Surrogacy Australia Conversations

On the topic of: How to find a surrogate (What to do while waiting to connect) Guests: Trudy, Alex and Carlo, Sue Hear from 3 sets of Intended Parents who have been active members of the Australian surrogacy community. * How do I find a surrogate from family/friends? * How do I find an unknown surrogate? * How long will it take to find a surrogate? * What does it mean to be 'active' in the communi...

Lauryn and David are parents through surrogacy - TWICE! Their surrogate Sarah, from Canberra, was previously a stranger and now a life long friend. Sarah carried and birthed their daughters, Everlie, in April 2019 and Piper in November 2022. Lauryn needed surrogacy as she was born without a uterus, also known as MRKH syndrome. For their first journey, Lauryn and David lived in Victoria and for the...

An anniversary for the surrogacy team to mark a significant event (that is not the birthday of surro bub). There are also other milestones which should be celebrated as a team, and I’ll unpack these in this episode. Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-21-what-is-a-surroversary Looking to find a surrogate in Australia? Consider joining SASS . Lo...

Leanne, a single mother of 3, birthed as a surrogate in July 2020 for two Intended Fathers who live in NSW. They were initially strangers, built a Surroship, navigated COVID, and welcomed a little girl into the world. Unfortunately the Surroship dissolved post birth. Leanne is proud of being a surrogate and how she and her children helped to create a family. They are now planning a new journey wit...

Josh and husband Cam from Brisbane became parents to baby boy Colton in June 2023. Colton was carried and birthed by their surrogate Machelle who was previously a stranger. Machelle lives near Toowoomba so they’re 2 and a half hours apart, and the distance does feel enormous when their team experienced 2 miscarriages at 6 and 10 weeks, and then a scare when 26 weeks pregnant.  These podcasts were...

This does happen sometimes because surrogacy is hard. Nobody wants this to happen. How can we try and prevent it? Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-18-what-if-the-relationship-dissolves-post-birth Looking to find a surrogate in Australia? Consider joining SASS . Looking for an overview of surrogacy? Join us in a free, fortnightly Wednesday ni...

Sarah birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide in March 2023 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little boy, Alfie, for parents Elle and Luke and made a big brother for Sonny. Sarah met bridesmaid Elle while photographing a wedding while heavily pregnant and also has a son named Sonny.  These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by...

Elle and her husband, Luke, from Adelaide expanded their family with son (Alfie) in March 2023. Alfie was carried by Sarah, whom they met at a mutual friend's wedding. Elle also has Sonny who is 4, two still born babies - Taj and Lenny, and needed a surrogate due to her cervix not holding pregnancies to term. You can hear Sarah’s version of this story in the next episode. These podcasts were recor...

Yes - is the answer from most surrogates. We become surrogates so we can continue to see the baby we birthed and also to continue the friendship with the Intended Parents (IPs).  Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-15-do-you-get-to-see-the-baby Looking to find a surrogate in Australia? Consider joining SASS . Looking for an overview of surrogac...

This episode features Psychologist Katrina Hale. She is committed to helping Intending Parents and Surrogates and their partners successfully navigate their surrogacy journey together. If you’d like to arrange your own session with Katrina, you can find her at katrinahalepsychology.com.au In this episode we explore how Love Languages look for surrogacy teams and how best to plan for them. The five...

Yes - but we do the altruistic model, not the commercial model. What are the differences between the two? Who is the legal parent at birth? What steps do you have to go through legally before getting pregnant? If you want to consider commercial overseas surrogacy, check out Growing Families . Previous episodes will explain How much surrogacy costs in Australia and How do I find a surrogate ? Check...

Jemma, from north QLD, birthed as a surrogate in Brisbane in March 2023 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. Despite her waters breaking 10 weeks early and an emergency C-section, she had a little boy, Rupert, at 32 weeks for two dads James and JimBob. Jemma is also an admin of EDA (Egg Donation Australia), has donated 13 times for 6 different families, with 7 b...

Adam and Angus from Sydney became parents to baby girl Vivian in October 2022. Vivian was carried and birthed by their surrogate Kate who was previously a stranger. Adam's sister is their egg donor and you may have seen their team featured on channel 9's show Big Miracles. You can hear Kate's version of their journey in episode 8 . These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series ru...

🤷🏻‍♀️ This is the million dollar question isn't it? As Intended Parents (IPs) you will find a surrogate who is either known or unknown to you. Which one are you more likely to find? How many surrogate births are there in Australia each year? Check out the full episode show notes: https://www.surrogacyaustralia.org/podcast/episode-9-how-do-i-find-a-surrogate Looking to find a surrogate in Austral...

Kate birthed as a surrogate in Sydney in October 2022 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little girl, Vivian, for two dads Angus and Adam. You may have seen their team featured on channel 9's show Big Miracles and can hear Adam’s version of this journey in episode 10.  These podcasts were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogacy A...

Are you an Intended Parent (IP) considering surrogacy but not how many months or years it will take? Once you’ve found a surrogate, how long might it take until you have your baby in your arms? How long do the different stages of the journey take? Can any stages be sped up? Another valuable resource is the Surrogacy Process Chart created by village member and dad through surrogacy, Tyson. It will...

Allison is a single mum living in Coffs Harbour, who birthed her third surrogate baby September 2022. Baby Charlie and his two dads also live locally, and the families knew each other socially before starting this journey.  Allison has previously birthed two boys as a gestational surrogate for other families in QLD, in 2013 and 2014, as well as helping 5 families through egg donation. She also hel...

Are you an Intended Parent (IP) considering surrogacy but not sure if you can afford it? What is the average amount and what is a reasonable range to expect? Which part of the journey will cost the most and how do the costs blow out? Another valuable resource is the Surrogacy Process Chart created by village member and dad through surrogacy, Tyson. It will give you guidance on how long surrogacy m...

Kirsty-Lea birthed as a surrogate in QLD in 2020 for a couple who were initially strangers. They surro dated, then completed the surrogacy paperwork before a failed embryo transfer and one where the embryo didn't survive being thawed out. They then juggled the intensity of hospital restrictions in 2020 to bring Anton into the world in November of that year.  These podcasts were recorded as part of...

Join me (Anna McKie) in conversation with surrogates and parents who have navigated Australian altruistic surrogacy. I am a gestational surrogate, high school Math teacher and surrogacy educator working with Surrogacy Australia and running SASS (Surrogacy Australia’s Support Service).  These conversations were recorded as part of the free webinar series run by Surrogacy Australia. If you would lik...