Surrogacy Australia Conversations

Rachel, from Melbourne, birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide September 2022 for a couple who were strangers and now life long friends. Matt and Aldo are now dads to their son Ari and have embraced Rachel as part of their modern family. Rachel's story is also unique as she has not had children of her own before surrogacy. These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogac...

Sam and his husband Sam from Coffs Harbour became parents to their son Charlie in September 2023. Allison, who also lives locally, was their surrogate and they knew her socially before starting their journey. Their egg donor, Claire, was previously work colleague of the other Sam and has been a part of their second family for many years already. You can hear from his surrogate, Allison, in episode...

Angela birthed as a surrogate in Tamworth in December 2019 for a couple who were friends of a friend and they connected through a facebook post. The parents, Casey and Andrew, live nearby with their first son Nate and surro bub Darcy. She is a single mum to four children of her own. These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogacy Australia. If you would like to att...

A recap of our webinar titled 'Becoming an advocate for surrogacy in Australia'. If you’re keen to help us spread the word about surrogacy in Australia, regardless of what month/year you’re listening to this episode, please get in touch via email to volunteer your time.  anna@surrogacyaustralia.org Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-45-help-us...

Hear from Dr Shadi Khashaba (IVF Specialist and dad himself through surrogacy) as he takes us through: ❤️ How are the eggs collected from a donor? 🧡 How are the embryos made and genetically tested? 💛 What tests will the surrogate need? 💚 How is a surrogate's menstrual cycle tracked prior to embryo transfer? 💙 Who is present at embryo transfer? 💜 Can a surrogate have a natural cycle instead of...

Mira and her husband Daniel are parents through surrogacy - twice! Their first son, Thomas, was born in July 2021 in Canada with surrogate Nadine. Their second son, Angus, was born in September in 2023 with their surrogate Lisa. Lisa is Daniel's sister and the two families live in Sydney.  You can hear from her sister-in-law, Lisa, in episode 42.  These podcasts were recorded as part of the free w...

Lisa birthed as a surrogate in Sydney in September 2023 for her brother Daniel and his wife Mira. They had a little boy, Angus, who made a big brother out of Thomas who was born through surrogacy in Canada. Lisa's husband Vincent and two young daughters went on this journey together and have helped to expand a family.  You can hear from her sister-in-law, Mira, in episode 43.  These podcasts were...

The fourth trimester refers to the first three months after birth. This episode salutes one phenomenal resource which surrogacy teams should ALL use as their road map “ Surrogate Post Birth Emotional Needs – A Guide for Intended Parents ” by Psychologist Katrina Hale.  Pair this episode with episode 37 - The Third Trimester . Katrina Hale’s podcast on the Fourth Trimester in the Resources section...

Meg and her partner, Matt, became parents to their daughter (Imogen) in September 2022. Imogen was carried by their surrogate who was a former work colleague of Meg's and they all live in Brisbane. Meg needed a surrogate after radiation therapy to her pelvis damaged her ovaries and uterus. These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogacy Australia. If you would like...

Merindah birthed as a surrogate on the Central Coast in November 2020 for a couple who were previously friends through her wife’s work. They had a little girl, Josie, and the two dads live in Sydney.  Merindah's wife Kelly can be heard (with 2 others) on an episode about Partners of Surrogates. Watch it on youtube or listen to it on episode 36 . My own reflection piece about my postnatal depressio...

Andrew and Sam from Canberra became parents to their daughter Paige in December 2020 and son Cole in February 2023. Bonnie, who lives on the Sunshine Coast and knew Sam from high school, was their Traditional surrogate, meaning it was her egg. The births were total opposites with Paige needing to be in the NICU for 7 weeks but Cole was a homebirth. They have been advocates for legalising Tradition...

The Third Trimester refers to the last 13 weeks of a 40 week pregnancy. This episode shares contacts and resources, and unpacks the idea (by Psychologist Sarah-Jayne Duryea) that "Babies are gestated in the mind as well as the body " Psychologists mentioned in this episode: Queensland - Narelle Dickinson at Lotus Health and Psychology New South Wales - Katrina Hale Victoria - Sarah-Jayne Duryea at...

Guests: Jayden, Kelly and Troy Hear from 3 people who supported their partners through Australian surrogacy. What were your first thoughts when she brought up the idea of being a surrogate? How did you find IPs? How did your children feel about their mum being a surrogate? How did your extended family react? How was the pregnancy? How was the birth and those first few weeks/months after? Surrogate...

