The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 83: Sarah-Jayne. Sarah-Jayne is a Perinatal and Family Psychologist, who provides counselling for surrogacy and fertility and parenting. We talked about the importance of managing our mental health and accessing support on the way to [...]
Surrogacy isn't always sunshine and roses. Sometimes, it can go wrong. Even when it is good, the relationships are complex and challenging and sometimes really hard. I am often asked for examples of surrogacy-gone-wrong. Intended parents and surrogates want to [...]
Surrogacy Counselling - what should we expect? Intended parents and surrogates are always keen to know what they can expect from the surrogacy counselling. Perhaps you've never had counselling and are expecting to open Pandora's Box on all your private [...]
A surrogacy arrangement necessarily involves people sharing experiences with each other that would otherwise be reserved for the most intimate of relationships. Besides discussion about your views on pregnancy termination and whether the surrogate will drink alcohol during pregnancy, there’s [...]
Surrogate Bodily Autonomy. What exactly do we mean when we talk about the surrogate having bodily autonomy? A surrogate is just like any other person, and can make decisions about her body just as any other person can. This is [...]
Supporting Your Surrogate and Family Intended parents carry the pressure of wanting to be appreciative, supportive and caring for their surrogate and her family, and not wanting to be intrusive or overbearing. With that in mind, there are a few [...]
One Year On - January 2019 Surro-baby, Darcey, turned one last weekend. Her dads threw her a party, of course, and like all first birthdays, it was more of an anniversary for the parents than it was a party for [...]
Altruistic surrogacy is one of the most complex and amazing journeys you'll ever take, regardless of whether you're the surrogate team or the intended parent team. Even when things go right, they can still be difficult, and every team faces [...]
When travelling down the surrogacy path, the most important part is the relationship between the surrogate (and her partner, if she has one) and the intended parents. It is important that we spend time setting expectations before going on our [...]
Finding Happiness Beyond Surrogacy Surrogacy can be all-consuming - for the intended parents, and the surrogate family. Relationship-building takes time (particularly if we want to get it right) and so does the process. Medical appointments, counselling, legal advice, blood tests, [...]
The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 32: Katrina Hale, surrogacy counsellor. She's been described as the guardian angel of altruistic surrogates across Australia. Really, how could I not have her on the Podcast with a commendation like that? Katrina Hale is a [...]
The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 37: Kate from VARTA. Kate Bourne is the Donor Services Manager at the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA), which provides independent information and support for individuals, couples, and health professionals on fertility, infertility, assisted reproductive [...]
This is episode 48 of the Australian Surrogacy Podcast - the Khale Series. Katrina Hale is a surrogacy counsellor, and in this episode we talked about Managing our Fears in our surrogacy journeys. Surrogates and intended parents have some predictable [...]
Traditional Surrogacy - Episode 49 of the Surrogacy Podcast, another Khale Series episode with Katrina Hale. You might think traditional surrogacy is just a cheaper and easier method than gestational surrogacy, but the truth is that it is more potentially [...]
This is episode 50 of the Surrogacy Podcast, another Khale series episode with Katrina Hale, and it makes sense that with celebrating episode 50 we discussed milestones and rituals in surrogacy. You might think a baby shower or birthday is [...]
The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 62: The Third Trimester with Katrina Hale. The third trimester, or 'the pointy end' of pregnancy, is hormone-fuelled and can be raw, emotional, challenging and overwhelming. When you throw in surrogacy, the third trimester becomes [...]
The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 66: The Fourth Trimester with Katrina Hale. You might like to listen to our episodes on the Third Trimester and Birth Planning. In this episode, Katrina and I talked about the fourth trimester in a [...]
The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 68: Jessica. Jessica was a gestational surrogate for friends living nearby in regional Victoria, and delivered a baby in November. She's right at the end of the fourth trimester, so it was great to check [...]
You may remember Henry and Lisa from episode 14, when they were patiently waiting on the birth of their son via surrogate, Emmy (episode 31). Now, in a 'where are they now?' retrospective, we're checking in with Henry and Lisa [...]
