace, comfort, and joy. It is likely that will look a bit different this year for all of us, but we hope it is attainable for you and yours!
With the new year right around the corner (thank goodness!), we also wish you a fresh new start! If your fresh start includes building your family through egg donation or surrogacy, let’s talk! If you wish to help others by becoming an egg donor or becoming a surrogate, let’s talk!
If surrogacy and/or egg donation is your path to parenthood, or if you wish to help a family become parents by becoming a surrogate or egg donor, contact Pathways To Parenthood today and get started. We have helped surrogates and intended parents come together in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, and Arkansas. If you live in the Midwest, we are the surrogacy agency for you! You can reach us at 913-469-5500 or at kerry@pathwaystoparenthood.com
One final thought for closing out 2020 and beginning anew in 2021:
New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.
Lao Tzu
Matching With Intended Parents: Do Surrogates Get To Choose?
This is a good and important question. And the answer is, it depends. There are many important steps in the surrogacy process when becoming a surrogate. One step that most potential surrogates are curious about, and view as extremely important is having a voice in the matching process. Surrogates prefer, and rightfully so, to have a say in the family they will work with.
One might wonder why this is even a topic to write about. The reason is simple: some surrogacy agencies do not give surrogates much say in the family they match with. A surrogacy agency that has a more business-oriented approach to the surrogacy journey may not understand the importance of having surrogates be fully engaged and involved in the decision-making matching process. If you are looking into becoming a surrogate, and it is important to you to have a say in who you match with, say so! Ask any surrogacy agency you consider working with about their matching process and how it works. Inquire about the steps in the matching process.
Becoming a surrogate and helping someone have a baby is one of the biggest and most important decisions you will make in your life. It can and should be an amazing experience that creates wonderful memories. The memories from your surrogacy journey will be with you forever so be sure they are all that you want them to be! Matching with the right family will greatly increase the likelihood of having wonderful memories of your surrogacy process and experience.
If you have it in your heart 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
My Surrogacy Experience: The Journey Continues By: Haley Casillas
Recently I wrote about events that led to my becoming a surrogate. It was a dream that started in my early childhood which came to fruition after having my own child and moving back home to be close to my family.
After deciding to work with my surrogacy agency, Pathways To Parenthood, and completing their screening process, I quickly started the matching process. After writing a letter to prospective intended parents, I waited patiently for the next steps. I didn’t have to wait long! I received a letter from my future family. They had already read my letter to them. I was in my car when I received the letter in an email from my surrogacy agency, so I pulled over to read it. I was so excited to read about them and their story. Their letter brought me to tears. They had so many struggles that lead them to surrogacy. Instantly I felt connected to them and wanted to help them.
Soon after, Pathways To Parenthood introduced me to the intended parents, and we got to know each other a bit before having our match meeting. We spent hours talking and emailing with each other before our match meeting, so I felt like I already knew them well enough to know for certain I wanted to help them. We did have an official “match meeting” and we were all able to meet in person at Pathways To Parenthood’s office. I knew when I sat down that they were the right family for me. I was hopeful they felt the same way about me. Fortunately, they did! And so off we went together to have a baby!
We had many steps in the process before we got to the day, we had all been waiting for-embryo transfer! I am sure everyone that has gone through what we were going through has experienced nervousness and stress. But I was really nervous and stressed! I so wanted my body to cooperate with the process and not let everyone down. Especially since we only had one embryo! One beautiful baby boy embryo!
Luckily that is all we needed. I got pregnant! It was exciting and surreal! And then COVID hit! So, the surrogacy journey became a little complicated after that. But we all made it through, and Baby D came into the world. The feelings I had waiting for the intended parents to come to the hospital before he was born, and then to see his loving family take him in their arms after leaving my body, are truly indescribable!! My heart is full. I just love happy endings! That was the end of my surrogacy journey, but the beginning of a beautiful life for Baby D and his family. My dream of becoming a surrogate, being a surrogate, and helping complete a family had finally come true.
