এই এপিসোড সম্বন্ধে
What’s your superpower? For Stacy Brown, it’s helping create life—and a legacy of love that spans generations. A fitness instructor, retail professional, and self-described “soccer mom,” Stacy never imagined her love for pregnancy would lead her beyond her own family. After experiencing both loss and joy on her path to motherhood, she felt a deeper calling: helping other families build theirs as a gestational surrogate.
On this episode of All Things Conceivable: A Surrogacy Podcast, Stacy shares her journey from first-time mom to experienced surrogate, now entering her third surrogacy. She reflects on the challenges, joys, and emotional growth that come with carrying life for others—and the profound ripple effect it has on intended parents, children, and extended families.
Listen and learn about:
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How Stacy navigated conversations with her spouse about surrogacy
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The role of faith, community, and support in her surrogacy journey
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Coping with failed transfers and building resilience
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The deep, lasting connections formed with intended parents
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Tips for talking to kids and loved ones about surrogacy
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Words of inspiration for women considering surrogacy and families hoping to grow
Whether you’re curious about surrogacy or ready to take the next step, Stacy’s story shows how becoming a surrogate can create love, hope, and family across generations.
🎧 Listen to Stacy’s full story on All Things Conceivable: A Surrogacy Podcast
If you’re thinking about becoming a surrogate, there’s no better way to learn than hearing directly from women who’ve done it. Listen to our surrogacy podcast for real stories, read our surrogate journey blog posts, and watch candid videos on our Surrogacy YouTube channel.
Ready to start your surrogacy journey? Learn more about how to become a surrogate!
নোটগুলি দেখান 🔗
প্রতিলিপি 🔗
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All Things Conceivable: A Surrogacy
Podcast with Nazca Fontes.
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Hello listeners and welcome back.
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You know how much I love sharing the
incredible stories of our amazing
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surrogates. I mean,
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these are women who are truly some of the
most generous humans you'll ever meet.
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And today I'm so honored
to introduce you to Stacey,
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who is right now embarking on
her 1, 2, 3, count at three,
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her third surrogacy journey.
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Stacey's story is unfolding with
heart resilience, inspiration,
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and from becoming a mom in 2017 to
the moment she first felt called to
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surrogacy, to navigating the ups
and downs of multiple journeys.
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She is walking through challenges,
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building lifelong bonds with intended
parents and living what her husband
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lovingly calls her superpower.
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We'll talk to Stacy about how she first
brought up surrogacy with her husband,
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how her faith and her own experiences
with infertility shape her why and the
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deep relationships she is building,
not only with her intended parents,
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but also with their extended families.
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She opens up about the joys
and setbacks along the way,
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what it's like to explain surrogacy
to a classroom of curious kids
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and how she practices self-care
to stay grounded. Most of all,
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Stacy shows how one woman's
generosity can ripple far beyond
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parents reaching grandparents,
siblings, and even the next generation.
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Stacy, welcome. Let's start at
the beginning. Okay. So first,
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tell our audience what it was like for
you when you first became a mom back in
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2017.
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Yes, thank you so much for having me.
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My husband and I knew we
wanted to have a family right
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before we got married. He said he
would prefer just to have one child.
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So I said, as long as I can experience
motherhood, that works for me.
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So you mentioned my faith
a lot of prayer later.
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We got pregnant in 2015 and
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very early on about six or seven weeks,
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something just didn't feel right
and we went for the ultrasound and
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unfortunately there was no heartbeat.
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So we had had a miscarriage
after about a week before being
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told that we were
pregnant and all of that.
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And so I didn't really
put too much into it,
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but my husband was just devastated
because in an instant you see the word
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pregnant on a pregnancy test, your
doctor confirms it with the blood work,
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and then a week later it's like, no,
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you're not. So it was really heartbreaking
and he was really devastated by the
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whole and actually started to
talk to people. It and people were
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all of
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was the most joyous,
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wonderful thing that we had really
ever experienced as a couple
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together.
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And it all happened so fast.
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It was such a wonderful experience.
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I had God bless a beautiful
pregnancy everywhere I
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went, kind of did a hair flip
because people were like, oh my God,
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you look so good. I'm like, no, thank you.
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So I just really loved pregnancy. I mean,
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just the thought of growing life,
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the way that the female body handles
all of it and does all of it.
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I was like, this is such a miracle.
And then when we had our daughter,
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I couldn't even imagine anything else more
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like my heart grew three
sizes like the Grinch,
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I just couldn't even believe
this kind of love. And
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even when we were in the
room minutes before she was,
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we gave birth and she was here.
My husband, I'll never forget,
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I wish Id had a photographer or
somebody taking a video in the room,
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but he looked at me and said, are
you ready for this? And I was like,
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I'm ready or not. She's coming.
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And it was just such an incredible thing.
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Our whole family was waiting in the
waiting room, extended family, cousins,
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everybody was just so excited to meet her.
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We suffered a loss in our family about
a week later with the passing of my
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grandfather and just what an
incredible light my daughter got to
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be for everybody was just
so special. And so for me,
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I was like, man, motherhood,
it's something special.
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And parenthood really in general,
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but I also continued to remember what
that loss felt like and just how lucky
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I was that I was given an opportunity
to be a mother and her mom
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more than anything. But during my
pregnancy, because I loved it so much,
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I had just kind of said in passing,
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I'll totally be a surrogate
because we only want one kid.
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And a few people in my life remembered
I'd said that and kind of put it in the
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back of their brain and
then brought it up In 2020.
