Surrogacy Australia Conversations

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...

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...