We have a new feature story! This one is coming from our amazing surrogate, Amanda. We love hearing these awesome experiences and it’s even better when we get to share them.
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My name is Amanda and I completed my first surrogacy journey on 3/11/19. I had always felt “drawn” to the idea of surrogacy, but had never seriously considered it until after I had my 2nd baby and knew that our family was complete. I had very easy pregnancies and deliveries and loved being pregnant! Surrogacy just seemed like a great option and the idea of helping someone have a family that couldn’t by traditional means really resonated deep in my soul.
I met Amber and Karen by chance, through a mutual friend before they started Abundant Life. Over the next 4 years I kept thinking about it, but had personal things going on so it got put on the back burner. Then I turned 40. At that point it became a now or never thing, so I had to decide if it was truly something I was passionate about and called to do. I decided that not only was it something I wanted to do for someone else, I also wanted and in a way needed to do it for myself. I started the process with Abundant Life and it wasn’t a quick and easy thing. There were obstacles I hadn’t anticipated during the matching process (my age) and I had really started to accept that it wasn’t going to happen for me. Then I got the call from Amber that we had a Skype interview set up. I remember I was so nervous! Amber and Karen had both told me that when you know, you just know. I didn’t really believe it though…until it happened for me during that interview! My IP was a single man who is from Israel and despite the initial awkwardness, we both picked each other. I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait for things to move forward. Progress was slow again, from the time of matching to my transfer was almost 7 months. During that time I got to meet my IF and my feelings from during our initial interview were really confirmed. I knew that the bond that he would have with me and my family was exactly what I had hoped for when starting the process. Fast forward to the end of June, through all the evals, legal contracts, shots and meds, finally transfer day! Everything went perfectly, better than I could have hoped. My pregnancy was once again easy and I found myself enjoying every aspect of it. I loved all the cute clothing options to show off my bump and having the ability to send my IF pics of his growing baby. My own girls are young teenagers and their love and bond with my IF and my growing bump was priceless! He visited several times and maintained consistent communication with my family as the months flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for delivery day! This delivery wasn’t as easy as my previous two, but my IF was presented with his beautiful, perfect baby girl after about 12 hours of labor. The week he spent in town after she was born was such an amazing gift for my family and I. We all got to spend many hours bonding with this precious girl that I carried and her amazing, doting daddy. He’s been back with her once since she was born for 4 days and we are eagerly awaiting their next visit shortly after she turns 1! We get photos and updates all the time and the relationship we share makes my heart so incredibly happy.
This experience was all that I ever hoped and dreamed it could be, even though there were aspects of it that weren’t perfect. I truly believe that I was meant to do this and the man I helped to realize his dream of having a child was the perfect person to become a part of my family. I couldn’t have done any of this without the support and help of Abundant Life and all of my fellow surrogate sisters.
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