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I had just started working as a general
manager at a health club that I worked
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for. And my mentor, who was my boss when
I was pregnant with my daughter said,
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remember when you said you
wanted to be a surrogate? Well,
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a friend of ours just did it. You
should do it. I was like, yeah,
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maybe I'll look into it. And literally
that day I spoke with my friend
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and I sent a link to
ConceiveAbilities and got a
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call later that day and I was like,
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I should probably talk
to my husband about this.
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I should probably revisit me saying
that if he even remembers that I
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said it. And when I came home,
I brought it up and he was like,
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I thought that was just something you
mentioned and you get over it. I was like,
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well, now it's come up and it could be
a real thing. And he was like, yeah,
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let's look into it. And now here
we're almost five years later.
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And embarking on your third
journey in five years. I mean,
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what an incredible story. Of course, you
heard me chuckle. I couldn't help it,
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but just, Hey,
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I went down the primrose path of even
contacting the agency before ever having
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this conversation with my husband.
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And that's really what I want to
kind of get at a little bit because
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we've done recordings and shows
where we've talked about, gosh,
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having the conversation with your
partner, getting him to neutral,
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if not, yes. And it seems like you
kind of worked a little bit backwards,
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so let's share with our listeners,
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how did that first conversation
with your husband go?
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What was his first reaction?
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At first he said, I mean,
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if you really think this is necessary.
And I said, I mean, is it ever,
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but again,
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how we feel about our daughter
and just the light that
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she brought into the
world when she was born,
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imagine doing that for other
people. And he was kind, I mean,
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I guess.
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And then we just went through the
process and met some incredible people
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along the way that,
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of course I requested my second
journey and aren't maybe with in that
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situation anymore. So weren't able
to be with us for the third journey,
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but just the incredible and amazing
people that we have met along the way that
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speak so passionately about
surrogacy and family building.
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And it's just kind of become something
that is just a part of our life and who
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we're as a family. And then the
second time he was kind of like,
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I don't, there's just some risk.
You're older now. And I said, yeah,
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but you said literally when
the babies come out, he's like,
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I can't believe you just did
that. That was unbelievable.
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And as you mentioned in the opening,
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my superpower as he calls it. And so
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every time the conversation gets a little
bit longer and a little bit of wait
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time because he wants to think
about it, but ultimately he's like,
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if this is your decision,
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we want to back you and
we'll support you and be
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there. So if you really feel like
this is a calling for you, and I do,
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I feel like it's been placed on my heart.
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I'm not changing the world working
in retail. I work in retail now.
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I go to work every day trying to
help people look and feel their best.
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But to do something like this,
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really I get to walk around with a badge
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of almost like heart that we
help people build a family that
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they have longed for and they have
wished for just like we did at one point.
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And so for me, the conversation,
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the timeframe kind of
expands a little bit,
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but it always comes back to him saying,
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if this is on your heart and this is
really where you want to go and what you
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want to do, we're in.
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So I'm very lucky that I have
a really supportive partner
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that's ready to jump in with me
and be the good dad friend and
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meet the new family. So that's been
really, I'm blessed. It's been really.
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Special.
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What an incredible message
for a husband to send his wife
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that if he understood that
this was placed on your heart
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and just the acknowledgement,
acceptance and embracing that,
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yes, you're a unit as and wife,
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but you're also separate
beings in this world,
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and he acknowledged and accepted
that this was a calling,
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and how beautiful is that?
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And you also shared too that your faith
played a really important role in your
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decision to become a surrogate.
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Do you want to explain a
little bit more about that?
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Yeah, my husband and I,
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we moved to where we currently live
in the Chicago land area in 2020.
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We found our forever
home as we believe it,
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and we're in a great school system for
our daughter who is seven and a half. And
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we really wanted to find a
church that we could grow in.
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So we have an incredible
church community and family.
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We lead a small group every
week with other families,
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with younger children, so we can
do life together. But for us,
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it's just been constant prayer
and constant support. Of course,
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we get that from our
families and our parents.
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Everybody in our family is on both sides.
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The people I work with in every journey
that I've been on have been very
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uplifting and surround
us with the biggest hug.
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But really our faith
family has been a huge walk
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alongside us that we see them every week.
And so every week they're always
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adding like,
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let's pray for your doctor's appointment
or your blood work or your trip.
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I just took a trip out west for my
medical workup, for my third journey,
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always checking in and just being again,
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alongside us on this journey because
when they say it takes a village,
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they're not joking and
they're not kidding with that.
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So we've really leaned into that notion
and just been very focused on prayer.
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You also mentioned it in the
opening, my second journey.
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I did have some trials and some struggles.
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It took us three transfers and was,
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I just felt every step of the way,
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there's a reason and I just prayed about
it and constantly just gave it to the
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Lord. If I can say that.
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And just really just leaned into,
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I know that there's a plan for me and
that there's a plan for this family that
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we're partnering with and we're doing
life with right now. And it all worked
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itself out. And it's funny
because I just started a new job,
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I found out on April 29th of
last year that I was pregnant,
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and I went into work and my boss was
like, I just found out I'm pregnant.
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Well, I didn't just find out, but hey,
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I'm just telling people I'm 20 weeks
pregnant, so I'll be going on leave soon.
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And I was like, oh my gosh, I just found
out this morning that I'm pregnant.
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And of course, she knew about
my surrogacy journey and again,
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super supportive from the
rip, which was so special.
