The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 63: Raya

Raya is an intended mother in Melbourne and is due to meet her new baby in the next week! Her lovely sister-in-law, her husband’s sister, Lara, is due to give birth any day now. I’ll be interviewing Lara in a later episode. Raya and I talked about her journey of trying to conceive with her husband, and suffering with infertility and then going through IVF to try and have a baby. Sadly, Raya developed Ashmeran’s Syndrome, which left her unable to carry a child. Lara and her partner offered to carry a baby for Raya long before they knew that surrogacy was going to be their only option.

There are particular dynamics in a surrogacy arrangement with family members involved. How do they navigate existing relationships when surrogacy is thrown into the mix? How does Raya’s husband feel about seeing his little sister carrying his child? We also talked about the surrogacy process, and Raya’s sadness at not being able to carry her own child. Raya was able to get support from other women suffering with infertility, who understood what she was going through.

You might like to have a look at these resources, which we talked about in this episode:

• The Australian Surrogacy Community on Facebook;
• The process for surrogacy in Australia;
• What to expect from the counselling required for a surrogacy arrangement; and
• What to expect in the third trimester.

You can find out more information about some of the things we discussed, including:

• Consider whether you meet the criteria to pursue surrogacy in Australia.
  .
• How to find a surrogate in Australia.
  .
• Surrogacy laws and what to expect from the legal requirements.
  .
• Gay men and couples may be interested in what’s involved in egg donation and surrogacy.
  .
• If you’re considering becoming a surrogate, you can read more about it and book in for a free consult with me.
  .
• International surrogacy options for Australian intended parents.