Having another woman bear a child for a couple to raise is recorded in history. Babylonian law and custom allowed this practice and infertile woman could use the practice to avoid divorce, which would otherwise be inevitable.

One well-known example is the Biblical story of Sarah and Abraham, a nomadic Hebrew couple unable to conceive. Sarah offered her Egyptian slave Hagar as a surrogate, but later drove her away from the camp when Hagar became disrespectful during the pregnancy. Hagar fled to Egypt, where an angel told her that her son Ishmael would become a leader amongst the Hebrews; she subsequently returned to Sarah and Abraham.

Many developments in medicine, social customs, and legal proceedings worldwide paved the way for modern surrogacy.

1870s–It became common practice in China for couples to pay for an adopted son. All ties to the biological family would be severed, and the child would become an heir and full member of the adopted family.

1930s–In the U.S., pharmaceutical companies Schering-Kahlbaum and Parke-Davis started the mass production of estrogen.

1944–Harvard Medical School, professor John Rock broke ground by becoming the first person to fertilize human ova outside the uterus.

1953–Researchers successfully performed the first cryopreservation of sperm.

1971–The first commercial sperm bank opened in New York, which spurred the growth of surrogacy into a highly profitable venture.

1978– Louise Brown, the first test tube baby, was born in England. She was the product of the first successful in vitro fertilization procedure.

1980–Michigan lawyer Noel Keane wrote the first surrogacy contract.

1985–a woman carried the first successful gestational surrogate pregnancy!
Shared Conception is proud to be a forward-thinking agency who strives to make families happy, fulfilled and complete. As we inch towards the end of 2013, it seems fitting to look back on the root of our beginnings. You know the old saying, “You can’t move forward without looking back.”

Alright, how could a husband be okay with the idea of his wife carrying another man’s child? What husband would support his wife through a pregnancy and delivery, all to make someone else’s family complete? Actually, the number of men who’ve helped their wives give birth to babies for other families is growing. These “surrogate husbands” tend to be middle-class fathers in their 30s, experts say. They are “confident and supportive,” says Elaine Gordon, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who wrote a book for children born through surrogacy entitled, “Mommy, Did I Grow in Your Tummy?”
These men are crucial to helping thousands of couples have babies.

Here at Shared Conception, a married woman is encouraged not to become a surrogate unless her husband–who also has to undergo psychological and financial screening–gives his written consent. After all, his involvement is too important to the surrogacy process for him to be anything less than fully supportive.

Our agency remind husbands that there can be medical emergencies and months of bed rest, in addition to possibly administering the daily hormone shots into their wives before they even get pregnant. Let’s also remember that at times, these selfless husbands will have to play a larger role in the upkeep of their home and the maintenance of their kids. When their wives are too tired, at doctors’ appointments or meeting with the intended parents, this man will have to pick up kids, feed kids, solely help with homework and transport to extracurricular activities. The surrogacy process is not only about the woman, her spouse surely is a significant part of it all.

At the end of the surrogacy pregnancy though, this couple who have changed the lives of the intended parents, will have a new appreciation for each other. They will, more than likely, bond even closer together and the husband will view his wife with an intense appreciation unlike any other. THEIR journey continues as they successfully live out their lives with their own family.

The holiday season is around the corner. We are all making those Thanksgiving plans and Christmas decorations started popping up almost immediately after the summer.
Months earlier, a couple with fertility issues, became “intended parents” as they made the decision to partner with a surrogacy agency, pinpoint the best surrogate mother and finally have the baby of their dreams. It’s a joyous and emotional time as both parties embark on the surrogacy process!
Those intended parents are now wondering how to handle the upcoming excitement of the season, anticipate the arrival of their baby while celebrating the surrogate mother without fully intruding on her own personal family celebrations.

Here are a few tips-it’s all possible!

-Communicate to the surrogate mother that you all want to share aspects of the upcoming holiday season with her and her family and mutually agree upon how it can happen.

-Send or give your surrogate a gift card to her favorite restaurant-she and her family will enjoy spending an evening there.

-Gift your surrogate family with a special Christmas tree ornament.
-Bake or present her and her family with her favorite dessert – yum!

-The husband of your surrogate may appreciate a gift card to his favorite home improvement store or an outing at the local golf course. This man is a huge part of the surrogacy process, after all!

-If applicable, arrange a kid-friendly outing for your surrogate, her husband and her kids-how fun for them!

-Share your heartfelt thoughts and wishes with your surrogate mother as you both enter the holiday season. Let her know how much her, and your baby growing inside of her, mean as Thanksgiving approaches-there is much to celebrate.

