The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 64: Birth Planning with Katrina Hale.

In this episode, Katrina and I spoke about the importance of planning ahead with your surrogacy birth. You might think it’s a matter of deciding if the surrogate will have pain relief and who will cut the cord, but surrogacy births are a little more complex. You should plan early and enquire with the hospitals where you might birth about their surrogacy policies and practices. Some things to ask about include:

• Whether the hospital has managed a surrogacy birth recently;
• Whether the hospital has a surrogacy policy that you can read. If not, you can give them this free hospital surrogacy policy.
• Whether the intended parents will be provided with birth education and parent craft support;
• How they will support the team with decisions about milk and feeding a surrogacy baby;
• Whether both intended parents will be present in theatre in case of a c-section;
• Will the intended parents be able to stay in a separate room with the baby; and
• Whether the hospital will be able to support the surrogate and baby being discharged from hospital separately if necessary.

We also talked about the importance of surrogacy birth photography, particularly for the surrogate to be able to process the moments of birth.

You can listen to more interviews with Katrina Hale and read more about planning a surrogacy birth, including how you can get support if you need help navigating the hospital policies and personalities.

You can find more information in the free Surrogacy Handbook, and by listening to more episodes of the Podcast. You can also book in for a consult with me below.

If you are needing surrogacy counselling, make sure to connect with Katrina Hale.

If you are entering a surrogacy arrangement, you will need to complete surrogacy counselling with a qualified counsellor.

Katrina has previously appeared on the Podcast at Episode 32. She has also created a list of Twenty Things to Think About When Choosing Your Surrogacy Relationship.

Katrina Hale appears in several episodes of the Podcast, and you can listen to other episodes of the Khale Series.

If you are considering becoming a surrogate, you can read more about that here.

You can hear stories from intended parents and surrogates on the Surrogacy Podcast.

You can find all the details of the surrogacy laws that apply to you.

You can also purchase my book, More Than Just a Baby: A Guide to Surrogacy for Intended Parents and Surrogates, the only guide to surrogacy in Australia.