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But it all just worked out perfectly
because I got to take off holiday and just
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put my feet up on Christmas, not have
to work retail. And so I thought,
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this is the reason I've walked alongside
this family and I've prayed about it
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and this was it. But all
jokes aside, it just,
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instead of getting down about it,
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I just leaned into my faith and just
knew that God had a plan for us.
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And when it all kind of unfolded and
worked out what an incredible Christmas
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gift for the family that was able
to take that little girl home and an
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incredible way to start 2025.
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So just really, and again,
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just such a joyous time of year
with the holidays and Christmas and
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just such a beautiful time to go through
that with them and to give them their
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little baby.
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I love all of that. I love that
you just had a lot of faith.
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Some would call it confidence,
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some would call it belief that we're
going to pull from whatever power, right?
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Inspires our journey in life. And you
leaned in and pulled on your faith
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even during the times when it didn't
quite work out so well. Right.
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Not only did you go through three
transfers with your first journey,
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it was also with your second
set of intended parents
that you had to be matched
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with because the first
ones didn't work out.
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Why don't you tell us a
little bit about that?
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So actually my first journey,
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the three transfers was with my second
journey. So just the most recent,
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but my first journey, we
were partnered with a family.
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We both said literally in the first 10
minutes that we wanted to work together.
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And about three months in
minutes before signing our
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legal paperwork,
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they said that they needed me to do a few
things that at the time my husband and
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I just weren't really willing to
bend on. So we had to break match.
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And again, this is the beginning of my
journey. I signed on in December of 2020.
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This is January of 2021. We get matched
April of 2021. I was devastated.
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And we just talked through
it as a family and again,
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leaned into this just isn't the
right path and we will find a
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different one. And within weeks,
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I was matched with the family that we
carried our sweet little boy who just
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turned three actually last week.
But we matched with them
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and
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I don't really know if I think it
would've worked out any other way.
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Would I have done a second
or now third journey.
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They're just the most incredible family.
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They have a daughter
via surrogate as well.
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Even at our doctor's appointments
would be like, oh, we just love her.
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She's a part of our family now.
But in the beginning, it was hard.
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I was sad and I felt defeated
that this match didn't
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work, this family didn't want to work
with us. But again, within weeks,
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we found our new intended
parents and we still talk.
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I get pictures, and again,
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my sweet little guy turned three
last week and he's thriving.
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He's hilarious, and he's just the
missing piece to their puzzle.
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And so I'm so blessed that
I was able to gift them,
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that and him for their life.
But that was hard.
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And we went for our journey for
the embryo transfer in September of
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2021,
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we actually had to fly to Colorado
and found out the day before my
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transfer, I had COVID. I had no symptoms.
They were like, we're really sorry.
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We can't do the transfer. So my
husband, myself and my daughter,
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who I think was four at the time, we had
to drive back to the Chicagoland area,
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which was hard. And my intended mother
was just, oh, I feel terrible. I'm like,
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what can you do? What happens? But
then when we went in January of 22,
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that transfer was successful. And I
will tell this story really quickly.
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It was really just a
luck of faith, and again,
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a lot of prayer up until
the transfer in early of
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January of 2022,
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our doctor who would work with,
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and the reason they picked
the clinic in Colorado,
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he was not going to be present
for the transfer. So a lot of just
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air out of our sales. And so
it was like, oh, man, okay.
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But the morning I got there,
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I went by myself this time just
to go get done and come home.
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He was there and they said, oh, he'll
be in a few minutes. And I was like,
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the doctor that we work with is here
because I was told he wasn't coming.
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And they said, no, he's here. And I was
like, can I call my intended mother?
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And she screamed, she cried.
She was so happy. And I mean,
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he is such a hoot. So it just, again,
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God's plan, everything
lining up so perfectly.
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And it was such a great,
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wonderful ending to kind of a tough start.
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But the transfer worked.
We got pregnant, and again,
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we had that baby at the
end of September of 2022,
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and he's doing incredible.
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What an amazing story. And
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I think we rarely find a journey
that is seamless and smooth without
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hiccups. It's just we're all human
beings. We have lives, we have schedules,
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it's biology, things come
up, illness setbacks.
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So I love to hear how surrogates cope with
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these challenges. Some lean into faith,
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some just identify that it's all
part of the greater universe,
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a plan, a par for the course.
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So I think that's really important and
necessary when considering whether or
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not to become a surrogate is what,
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having that self-reflection of what
is my fiber? What am I made of?
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How resilient am I in the face
of challenges and setbacks?
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So thank you for sharing those
because demonstrating how you
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shared your own resiliency or demonstrated
your own resiliency is so important
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for our listeners. And now that
you're embarking on a third,
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you've got journey one, journey two
to reflect on and the differences.
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So how about just sharing
with us pick two of the
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main differences between each of
those journeys and what it was like to
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experience those differences.
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00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:08,820
So the first thing I'll say is
every relationship is so different.
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In the beginning, I felt like my second
journey was a little bit more business,
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which is fine.
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I want to respect boundaries and
whatever the family is looking for in
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that moment and in that
relationship. But I'll tell you,
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we talk to our second intended
parents every month on the
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27th,
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which is the month birthday
of our sweet little girl.
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But I think really understanding
that the relationships are going to
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be different, and that's okay because at
first I struggled with it a little bit,
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00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:49,110
and now it's just organically become
this relationship and friendship that is
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real and is authentic. And we talk
about football in our group chat and
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the different cities that we live
in and just how things are going,
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and just the growing of the little girl
that we just gave birth to in December.
