Blog
Who are intended parents?
There is not one, common denominator that stretches across all intended parents. Like most things, each intended parent, couple and situation is unique and different. However, at Shared Conception we get asked sometimes, "Who are the intended parents? Who comes...
Traditional vs. Gestational Surrogates
When a woman begins the process of becoming a surrogate, she can easily become overwhelmed with new terms and new definitions. One of those areas that can sometimes become confusing is the type of surrogate to become. There are two main types: gestational and...
Favorite Blogs We Follow
There are several great blog sites available that journey through the process of surrogacy. Here are a few of our favorite blogs to check out! - A Surrogate's Journey. (http://beautifulsurrogacy.blogspot.com/) Brandy is a surrogate who writes a blog geared toward...
Why should you choose Shared Conception?
We know when you Google "Surrogacy Agency," a person can become overwhelmed with the results. There are lots of surrogacy agencies and choosing the "best" one is sometimes a daunting task in itself. However, we believe Shared Conception is the best option as a...
Breast Milk and the Surrogate
Surrogates can continue helping their intended parents even after the birth of the baby. Several recent studies highlight the benefits of feeding your child breast milk through their early, developing stages. For those heading through the journey of surrogacy, many...
Including the Intended Parents Throughout the Journey
Just like any parents, intended parents want to get to know their baby before he or she is ever born. The intended parents attend the doctor visits, watch the ultrasounds and listen intently to the little heartbeat. Surrogates want the intended parents to stay...
Surrogates and health insurance
Surrogates and health insurance Shared Conception welcomes surrogates who both have and do not have health insurance. For those women who do have health insurance, we will happily look over your health insurance policy to see if there are any exceptions for being a...
How much are surrogates compensated?
How much are surrogates compensated? At Shared Conception, each surrogate determines her fee to the intended parents. Many factors go into this overall number. Has the woman been a surrogate before? Is there travel time and cost involved? Will the surrogate's health...
Great gift ideas for surrogates
Your surrogate is giving you the greatest gift you could ever imagine… your child. Some intended parents like to thank the woman who has given so much, in a special way. Here are a few ideas of special, meaningful gifts intended parents could give their...
Guest Blog! Independent vs. Agency
By Carmela Cancino One of the first questions that a potential surrogate must answer is whether or not she will be working with an agency to find her match. I started my surrogacy journey with an agency that, in my opinion, threw up too many red flags and tried...
The delivery!
As a surrogate, when the time comes to deliver the baby, there are so many emotions racing. We want to be sure everything is ready and in place well before the actual delivery day. There will be a cute bundle of joy (or two!) that will take center stage, of course....
How to pick a surrogacy agency
If you’ve thought it over, researched the topic and are ready to head down the road of surrogacy, your first thought might be, “How do I pick a surrogate agency?” Here are a few suggestions. 1. Do your research. Research on the Internet different agencies in your...
Embryo Transfer Process for Surrogates
There are several different aspects to the embryo transfer process. Many times, surrogates will take oral contraceptives in order to sync the timing of her menstruation cycle to the same time as the intended mother’s cycle. This aids in making the transfer of eggs and...
Guest Blog! The Wait…
One of the hardest things to do in surrogacy is wait. This goes for all parties: the IPs, the surrogate, the egg donor, the agency coordinator, etc. It's so hard to wait when something so amazing is almost in your grasp; you just have to put the...
How to explain surrogacy to your children
To become a surrogate, women must meet certain criteria. One of those is they must have already had a pregnancy and live birth. This means the surrogate already has children. So when the woman becomes pregnant as a surrogate, her children might have questions. Her...
What are the legal requirements for surrogacy?
Having a surrogate deliver your baby is a fragile situation. We at Shared Conceptions want to make sure the journey is legally correct, both for the surrogate and intended parents. Texas is considered “surrogate friendly.” What’s this mean for you? Texas has specific...
How does a surrogate pick the intended parents?
There are lots of qualifications a surrogate might go by when she is matched with intended parents. We realize it is a large decision placed on her shoulders: Which couple does she get to make into a family? This question is never taken lightly. Here are a few...
Guest Blog! The heart of a gestational surrogate
By Andrea Muehlhaus http://www.mybodytheirbaby.blogspot.com/ Hi There! My name is Andrea and I am a gestational surrogate currently 21 weeks pregnant with my first surro-babe. People ask me all the time, "How do you do it?" I simply reply, "Why not...