-Send the surrogate parents a bottle of their favorite wine with a fun card saying “for future purposes!”

-If it’s appropriate, attend a holiday or religious event together.
Most of all, always communicate how you all wish her and her family “all good things” as this season of joy and goodwill rounds the corner.

Here at Shared Conception, it is our sincere wish that you all experience a shared sense of happiness throughout the season. Call on us as needed!

If you are pregnant with more than one baby, then you are already aware that you may need some special TLC for this pregnancy. If you have only had single births before, you will definitely want to know the special conditions that come with carrying multiples. It can be extra exciting as well, because you are blessing someone with more than they expected.

Surrogate Mothers Carrying Multiples: Nutrition and Fitness

Be sure you are take a high quality prenatal vitamins which include the crucial nutrients folic acid, calcium and DHA. You’ll also want to monitor your iron intake. Remember, you may be going in for more doctor visits than with a single pregnancy. Keeping an eye on yourself nutritionally while also working with your doctor is especially important.

Extra babies mean extra calories. Roughly 300 calories per day should be added for each baby. So if you are carrying twins, add another 600 calories. Be sure to check with your doctor if you are carrying morethan twinsto be sure you are consuming enough calories, but not too many. Eating a well-balanced diet is important. Getting a lot of vegetables, lean proteins, calcium-rich and other nutrient dense foods are great for multiples.

Exercise is very important for surrogate mothers carrying multiples. It helps keep you and the babies’ bodies healthy. Even though you need to exercise to keep those babies healthy, you need to take a different approach. You can’t overwork yourself. After talking to your doctor, do some stretching, walking and light swimming. You can tire out much more quickly carrying babies, but exercise will help you manage your energy levels.

Enjoying Your Multiples

Now we get into the good stuff; enjoying those two or more babies that are growing so fast in your belly. Have you thought about how you will keep track of your milestones? Multiples are so special and rare, that some people create blogs around their multiples. Even though you are a surrogate mom who will have them for a short time, why not talk about your experiences? You can really help out other moms who are carrying multiples. Next, share on social media. Putting up status updates and sharing your incredible experiences with family and friends makes it so much more exciting. However, make sure you don’t mention the intended parents’ names or anything that could identify them. Take pictures, create scrapbooks, collages, videos; whatever you can do to really make it more memorable. Share all this with the intended parents. Making memories of multiples is definitely a labor of love.

How does surrogate mother compensation work? There is usually an agreement between the surrogate mother and the intended parent or parents. First, there is a base fee. This fee is paid to the surrogate mother to cover her time though her pregnancy.

Carrying a child for nine months is literally a labor of love. So how does compensation for such a tall order work? There are medical and incidental costs to consider. There is a standard by which surrogate mother compensation adheres to.

When a couple and a surrogate mom sign a contract, they agree on all components of the compensation. The surrogate mother is carrying a baby to help someone receive one of the greatest gifts in life. Although it’s difficult to put a number on such a kind act, the base fees can be anywhere from $18,000 to $35,000.

The fees are paid out monthly to the surrogate mothers. The reason it is not done in one lump sum is in case something happens to the embryo or fetus. Even mothers who take good care of themselves and unborn babies can still experience miscarriages. In this way, surrogates are still compensated for the time they are pregnant.

Surrogate Mother Expenses

Surrogate mother expenses can be lumped into one large lump sum, which can be broken down into smaller expenses.

Time
Medical expenses
Transportation
Lost wages
Legal fees
Child care (for existing children)
Insurance
Agency fees
Miscellaneous fees

There are many small expenses that can be taken into account.

A special note about insurance.

Some surrogates have their own insurance which will help cover maternity costs. Surrogates without insurance must be insured by the intended parents. At the current time, insurance choices are very limited in the state of Texas. For this reason, surrogates who have their own insurance command higher compensation. Surrogates are not allowed to use Medicaid for their surrogacy journey.

There are many costs and expenses involved with surrogate mother compensation. The best thing to do is to research, talk to people, get on forums and connect with professionals. Getting a handle on expenses is one of the best ways to be prepared for the financial aspect of surrogacy.

If you really think about it, the actual process of surrogacy sounds is an amazing advance in reproductive technology. The act of creating an embryo and placing it into someone to carry for nine months, so that someone else can raise that baby sounds like it comes straight out of a science fiction novel. We are lucky to be living in a time where this can be done, usually successfully. As you also know, the technology does not take out the very emotional element that affects everyone – the parents-to-be, siblings, grandparents, etc. To find a surrogate mother is to find someone who can handle this complex combination of technology and emotion.