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00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:06,690
But I think it's just really leaning into
knowing the relationships are going to
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be different, and that's okay.
And I think the other thing,
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because with this last one,
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a lot of people asked me when the
transfers kept failing in the beginning.
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And the beginning,
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I didn't get very emotional
because I was just kind of like
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it just happened and that's what
I did, all the right things.
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I'm not going to beat
myself up. And knowing,
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getting emotional is okay because
the second failed transfer,
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I became emotional. I
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incredible. My girlfriend Jeanette,
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who I worked with was so amazing in
just being there for me and being my
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support and my pillar when
I needed a leaning post.
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And I think realizing that you're
feeling the loss too, and it's okay,
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but not one thing I was super
intentional about was not letting
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myself feel like this is my fault.
I did something that caused me to not
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get pregnant. As long as you follow the
protocols and you listen to your body,
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that's really the best you can
do. And again, to your point,
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science and biology is going to happen,
biology, and you're just the vessel.
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But I think just really not
letting myself get down on myself,
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but also letting myself feel emotion
because I'm feeling the loss too.
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I'm feeling the sadness and the let
down for my intended parents who
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I've grown a relationship
with. But I think, again,
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having people around you that are going
to keep you up and let you shed your
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tears when you need to has
been so important for us.
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And in the moment that I needed,
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it was really just so well received and
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appreciated.
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But I think those two
or three things there.
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Yeah, that's important to
recognize and understand.
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Every relationship will be
different, but more importantly,
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I really respect that you
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are standing up and saying surrogates
have a lot of emotion and investment in
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this too.
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Yeah.
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Because I think certainly from
the inside of an agency looking
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out and supporting
surrogates in their journeys,
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we understand this,
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but I think externally in the world when
they think about an intended parent and
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surrogate relationship,
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there could be the
possibility that loss and
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setbacks are more the
purview of intended parents.
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They're the ones dealing and grappling
with the emotions surrounding those,
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and that's just not the case.
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I believe that they're equally shared by
the surrogate and her partner as well.
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Would you agree that also your husband
maybe felt some of these emotions
355
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surrounding the setbacks and the loss?
356
00:23:10,450 --> 00:23:11,230
Yeah,
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he was really leaned into making sure I
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felt like this isn't my fault. And again,
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I was very big on that because I
know I worked with a clinic that was
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like, no chocolate, no
caffeine of any kind.
361
00:23:28,180 --> 00:23:31,390
You can't even drink
decaf coffee. And I mean,
362
00:23:31,390 --> 00:23:35,110
I did all the things for every single
round of IVF that I've ever done,
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even not working with that clinic anymore.
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So he really leaned
into making sure I knew
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I did the best I could. I
took care of myself. I rested,
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I made the trek to both clinics that
I've worked with so far have been out of
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state. This third one is as well.
368
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And just really making
sure I felt just his
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love and just support
behind me. And he again,
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was very, I'm here, but I know
you've got it. Thankfully,
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I've never struggled from
postpartum of any kind,
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but really just for him wanting
to make sure I don't go into a
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dark place and feel the defeat and
carry it with me because again,
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there was nothing I could have done.
It's biology, it's science,
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00:24:26,930 --> 00:24:31,730
and we're kind of just praying it
sticks and you can eat the greasy french
376
00:24:31,730 --> 00:24:35,600
fries when it's over and do all
the little remedies that they say,
377
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but really it's going to
happen if it's going to happen.
378
00:24:39,620 --> 00:24:43,040
And so he was just very
big on being next to me,
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making sure that I kept my head up and
that I felt good about the place I was
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00:24:47,690 --> 00:24:51,200
in, because again, I've never
really struggled with any of that.
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00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:55,910
So he just wanted to make sure I continued
forward as opposed to letting myself
382
00:24:55,910 --> 00:24:56,743
move backward.
383
00:24:58,220 --> 00:24:59,053
Stacey,
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00:24:59,390 --> 00:25:04,340
was your husband's relationship with
the set of intended parents different
385
00:25:04,340 --> 00:25:06,020
from your relationship with them?
386
00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:11,690
I mean, we have a group chat
with all of the parents normally.
387
00:25:11,690 --> 00:25:14,510
And then usually I have one
with just the intended mother,
388
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:19,040
but I mean a little different
because it wasn't as hands on.
389
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:23,570
But lately, I'm not even
responding in the group chat.
390
00:25:23,570 --> 00:25:25,520
We're talking about football right now,
391
00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,540
and so the dads are kind of leading
the group chat, which is kind of funny.
392
00:25:30,710 --> 00:25:32,870
But I would say it's a little different,
393
00:25:32,900 --> 00:25:36,920
obviously I feel like
when moms get to talking,
394
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:38,720
it's like a kitchen party conversation.
395
00:25:39,980 --> 00:25:44,840
But he is very involved and really the
whole journey for both of my journeys,
396
00:25:46,250 --> 00:25:46,970
he has been,
397
00:25:46,970 --> 00:25:51,620
which has been really fun because
my husband works in the healthcare
398
00:25:51,620 --> 00:25:55,220
industry, and so he's very
good at connecting with people.
399
00:25:55,550 --> 00:26:00,530
So to watch him walk with me
through this and be in it with the
400
00:26:00,530 --> 00:26:05,270
parents and high fiving the dad in the
delivery room, when all is said and done,
401
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,530
it's cool to see because in the beginning,
402
00:26:09,530 --> 00:26:14,060
he was kind of hesitant, I would
say, just to be in a group chat.