Angela and husband Sandro from Melbourne, became parents to their daughter (Milana) in November 2016. Milana was carried by surrogate Cindy, who was previously a stranger, and was also created using donor eggs from Melinda whom they met through Egg Donation Australia. It was a very long journey to parenthood with Angela birthing 2 stillbirths at 24 weeks and 2 miscarriages before a 4 year surrogac...

Talitha birthed as a surrogate on the Sunshine Coast on New Years Day 2023 for a couple who were previously friends. Talitha expressed milk for little Leo for 9 weeks, as well as direct feeding for the first 3 days until her milk came in. Their IPs, Sindia and Tom, are from Brisbane and Talitha and her husband, Barton, were friends with Dad Tom long before surrogacy. These podcasts were recorded a...

Amazing - is the answer from most surrogates. Hear the answers from 3 surrogates about their experiences. Community member, and dad-through-surrogacy, Tyson has worked hard to plan and edit an interview with 3 surrogates from Australia. ❤️Are you thinking about being a surrogate but have some concerns and want to hear from 'real' surrogates about what it's like? 💚Are you an Intended Parent (IP) a...

Nathan and Troy, from Sydney, became parents to their son (Noah) in May 2023. They are actually a SASS team and came to us already self matched. Noah was carried by their surrogate Amy, who has been friends with Nathan since high school. They navigated a journey with some distance (Sydney to the Central Coast) and moved to stay closer to Amy and her family from a month before birth to 8 months pos...

Lee birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide in June 2019. She carried for her cousin Hannah, who is a single mum, and they had a little girl, Imara. Lee has been an active member of the Adelaide surrogacy community, spoken at surrogacy seminars and has supported many of her surro sisters through their journeys.  You can hear from her cousin, Hannah, in episode 28 .  These podcasts were recorded as part...

Featuring: Psychologist Narelle Dickinson We hear from Narelle as she explores the findings of her research: ❤️ Is TS (Traditional surrogacy) harder on the surrogacy relationship? 🧡 Are TS more/less supported by their IPs? 💛 How do TS/GS perceive the surrogate pregnancy compared to their own? 💚 Do TS have a harder time relinquishing the baby? 💙 Is there more conflict between the surrogate and...

GS = Gestational Surrogate (not the egg of the surrogate) TS = Traditional Surrogate (using the egg of the surrogate) Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-29-what-is-gs-and-ts Looking to find a surrogate in Australia? Consider joining SASS . Looking for an overview of surrogacy? Join us in a free, fortnightly Wednesday night webinar . Looking to...

Hannah became a mum through surrogacy in June 2019. Her daughter, Imara, was carried and birthed by Lee, who is Hannah's cousin. Hannah is a midwife and was diagnosed with MRKH in her early 20s, which essentially means she was born without a uterus.     Hannah has been a Mentor with SASS, especially for single mums, and has supported many new Intended Parents at the beginning of their journey. At...

Jess and husband, Jayden, live in Adelaide with their 2 girls and she has birthed another 2 girls as a surrogate, Amalia in May 2020 and Oriana in July 2023. The dads, Baden and Nelson, previously strangers and now friends for life, live in QLD so their journey was long distance and in the peak of Covid the first time. Jess’ husband Jayden can be heard (with 2 others) on a webinar episode about Pa...

Dane and Ben from Newcastle became parents to baby boy Rupert in January 2022. Rupert was carried and birthed by their surrogate Chelsea who was previously a stranger and who lived on the Gold Coast now NZ. Dane's sister is their egg donor so there is a whole village involved to create their son! These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogacy Australia. If you wou...

Each mum is different and it’s ok to have lots of different feelings. Mums through surrogacy may feel some initial jealousy, but they soon move past this and embrace the unique and beautiful way of bringing a child into this world. Engaging in some counselling with an experienced surrogacy counsellor is recommended to work through these feelings.  One mum through surrogacy, Elle, talks about her f...

Danni birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide in February 2021 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little girl, Evie, for Sarah and Ben. Danni was initially a gestational surrogate for the couple but they moved to traditional surrogacy - meaning Danni is also the egg donor. Danni has been a SASS Surrogate Mentor, was the long term host of our Zoom monthly...