IRL surrogacy stories – a whole world of experiences to mine, bank and discuss

From Reddit to fame

On forums like Reddit BabyBumps (there are quite a few that focus on surrogacy stories – rants, nuanced results and all) and r/ivfwomen share honest, everyday accounts of the surrogacy process – both stimulating and beautiful. A message says:

“I didn’t expect to cry when the parents held their baby for the first time. It was their joy that attracted me. All the medications, the injections, the appointments, it was worth it.

These popular stories sit alongside stories of Solve.org (the National Fertility Association, established in 1974) and agencies like those we spoke with, showing how varied surrogacy can be and how much the heart is involved.

Share their story With RESOLVE, Jenn and Brad Nixon were diagnosed with infertility in 2009 after two years of trying to conceive. In 2012, they performed three IUIs and got pregnant on their third try, but lost their pregnancy at sixteen weeks. Shortly after Jenn’s D&C surgery, doctors discovered that she had previously unknown heart problems that had impaired her heart function. After several unsuccessful heart procedures, Jenn and Brad learned that it would not be safe for Jenn to carry a pregnancy.

“Once we discovered we needed to pursue other paths to parenthood, we knew right away we wanted to pursue gestational surrogacy,” Jenn said.

The Nixons’ gestational carrier is a friend who volunteered to help them have a child – she did not ask for compensation.

“So I [Jenn] try to repay her in any way possible. Any little thing that makes her feel loved – anything to say “thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me become a mom!” »

Less IRL, for celebrities who have spoken out about using surrogacy, from Kim Kardashian and Gabrielle Union to Priyanka Chopra and Lucy Liu, there is almost always the same emotional line: gratitude, awe and understanding of the women who helped them start their families.

As Vogue explored in Having a baby with a surrogate motherModern surrogacy represents both scientific progress and the age-old human desire for connection.