403
00:26:14,060 --> 00:26:17,030
When I told him, Hey, I'm going to
start a group chat, he was like, okay,
404
00:26:17,570 --> 00:26:21,560
now he's the one driving the group chat
from the second family that we just
405
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,650
carried for. So I would
say it's different,
406
00:26:24,650 --> 00:26:29,420
but it's equally as just organically
407
00:26:29,420 --> 00:26:31,430
formed and authentic at this point.
408
00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:38,820
But I mentioned earlier
that this had a ripple
409
00:26:42,900 --> 00:26:47,280
had on bringing life into the world and
410
00:26:47,820 --> 00:26:52,320
converting intended parents
to parents or growing a family
411
00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,260
by giving the gift of a sibling.
412
00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:00,120
So share with us a little bit
about the joy you've brought
413
00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:04,950
into the world of the grandparents and
the siblings and that ripple effect.
414
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,040
I'm sure that our listeners would
love to hear more about that.
415
00:27:08,700 --> 00:27:13,650
Oh my gosh, yeah. And that's one thing
my husband, when we talk about it,
416
00:27:13,980 --> 00:27:18,780
especially maybe a week or two leading
up to delivery when we're kind of
417
00:27:18,780 --> 00:27:22,560
getting ready and making sure that we
know when we have to be at the hospital,
418
00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,590
because we did induction for
both of these first two journeys.
419
00:27:25,590 --> 00:27:29,700
So the parents coming from out of town
knew when they had to be here so they
420
00:27:29,700 --> 00:27:34,170
wouldn't miss the birth. But
our first intended family,
421
00:27:34,350 --> 00:27:34,740
again,
422
00:27:34,740 --> 00:27:39,690
has a daughter from a previous surrogate
who was just about a year younger than
423
00:27:39,690 --> 00:27:41,730
my daughter. So when
we would get together,
424
00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:44,820
our girls would play together
and it was just so special.
425
00:27:45,810 --> 00:27:50,640
But growing that family
so that little girl could
426
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,410
have a sibling and have a little brother,
427
00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:55,650
they've been to our home and
we've been to their home.
428
00:27:55,650 --> 00:27:59,430
They live out of state when
we've traveled. But just
429
00:28:00,630 --> 00:28:05,430
seeing the pictures on social media
because we're all friends on social
430
00:28:05,430 --> 00:28:09,840
media, but seeing the pictures
and the big family setups and
431
00:28:10,980 --> 00:28:14,760
the intended the father, he's not
intended anymore, but the father,
432
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:18,060
his family lives where
they live, and the mother,
433
00:28:18,060 --> 00:28:19,650
her family actually lives in Chicago.
434
00:28:19,650 --> 00:28:24,360
So it's just been really
cool to watch him become a
435
00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:28,770
character in the family and be a part
of what they're doing. And again,
436
00:28:28,770 --> 00:28:33,240
he's so hilarious and he
has such a big personality.
437
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:38,160
It's so awesome to see through
pictures and videos that we
438
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,550
send back and forth. And
then with our newer family,
439
00:28:42,150 --> 00:28:46,770
she is an addition to our
440
00:28:47,100 --> 00:28:51,330
parents that got together
later in life. My intended,
441
00:28:51,690 --> 00:28:54,420
my mother, the mother has two older boys,
442
00:28:54,510 --> 00:28:58,140
and to watch them now welcome a new baby,
443
00:28:58,920 --> 00:28:59,610
they're kind of like,
444
00:28:59,610 --> 00:29:03,630
what do we do with this in the beginning?
But just knowing that they're
445
00:29:04,230 --> 00:29:08,640
loving being a big brother and
being in their big brother era,
446
00:29:09,390 --> 00:29:13,770
but also the joy that the grandparents
on both sides are feeling.
447
00:29:15,660 --> 00:29:19,440
The father of the little girl that
we just carry, he's an only child.
448
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:23,940
And so to be able to give
his mother a granddaughter,
449
00:29:23,940 --> 00:29:28,080
really a grandchild, but a
granddaughter of all things, my mom,
450
00:29:28,260 --> 00:29:31,530
the relationship she has with my
daughter as her only grandchild,
451
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,890
and it gets to be a
granddaughter is incredible.
452
00:29:34,890 --> 00:29:39,120
And the magnitude of that
special relationship,
453
00:29:39,540 --> 00:29:40,373
it's incredible.
454
00:29:41,740 --> 00:29:45,160
But knowing that we just
gave that to a family,
455
00:29:45,460 --> 00:29:48,790
and his mother lives
close to them out east,
456
00:29:48,790 --> 00:29:52,450
and so she gets to spend a
ton of time and be with her.
457
00:29:52,870 --> 00:29:55,870
And then the mother's family, they
live just a couple hours away,
458
00:29:55,870 --> 00:30:00,370
but they're also loving being back
into grandparents of a little baby.
459
00:30:00,790 --> 00:30:05,440
And so just to talk to them and
hear just the excitement and
460
00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,110
just love,
461
00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:13,120
just rejuvenated kind of baby love
back in their families is just
462
00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,160
so awesome. And I mean,
463
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:20,140
we've just welcomed a new baby in our
family a couple of months ago. And man,
464
00:30:20,230 --> 00:30:24,970
the life that shoots into
every corner is so incredible.
465
00:30:25,750 --> 00:30:29,230
And I feel like shifts everyone's
perspective in a family,
466
00:30:29,230 --> 00:30:33,610
no matter the dynamic if you've
got older kids or younger kids,
467
00:30:33,610 --> 00:30:36,910
but just the joy and just pure,
468
00:30:37,390 --> 00:30:40,360
just bliss that a new baby brings.
