Intended parents can prepare themselves for surrogacy by doing adequate research and consulting reliable surrogacy professionals.
For many childless couples, the dream of becoming a parent is fulfilled through the gestational surrogacy process. New parents feel immense joy once they hold their baby/babies for the first time in your arms. Preparing for parenthood is essential for the intended parents as the baby grows within the uterus of the surrogate. In this article, we will see how intended parents can prepare themselves for surrogacy.
As parents of a child born out of surrogacy, you need to take care of many other things such as:
- Legal documentation,
- Financial arrangements,
- Medical emergencies, and
- Social challenges.
The intended parents need to be involved in the surrogacy process in order to identify themselves as the parents of the child. For single parents or same-sex couples, more research and time are needed to make sure they are on the right path.
Before they bring their new baby home, it is important for the intended parents to get to know about gestational surrogacy and prepare themselves for the benefits of surrogacy.
More resources on surrogacy topic:
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How much does gestational surrogacy cost?
Top 4 cheapest countries for surrogacy
These are the things that intended parents need to prepare themselves for the surrogacy process –
#1. First of all, consult a doctor
The very first thing, after you have decided to go for gestational surrogacy, is to consult a physician or more precisely a fertility specialist.
This is an essential process to review what you want from a gestational surrogate, the surrogacy cost, the insurance cost, legal implications, and other medical information.
Make sure every decision you make is based on the consultation of the doctor. Tell about any illness that you have been suffering from, and the medicines you are allergic to. All these little things will help your doctor know you better and prescribe a safe and effective procedure for you. Make sure you have done all the necessary check-ups before starting your surrogacy journey.
#2. Matching with surrogate
Having a perfect match for the intended parents is one of the most important steps in the surrogacy cycle. There are some desires and expectations to be met by the planned parents from the surrogate. So, here’s the process of how the match works-
- Once the surrogacy agency selects a surrogate mother and expected parents who have similar surrogacy plans, their profiles will be given to each other to see if there is interest in a profile. In the case of independent surrogacy or private surrogacy, parents reach out to potential surrogate mothers themselves. They can also look out for options like- surrogate mothers as a friend or relative.
- If both parties are interested in moving forward, by phone calls, emails, or in-person meetings they can better understand each other and then formalize the process by drafting the first legal contract. Prepare legally
Once the intended parents and the surrogate have decided to move together, they will both have to sign the surrogacy legal agreement. Both the planned parents and the surrogate will each have a different solicitor to ensure their interests are protected. Each party is required to meet separately with the attorney. Once everyone has met the contract’s common terms, the contract will be signed.
- For prospective surrogates: your attorney will consult with you to explore all surrogacy legal aspects, ranging from insurance to potential hazards. Your lawyer will review the agreement drafted by the parents ‘ attorney to ensure that it meets your requirements.
- For prospective intended parents: your attorney will consult with you personally to discuss your legal rights, potential hazards, and the agreement you and your partner agreed to.
#3. Prepare physically
Once the agreements have been signed, the medical procedures are now turned on. Medication will be given to the planned mother or egg donor to help her produce the eggs and go for an egg recovery surgery. In the process, the eggs are then fertilized to create an embryo. Then this embryo is passed to the surrogate’s uterus.
Once the surrogate is pregnant and the child’s heartbeat is heard, the surrogate will receive compensation and regular payments.
#4. Prepare yourself emotionally
With the fact that another woman or surrogate mother will carry and deliver their baby, intended parents have to prepare themselves emotionally. They must build a healthy relationship with the surrogate and all the amenities will have to be provided to her.
Make sure she qualifies in all aspects of the screening and is healthy for the nine months to carry your baby. For example, there will also be legal contracts involved. The surrogates need assessment and therapy because there are possible mental and emotional problems dependent on a surrogate mother’s connection to a baby.
#5. Stay connected
While undergoing the process of surrogacy you should stay connected to the surrogate as well as to your relatives. With the surrogate, you can possibly go for the ultrasound appointments, accompany her for the shopping, and many more. While it is important to stay connected with the surrogate, it is equally important to stay connected with your friends and family. Surrogacy is a new concept and it does not require that everyone understands it. It is okay to have mixed reactions from your family and friends on surrogacy. So, stay connected and stay strong.
#6. Prepare yourself financially
Commercial surrogacy is an expensive procedure and surrogacy costs in the USA can be ridiculously high.
The moment you plan for a new baby may be emotionally overwhelming in the anticipation and excitement of meeting your baby. Because you only have to prepare for nine months, it may feel like you don’t have enough time to prepare financially.
As surrogacy cost is much higher and can be out of reach of many would-be parents, they should take the time to understand the average surrogacy cost breakdown along with surrogate compensation.
The financial expenses in surrogacy include legal expenses, medical expenses, and agency expenses, surrogacy compensation, egg donor fee ( if needed).
IVF Clinic costs vary depending on the clinic being used, the treatment involved, whether an egg or sperm donor is needed, and how many IVF attempts are being made.
You should be aware of the costs you will have to pay throughout the nine months of pregnancy. It is expected that the intended parents will provide the surrogate mother with full care, medication, and payment, in addition to IVF treatment and related drugs. If you have financial constraints, it may also be a viable option to obtain a medical loan.
The concept of international surrogacy is catching up and many parents are opting for legal yet affordable surrogacy countries, where commissioning parents’ names come on baby birth certificates.
Read more about it.
#7. Stress management in surrogacy
Everybody understands that it can be difficult to be pregnant. There is an extra level of intensity during pregnancy for surrogate mothers.
Because the surrogate’s health has a strong impact on the unborn baby’s health, Nowadays, surrogates have a wealth of information available for tips on how to maintain optimal physical and mental health, including low-stress levels.
However, two parties are deeply invested in pregnancy in surrogacy. By trusting someone else to carry their baby, intended parents experience just as much stress while waiting for their child, coupled with the lack of control that they commit to. Here are some ways in which you can reduce stress –
- Develop the habits which make you feel good about yourself
- Talk to one another
- Make time for self-care
- Take help from outside
- Keep yourself informed about the obstacles
- Talking to your friends and building your surrogacy network
- Have fresh air etc.
Conclusion
Therefore, there are many ways in which you can prepare yourself by knowing the risks of surrogacy. Make sure you follow each step to be sure about your surrogacy journey. Also, having a free consultation with reputed surrogacy agencies or surrogacy consultants does not hurt. We help parents to inform about the best surrogacy countries for them as per their specific case based on their marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, financial condition, egg donor requirements, and legal eligibility for surrogacy. Based on these factors, we choose the most reputed and best surrogacy agencies from our network and assist you further, if needed.
If you’d like to learn more about IVF, Egg Donation, or international surrogacy services, check out the rest of our website at IVF Conceptions. We offer legally secure and affordable surrogacy consulting services for FREE.
