Surrogates

Surrogates

When individuals or families are unable to have children of their own after years of struggling, they will often turn to alternative options to complete their families. Surrogacy is one of those options.

In surrogacy, a woman who is able to carry a child will do so for a family that cannot have children. If you are considering becoming a surrogate mother but aren’t sure of your next steps, you’ve come to the right place.

Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc. is prepared to match you with a family that has longed for children. Being a surrogate is truly a gift, and families do not take it lightly. You are effectively making their dreams come true, and for that, they will be deeply grateful.

Many details go into a surrogacy arrangement, however, and you need to be prepared for each and every one of them before you decide to move forward with surrogacy. This is meant to protect your own wellbeing and that of families who desire nothing more than a baby to love and cherish. Read on for more information on surrogacy and becoming a surrogate mother.

Options Available to Surrogates

If you are unsure of which form of surrogacy would work best for you, your surrogacy professional at Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc. will discuss all of the pros and cons of each type of surrogacy with you in detail so you can make an educated decision that will fulfill your wishes.

You need to make sure you are being honest with yourself about which form will be easier on you—both physically and emotionally. Our staff can help you work through your emotions and concerns to determine which type of surrogacy is the best fit for you, your body, and your family.

Gestational Surrogacy

In a gestational surrogacy arrangement, the surrogate mother will undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) in order to become pregnant. Here, donor sperm and eggs or the eggs and sperm of the intended parents will be fertilized and the embryo implanted in the surrogate mother’s uterus. If the implantation is successful, the surrogate mother will become pregnant.

Generally speaking, heterosexual couples and women who are unable to carry a pregnancy to full term opt for gestational surrogacy because they’ll be able to use their own eggs and sperm and therefore be the genetic parents of the baby.

For the families, gestational surrogacy is a somewhat more expensive option, but many are more than willing to spend the extra money to be biologically related to their babies.

Traditional Surrogacy

When looking into traditional surrogacy, it’s important that you are aware that you will be the biological mother of the baby that is born. The surrogate mother uses her own eggs, which are fertilized with the sperm of a donor or the intended father in an intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedure.

Women who don’t have viable eggs and same-sex couples will often be more interested in a traditional surrogacy arrangement. However, there are many pros and cons of traditional surrogacy.

Because the surrogate mother is using her own eggs and will be the biological mother, steps will need to be taken to terminate her parental rights upon the birth of the baby. For you, the potential surrogate mother, this can be addressed when developing your surrogacy contract.

An advantage of traditional surrogacy is that it is much less expensive for intended parents than gestational surrogacy, as the surrogate mother does not necessarily need to go through additional medical procedures in order to become pregnant.

Qualifications for Becoming a Surrogate Mother

You’ll need to meet several requirements before you can become a surrogate mother. At Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc., we want to ensure that you can safely carry a healthy baby to term without complications. Some of the criteria you should be prepared to meet may include the following:

  • Be a non-smoker
  • Abstain from illegal or dangerous drugs
  • Have a healthy body mass index
  • Undergo extensive mental health evaluations
  • Be free of sexually transmitted infections
  • Be the right age to carry a healthy baby
  • Already have carried at least one full-term baby with an
    uncomplicated pregnancy, labor, and delivery

These are just a few of the qualifications for becoming a surrogate mother. Your surrogacy professional can go over a complete list of criteria with you when you schedule your first appointment at Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc.

Preparing for Surrogacy

The best thing you can do before moving forward with a surrogacy arrangement is educate yourself as much as possible about what’s to come. This includes the health impacts, the requirements for becoming a surrogate, the different types of surrogacy available to you, and, most importantly, whether you will be able to deal with the emotional aspects of surrogacy.

Growing a baby and then allowing the child to be raised by his or her rightful parents is not easy; in fact, it can take an emotional toll on surrogate mothers who have formed an attachment to the baby. You will need to undergo extensive mental health evaluations to determine whether you are capable of handling this basic transaction behind surrogacy.

While this may seem insensitive to surrogate mothers, unprepared surrogate mothers too often form inappropriate emotional attachments to babies who aren’t theirs to raise, and this can make the days and weeks after the birth traumatic for everyone involved. This is why it’s critical that you are prepared for the psychological impacts of surrogacy.

Surrogates FAQ

There are many aspects of surrogacy that you may not yet understand. We have compiled a list of some of the most common questions surrogates have about what they should expect from surrogacy. Read on to see if your question has been answered here, and give us a call to ask any other questions you have.

How is compensation for surrogates determined?

Compensation for surrogates can vary and is often based on the details of the surrogacy. Surrogate mothers often receive base compensation for the surrogate pregnancy and have their medical bills and various other expenses covered. Give us a call to discuss the exact compensation you could stand to receive as a surrogate mother.

Do you accept international surrogates?

We are an international surrogacy agency that can work with surrogates from all over the world, as well as intended parents from all over the world. It’s important to note that international surrogacy laws can be quite complex. Our founder is a highly trained attorney with years of experience with these laws. She will make sure you’re prepared for everything your unique surrogacy agreement will entail.

What is it like to be a surrogate mother?

Surrogate mothers often report that surrogacy is a wonderful, highly rewarding experience, but it isn’t always easy. There are, of course, the difficulties of pregnancy in general, but then there are the psychological aspects of preparing yourself to carry a baby that won’t be yours to care for after it’s born. Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc. can help you through every step of this process.

Become a Surrogate Mother

There is no greater gift than a baby to a family who, for whatever reason, is unable to carry a child of their own. When you are ready to begin the process of becoming a surrogate mother, reach out to a compassionate surrogacy professional at Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc. We’re ready to begin matching you with loving and eager intended parents.

If you’re interested in becoming a surrogate mother, you can schedule your initial appointment with Baby Steps Surrogacy Center, Inc. today by calling our office at 412-281-9906 or by filling out the convenient contact form at the bottom of this page.