469
00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:44,500
And to know that we were a part of
that. And then in the long term,
470
00:30:44,860 --> 00:30:49,840
this baby maybe will find a partner
and hopefully grow their life
471
00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,180
with somebody. Maybe
they're going to have kids,
472
00:30:52,270 --> 00:30:56,080
and those kids wouldn't have
been possible had we not.
473
00:30:56,080 --> 00:31:00,890
And so I think just
thinking about all of the
474
00:31:00,890 --> 00:31:04,450
layers and the ripple of this,
475
00:31:04,630 --> 00:31:08,320
it's just so cool to step
back and be like, man,
476
00:31:08,380 --> 00:31:10,060
because we said yes,
477
00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,510
look at what's going to happen
in this life for this family.
478
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:16,720
So that's the best part of
the whole thing. I think.
479
00:31:17,380 --> 00:31:22,150
Indeed, it's very profound and
people on the outside of surrogacy
480
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,020
fail to understand this naturally.
They're not connected to it.
481
00:31:26,410 --> 00:31:29,890
They just see the immediate
match and the results of that.
482
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:35,080
And once you start peeling it back and
you understand just how deep this goes,
483
00:31:35,380 --> 00:31:37,990
and as you say, the ripple
effect of it is, I mean,
484
00:31:37,990 --> 00:31:42,640
the magnitude is enormous.
And in my years
485
00:31:42,670 --> 00:31:47,050
of managing this journey for
hundreds upon hundreds of people,
486
00:31:47,290 --> 00:31:52,240
one of the facets that
I like to illuminate for
everybody was this notion of
487
00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:59,080
the concept and the
teaching of compassion for
488
00:31:59,410 --> 00:32:03,640
the younger children that are
adjacent to the surrogacy journey.
489
00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:05,350
So in this case,
490
00:32:05,350 --> 00:32:10,030
it would be your daughter and
the teaching of compassion and
491
00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:14,980
empathy and giving and
love and generosity that
492
00:32:14,980 --> 00:32:19,720
really you're planting a seed that you
hope will grow and flourish for the rest
493
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:20,553
of her life.
494
00:32:20,590 --> 00:32:25,180
And you also brought the
concept of surrogacy into her
495
00:32:25,180 --> 00:32:27,220
classroom. So I did.
496
00:32:27,220 --> 00:32:30,760
How about sharing with us a little bit
about not only what I mentioned about the
497
00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:32,920
teachings of surrogacy in her young life,
498
00:32:33,310 --> 00:32:36,730
but bringing it into a
classroom of six and seven year.
499
00:32:36,730 --> 00:32:37,960
Olds? Yeah,
500
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:42,530
so last be she was student of the week,
501
00:32:42,530 --> 00:32:44,270
and I got to be the special guest reader.
502
00:32:44,630 --> 00:32:47,990
So every day they have
something for that student,
503
00:32:48,050 --> 00:32:51,230
and I got to pick a book.
504
00:32:51,620 --> 00:32:54,890
We're huge office fans, so
we have an office kids book,
505
00:32:55,310 --> 00:32:58,250
and I brought that to read.
We decided on it together,
506
00:32:58,850 --> 00:33:02,690
and I get to talk a little bit
about what I like with the kids.
507
00:33:02,690 --> 00:33:05,960
And so that was one thing I
talked about. And then at the end,
508
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:07,160
they get to ask questions.
509
00:33:07,340 --> 00:33:11,660
They can ask how Finley was when she
was a baby and what we like to do as a
510
00:33:11,660 --> 00:33:14,960
family. But one of the
kids yelled out, well,
511
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,740
Finley is going to have a
baby sister or brother soon.
512
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:23,120
And I said, I looked at
the teacher and said,
513
00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:27,890
can I explain to them what we're doing?
Of course, my daughter blurted out,
514
00:33:28,460 --> 00:33:30,530
we're not keeping it.
I was like, okay.
515
00:33:30,980 --> 00:33:33,770
So we kind of reigned it in a little bit,
516
00:33:33,770 --> 00:33:37,550
and as best as I could explained that
517
00:33:38,420 --> 00:33:43,310
sometimes there are moms and dads
that can't have a baby on their own,
518
00:33:43,310 --> 00:33:47,480
and they need a little bit of science
and they need a friend who can help them
519
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:51,200
with that, and that's what
we're doing. And they said,
520
00:33:51,530 --> 00:33:55,520
so whose baby is it? And I
said, well, it's their baby.
521
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:58,310
And the doctors use
science to put it together.
522
00:33:58,790 --> 00:34:03,110
And then they put it inside my belly and
I carry it and I help it grow and take
523
00:34:03,110 --> 00:34:03,943
care of it.
524
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:07,280
And then we go to the hospital and then
the baby comes out and they get to take
525
00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,750
it home and they're a family. And so then
the questions of a six and 7-year-old,
526
00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:14,390
well, where does the baby go?
And all that. I'm like, well,
527
00:34:14,390 --> 00:34:15,650
we don't have to get in all of that,
528
00:34:15,710 --> 00:34:20,300
but it's in there.
So just even because all the parents,
529
00:34:20,750 --> 00:34:22,730
we go to a really great
small little school.
