Hospital Resources for Surrogacy Birth

Sarah provides education and resources for hospitals and healthcare providers to assist them with a surrogacy birth and to care for surrogates, intended parents and babies.

You can read a broad overview of surrogacy in Australia.

Sarah provides training (in-person or over Zoom) to midwifery and obstetric staff about surrogacy laws and processes, and caring for surrogacy teams. Sarah regularly presents to IVF clinics, fertility counsellors, the Australian College of Midwives, universities and at professional conferences. You can contact Sarah to discuss your particular requirements.

Sarah assists in policy-drafting for surrogacy clinic, hospital and healthcare provider surrogacy policies. You download a sample hospital policy for surrogacy, Best Practice Guidelines for Care in Surrogacy Birth to assist in drafting your own policy.

Sarah has created a Surrogacy Pregnancy and Birth Care Planning Guide for surrogacy teams and their healthcare providers. This guide is the only one of its kind in Australia. Printed copies are available to be posted to surrogates, intended parents and to hospitals.

There are some fundamental principles that must guide the care provided in surrogacy arrangements:

• Surrogacy teams have navigated a legal and legitimate process prior to conception. This includes significant counselling and legal advice. Healthcare providers must recognise the legitimacy of the surrogacy arrangement and assist the parties to fulfill it in accordance with their wishes.
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• Surrogates maintain their bodily autonomy throughout the pregnancy and birth and are able to express their autonomy by consenting or otherwise to treatments and procedures. A surrogate’s expression of bodily autonomy includes relinquishing the child into the care of the intended parents, and not being forced or pressured into caring for the baby against her wishes.
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• The child’s best interests are paramount. The child has a right to know and be cared for by their parents. This includes forming bonds with their parents from the moment of birth. It is fundamental to the best interests of the child that they are cared for by their parents from birth.
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• Human rights legislation includes protection of the family, in the many and diverse forms that family take. This includes protection of a surrogacy family – the intended parents and the child. Care providers and hospitals must care for and protect the integrity of the family, in the same way it cares for other families, and provide support for the child to be cared for by their parents.

Other support and resources that may support a surrogacy birth include information about milk and feeding in surrogacy arrangements and planning the surrogacy birth. You can find more articles about surrogacy birth and beyond. Sarah can also assist with navigating and negotiating with the hospital for the surrogacy pregnancy and birth care.

Whether you are are a potential surrogate, intended parent, or a care provider, you can download the free Surrogacy Handbook which explains the processes and options in Australia. Read other resources about surrogacy pregnancy and birth.

Sarah has published a book, More Than Just a Baby: A Guide to Surrogacy for Intended Parents and Surrogates, the only guide to surrogacy in Australia.

You can find more information in the free Surrogacy Handbook, reading articles in the Blog, by listening to episodes of the Surrogacy Podcast. You can also book in for a consult with Sarah below, and check out the legal services she provides.