Watch Erica’s Surrogate Story in full or watch the parts that interest you!

Interested in becoming a surrogate like Heather?

What month and year was/were your surrogate baby/babies born?

July 2023

What originally inspired you to look into surrogacy?

Heart for those families that experience multiple miscarriages/infertility

What was your favorite or most memorable moment during this whole process?

Delivery day, where my intended parents got to meet their first child for the first time.

What was the most unexpected part of this process?

How stressful the last few weeks were, with some preterm contractions, leading up to delivery day. Having to handle my intended moms anxious thoughts regarding when baby was going to come, on top of handling my own children and husbands needs.

How was the matching process?

Went pretty smooth. Intended parents were amazing from the start! We had reservations about us being no term and the IPs having specific genetic conditions that they would terminate for. We were able to talk through some of those hesitancy’s and decided to move forward. I did feel some pressure to go with this couple quickly, even though we thought we’d have several different profiles to look through before we officially decided. Being new to the process I wasn’t exactly sure how to advocate for myself in the matching stage.

How was the pregnancy and how involved were the Intended Parents during the pregnancy?

Pregnancy went very smooth overall and intended parents were very involved, which Is what I wanted! I did gain the most weight in this pregnancy, being IVF- close to 65 pounds.

How did you talk to other people about the process, like your friends and family? Even strangers?

I was enthusiastic to most people who were ignorant or unaware of the process. I always shared my heart for women who struggle with infertility and that I wasn’t at all doing it for the money involved. There was a lot of education provided to curious friends and family, to explain the process.

How did you talk to your kids about surrogacy before, during and after the birth?

We had a picture of the intended parents on our frig to remind them that this baby wasn’t our baby but the couple on the frig! We were reminded to pray for the family and baby/pregnancy daily. We used several books that explained the concept of surrogacy and constantly was checking in to make sure they weren’t confused. Any sad or mixed emotions from them we tried to meet them with time and space to explain further and provide support.

How was your delivery and post-pregnancy?

Delivery went pretty smooth(except for taking longer to push out than my last two pregnancies, most likely due to it being my first induction) My body recovered very quickly compared to my other pregnancies, due to sleeping through the night. I pumped for 2 weeks which was somewhat stressful but hope it was worth it to the IPs. No post delivery issues!

What were your feelings when you saw the IP(s) hold their baby/babies for the first time?

Incredible feeling of relief and excitement for them! Tears of joy!

What was one thing you wished you would have had in your hospital bag that you forgot?

Nothing I can think of

What did your kid(s) and/or partner say when meeting the baby?

They were happy to meet the baby we had been talking about for 9 months! We took pictures and spent time with the baby which helped with the closure.

What is your relationship and contact with the Intended Parents now?

We both check in about once a month, to wish another month of life! I hope to meet up in person when he turns 6 months to celebrate and then yearly at his birthday parties.

What were some of the benefits of working with an agency?

Having that personal touch to the process. Someone who’s been through it to explain the process in detail, step by step. Having the letters and packages was a sweet addition to the process, having additional support from an agency was extremely beneficial and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

What words of wisdom would you share with other/newer gestational carriers?

Slow down and don’t feel rushed in the matching process.Ask as many questions as possible and reach out for the emotional support you need. I’d suggest being 100% open and honest with the social worker that does her check in- this was vital to having the adequate support for my mental health that I needed along the journey.

If you decided to be a gestational carrier again, what would be the reason?

To help another family, although my age and stage of life and spouses reservations, we are not looking to complete another journey at this time.

Is there anything else you want to add about your experience?

I would have loved having monthly meet ups with other GC in Colorado area. I tried the trivia nights a couple times and it wasn’t my cup of tea. I wanted the support group kind of feel, and it was always on a busy night for me, and we rarely seemed to talk about being GC, was more about playing games.