530
00:34:22,730 --> 00:34:26,390
So all the parents knew what I was doing
because every time they're like, oh,
531
00:34:26,420 --> 00:34:28,550
you're expecting? I'm
like, well, not exactly,
532
00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:33,860
because I just love to bring
awareness to surrogacy and talk
533
00:34:33,860 --> 00:34:36,140
about it. I mean, I love my husband and I.
534
00:34:36,140 --> 00:34:39,500
Whenever we go out to dinner and
I'm pregnant, he loves nothing more,
535
00:34:39,890 --> 00:34:44,000
especially when there's an older
couple or an older restaurant manager.
536
00:34:44,690 --> 00:34:47,450
We like to go to places that
were referred by family.
537
00:34:47,450 --> 00:34:49,010
My uncle is in the restaurant industry.
538
00:34:49,010 --> 00:34:53,540
So we went to a restaurant one time in
downtown Chicago and the older man came,
539
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,920
the manager came to the table,
brought us shots and was like, oh,
540
00:34:58,940 --> 00:35:02,720
thank you for coming. And I was like,
well, I can't have any we're expecting.
541
00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:04,370
And he was like, oh, congratulations,
542
00:35:04,370 --> 00:35:09,110
dad. And my husband loves to say I'm not
the father and see what happens and the
543
00:35:09,110 --> 00:35:12,110
freak out that ensues. But just again,
544
00:35:12,230 --> 00:35:17,000
bring awareness to a perfect
stranger and tell him, actually,
545
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,520
this is what we're doing.
And we talk about surrogacy,
546
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:23,450
and most people actually say, I've never
met someone who's done this before.
547
00:35:23,810 --> 00:35:24,440
And then I say, well,
548
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:27,440
now you have and you should
talk about it with more people.
549
00:35:27,830 --> 00:35:29,510
So for me,
550
00:35:29,540 --> 00:35:34,070
it's just cool to talk about and bring
awareness because I love when people say,
551
00:35:34,070 --> 00:35:37,350
you're the first surrogate I've
ever met. And then I'll usually say,
552
00:35:37,350 --> 00:35:38,820
I hope I'm not the last.
553
00:35:39,210 --> 00:35:43,470
But I think bringing
it to a group of kids,
554
00:35:43,860 --> 00:35:47,700
even an older generation, I still
remember when I told my grandmother,
555
00:35:48,660 --> 00:35:50,580
who has since gone to heaven,
556
00:35:50,970 --> 00:35:54,930
but I still remember how
scared I was to tell her,
557
00:35:54,930 --> 00:35:59,490
because I just think the older generation
sometimes doesn't understand, and
558
00:36:01,350 --> 00:36:05,760
they've not gone through IVF or things
like that. So when I sat her down to tell
559
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:07,590
her, she actually cried.
560
00:36:08,070 --> 00:36:11,970
And I was nervous it was going
to be followed with kind a,
561
00:36:11,970 --> 00:36:15,540
I can't believe you're doing
this, but it was a warm,
562
00:36:16,020 --> 00:36:20,580
I can't believe you're doing
that for somebody kind of next
563
00:36:20,580 --> 00:36:21,150
sentence.
564
00:36:21,150 --> 00:36:25,860
And so just from the
top of my family and the
565
00:36:25,860 --> 00:36:30,750
oldest generation feel that
up until a group of six year
566
00:36:30,750 --> 00:36:35,130
olds and just be like, wow,
that's so cool. Science is cool.
567
00:36:35,550 --> 00:36:36,390
And it's like, yeah,
568
00:36:36,450 --> 00:36:40,860
it's so really from the
youngest generation to the
569
00:36:40,860 --> 00:36:45,390
oldest feeling that
open-mindedness and that love
570
00:36:45,990 --> 00:36:49,140
has just been the most
rewarding, I think. And again,
571
00:36:49,260 --> 00:36:54,030
bringing awareness to it is really
why I think I love talking about it.
572
00:36:55,530 --> 00:37:00,450
Well, you're such an
incredible advocate. Thank you.
573
00:37:00,660 --> 00:37:04,500
What an amazing voice in
the surrogate community.
574
00:37:04,980 --> 00:37:07,440
And I love all the points
that you touched upon,
575
00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:11,010
how having a great partner by
your side who believes in you,
576
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:16,260
to normalizing it for not only the
older generation but for the younger
577
00:37:16,260 --> 00:37:20,850
generation and all of the lessons
that you've learned and the
578
00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:25,920
way that you demonstrated how
relationships are different,
579
00:37:26,010 --> 00:37:29,660
they move, they shift, they
grow, they change. I mean,
580
00:37:29,660 --> 00:37:33,810
there's just so much in the world of
surrogacy that you've helped bring
581
00:37:34,830 --> 00:37:39,390
to life and to light for everybody
that hears your voice. Thank you.
582
00:37:39,390 --> 00:37:43,920
I just am so impressed by
your generosity and your love
583
00:37:44,310 --> 00:37:48,600
for those around you and for
your willingness to bring
new life into the world.
584
00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:53,580
Stacy, you're truly an
exemplary surrogate in our
585
00:37:53,580 --> 00:37:54,120
community,
586
00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:58,560
and I hope our listeners really understand
that it's women like you who make
587
00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:03,330
this journey possible for other
surrogates and for intended parents.
588
00:38:04,110 --> 00:38:08,550
If I were to ask you, there's so much
I want to ask you, but time is limited,
589
00:38:08,550 --> 00:38:09,990
but lemme wrap up by saying,
590
00:38:10,050 --> 00:38:14,550
if I were to ask you to share one nugget
591
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:19,890
of information or inspiration to a
woman listening to this who might
592
00:38:19,890 --> 00:38:21,120
want to become a surrogate,
593
00:38:21,450 --> 00:38:26,040
or for an intended parent who's really
nervous about what type of women become
594
00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:27,870
surrogates, what would you share with.
