Martin and Paul are gay dads in Australia and recently welcomed their son Zac through a surrogacy arrangement with a surrogate, Crystal, in Queensland. They found their egg donor and surrogate via online forums, notwithstanding the daunting prospect of pursuing surrogacy in Australia. Martin and Paul had no expectations about the time it would take to find a donor and a surrogate, and weren’t even sure it was possible until they spoke to other gay dads around Australia and joined the surrogacy community.

We talked about heaps of things in this episode, including:

• The importance of Setting Expectations for the surrogacy relationships and the document that Martin, Paul and Crystal used to get them on the same page.
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• Their connection with other gay dads, including Carla’s intended parents and gay dads Andrew and Simon, and the importance of community support.
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• The wonder and importance of surrogacy birth photography and how the birth photographer captured the special moments during labour and birth which they can now show Zac as part of telling him his story.
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• How they found an egg donor, and how they found a surrogate.
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• The ways to support a surrogate, including practical ways to help when you don’t live nearby, and how amazing a supportive family network can be for a surrogate who does not live near the intended parents.
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• The Gay Dads Facebook group and the friendships they’ve built in that group.

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