Finding a Surrogate Mother You Can Trust

Finding a surrogate mother you can trust first means that she must be completely informed as to what is going to happen throughout the entire process. It takes experience and the ability to be thorough in order to inform a potential surrogate on what is to come. It takes resources to dip into a pool of good potential surrogate mother. Also, qualifying the potential surrogate mother makes sure that she is up to the task physically as well as emotionally.

Things To Consider When Finding a Surrogate Mother

When finding a surrogate mother, think about your own assumptions and expectations.

What is required?

What would be nice to see, but not a deal breaker?

What would be an absolute deal breaker for you?

Always be evaluating your own standards, to be sure that they are realistic and fair. Always be researching and learning something new about the process.

Set intentions about how you want the pregnancy to go. Write them down and organize your thoughts. Then, sit down with a potential surrogate and ask her what she thinks, like communication, diet, exercise, etc.

Finding a surrogate mother is a big decision. You will want to make sure you consider all your options, like age, lifestyle, medical history and family medical history. Above all else, trust your heart, when you meet someone. Trusting your heart can be the single most effective way of finding the surrogate mother of your dreams.

Besides helping to create a family, any pregnancy including a surrogate pregnancy, brings about positive changes. Several of those changes are great benefits to your body. The following are some of the top benefits that you may not know.

• Fewer Cramps: Your menstrual cycle will naturally resume after childbirth. Some women find that they may have fewer bothersome cramps or menstrual pain cease altogether. This pain reduction is a well-known phenomenon, but no one knows for sure why it occurs. One theory is that childbirth eliminates some of the prostaglandin receptor sites in the uterus. Prostaglandins; hormones that direct the uterus to contract during labor, also play a role in monthly menstrual pain. Fewer pain-receptor sites equal fewer cramps.
• Lower cancer risk: Pregnancy may be an effective protector against breast and ovarian cancers. The more pregnancies you go through, the greater the effect. In addition, some research has found that breastfeeding (or pumping if you’re a surrogate) for more than three months can also lower your risk of certain cancers.
• Greater Senses: Pregnancy seems to enhance your perception of taste and smell. Yes, that same smell that made morning sickness worse in early pregnancy can make foods taste especially delicious later on. Some experts credit this to high levels of estrogen.
• Healthy lifestyle: Pregnancy causes many women to institute various kinds of positive health changes and encourage women to drop bad habits, such as smoking. These new health habits become shifts to a healthier lifestyle.
• Confidence Boost: Labor and delivery are compared to a marathon for a reason. After giving birth or even while pregnant, women feel a sense of accomplishment. Carrying a child is the ultimate do-it-yourself project that is sure to make any woman proud; not to mention the joy of knowing that as a surrogate you helped complete a family!

In addition to happiness, these are just a few of the many joyous things having children can bring.

 

Some intended parents prefer that the surrogate not take a home pregnancy test and wait for the blood tests which is usually administered 10-14 days after a transfer. However, for those who just can’t wait until the blood tests, here’s the scoop on home pregnancy tests. How accurate are they? Which ones are the best?

Home pregnancy tests measure the presence of a pregnancy hormone that is produced by the placenta called hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine. Even though many tests claim to be “greater than 99 percent accurate”, a study published in 2011 in the journal Clinical Chemistry and laboratory medicine showed that this is misleading. Although the tests may be able to detect the hormone in your urine and give you a positive result, most aren’t sensitive enough to guarantee you an accurate result.

Test sensitivity is the lowest reported concentration of hCG that the test can detect. For example, a pregnancy test that claims to be able to detect hCG at 20 mIU/ml should theoretically be more sensitive than one that claims to detect it at 50 mIU/ml. The following tests are the best on the market.

• First Response Early Result (Est. $16) – It is actually the most sensitive on the market. This test is able to detect hCG in the urine BEFORE a missed period, which is almost unheard of for a home pregnancy test.
• The First Response Gold (Est. $20) – It gives you results up to five days before you miss your period. This test also offers an easy to read display. The “test is working” display feature shows women that they are using the test properly, and lets you know that the test is in good working order.
• ClearBlue Easy (Est. $14) – While this test from ClearBlue Easy is not as sensitive as the First Response Early Result test, its digital results make it easy to read and it turns pink when it is being used correctly.

Some surrogates start testing as early as five days post transfer but beware that the line may not show up that early or it may be extremely faint!

Whether you decide to wait for the blood test or whether you try one of these home pregnancy tests, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for you and hoping for a safe and happy surrogacy journey!

Prices provided by walgreens.com.