595
00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:37,060
Women as becoming a surrogate?
596
00:38:38,350 --> 00:38:43,120
There is nothing. I mean, having a baby,
597
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:48,520
there's nothing like hearing that
little cry for the first time and
598
00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:52,660
knowing when you look
over and you see those
599
00:38:52,660 --> 00:38:57,070
parents just so special. The most,
600
00:38:57,340 --> 00:39:01,330
besides the day I married my husband
and the day that my daughter was born,
601
00:39:02,410 --> 00:39:04,120
two memories in my life.
602
00:39:04,870 --> 00:39:08,650
The third to come that I will
carry with me on my heart,
603
00:39:09,070 --> 00:39:14,050
in my veins forever was
birthing a baby for somebody
604
00:39:14,050 --> 00:39:17,860
else and creating a family and
watching Love grow instantly.
605
00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:20,890
My goodness. And if you're a parent,
606
00:39:21,550 --> 00:39:24,880
a possible intended
parent who's wondering,
607
00:39:25,750 --> 00:39:29,950
I don't know if I would
do this with anybody else,
608
00:39:29,950 --> 00:39:33,610
ConceiveAbilities has been such
an incredible partner for me
609
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:38,950
and the people and specifically
the women that I've got to walk
610
00:39:38,950 --> 00:39:41,770
alongside and have supported
me through my journey.
611
00:39:43,810 --> 00:39:48,430
I don't think it gets better knowing
that it's not a match isn't put
612
00:39:48,430 --> 00:39:49,270
together by a computer.
613
00:39:50,170 --> 00:39:54,760
It's put together with love and
intention and people sitting
614
00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:55,593
together.
615
00:39:56,020 --> 00:40:00,640
Really finding the right people for the
right people I think is what gets me
616
00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:01,510
every time.
617
00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:05,920
And what I would encourage for
people that are thinking about it,
618
00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:10,480
working with somebody or an
agency that really takes the
619
00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:15,070
time, the care, and the love
to find you, the right person,
620
00:40:15,340 --> 00:40:19,240
and knowing that it all
falls into place after that.
621
00:40:20,980 --> 00:40:25,720
The beautiful, the magical,
the superwoman that is.
622
00:40:25,720 --> 00:40:30,370
Stacey, thank you so much
for sharing your story today.
623
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,280
Today, you're incredible and
an inspiration to us all.
624
00:40:34,090 --> 00:40:37,600
Thank you, and I'm so
happy to talk to you today.
625
00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:40,300
What an incredible
organization that you've built,
626
00:40:40,390 --> 00:40:44,080
and I'm so blessed to have
stumbled upon ConceiveAbilities
627
00:40:45,340 --> 00:40:49,000
and been a part of your journey
as well with the agency.
628
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:52,870
So thank you for what you've done and
bringing up this incredible organization
629
00:40:52,870 --> 00:40:54,920
to light with pleasure.
630
00:40:59,630 --> 00:41:02,410
Well, I am pretty speechless folks,
631
00:41:02,410 --> 00:41:06,580
but I'm going to have to share
my aha moment, nevertheless,
632
00:41:06,610 --> 00:41:11,050
and what an incredible person Stacey is.
633
00:41:11,050 --> 00:41:13,030
And I hope you've
enjoyed listening to her.
634
00:41:13,390 --> 00:41:15,940
And I think when I reflect
on the conversation,
635
00:41:16,570 --> 00:41:19,630
which could have gone on for hours
because she's so interesting,
636
00:41:19,990 --> 00:41:24,430
my biggest takeaway from my interaction
with her is just an acknowledgement that
637
00:41:24,850 --> 00:41:25,840
however,
638
00:41:26,290 --> 00:41:31,210
whatever our belief system is and
whatever it is that we draw from to
639
00:41:31,750 --> 00:41:36,200
gather and conviction and
640
00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:39,860
belief in a cause, whether it's
inward, whether it's outward,
641
00:41:40,580 --> 00:41:44,630
leaning into that belief,
drawing strength from it,
642
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:50,030
and acting upon it demonstrates
that life can truly
643
00:41:50,420 --> 00:41:55,220
be magical. Thank you so much,
listeners, and until next time,
644
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:56,713
take good care.
645
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:00,740
Thanks for listening at ConceiveAbilities.
646
00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:05,270
We believe everyone who dreams of
becoming a parent deserves that
647
00:42:05,270 --> 00:42:09,920
chance, and its strong, compassionate
women who make it possible.
648
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,490
With 30 years of experience
building families,
649
00:42:13,490 --> 00:42:17,600
ConceiveAbilities has seen
firsthand the incredible impact
650
00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:18,620
surrogates make.
651
00:42:19,130 --> 00:42:22,760
Women like our surrogates are
a powerful force for change,
652
00:42:23,180 --> 00:42:25,670
uplifting families,
strengthening communities,
653
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:30,080
and proving that when women empower
women, anything is possible.
654
00:42:30,470 --> 00:42:32,870
Becoming a surrogate
is more than a journey.
655
00:42:33,170 --> 00:42:35,660
It's a chance to make a lasting impact.
656
00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:41,060
Learn more about surrogacy at
conce com because when the match is
657
00:42:41,060 --> 00:42:43,460
right, dreams come true.