“I am excited to be a surrogate, helping another family”
Many people struggle when it comes to conceiving naturally, and this can be for a variety of reasons. While some women have health-related or genetic fertility issues that can be dealt with, there are others who simply cannot have babies at all. Male couples, single males or women struggling to carry a baby full-term may worry that they are out of options, but of course, there is always surrogacy!
Today’s story is about Julie, (@surrgcalicious on Instagram) a woman who helps other people fulfill their dreams of having a family, by, as she puts it, “renting out her womb”!
Becoming a surrogate
“I am a single mum of 3 boys who are 5, 11 and 12,” starts Julie during her interview. “I have been teaching for 10 years. I am close to my family; I have 3 brothers. My dad is from India and my mum is American. I was born in Oklahoma.”
Julie first found out about surrogacy from another mum who had just finished her second surrogacy. In the beginning, Julie thought she wouldn’t be able to be a surrogate with her tubes tied, but she soon discovered this was not the case. As long as a woman has a healthy uterus, she can carry babies until she is at least 45 years old!
“Pregnancies never really slowed me down. I love being pregnant,” confesses Julie. It wasn’t long before she decided to look into the possibility of becoming a surrogate. While she wasn’t sure she would be accepted, luckily, Extraordinary Conceptions (partners with HSFC) did accept, and in November 2020, Julie was matched with a family.
The first steps of the journey & discovering HSFC
Once the courts agree to the legalities around Julie becoming a surrogate, it is just a waiting game until the next cycle. “Once it starts, I will start taking hormones. Then on day 10 they will do an ultrasound to make sure the lining of my uterus is thick enough for embryo transfer. If it is, I will be heading out to London for an embryo transfer.” Once the embryo transfer is complete, Julie will have to wait for 2 days before flying back to the US.
Julie didn’t know about HSFC at first, but admits to being impressed after meeting Doctor Venkat. “What I loved about my interview with the doctor was that she was so one-on-one and personal with me. She seemed to really care for me as you would with a family member. I felt at peace. She asked me a lot of questions, and was so invested in my health. She answered all my questions and I never felt rushed.”
A message for other women
Julie advises other women that there is a huge support system for those who choose to be surrogates: “even being a single mum, I don’t feel alone. I think it’s important to have a strong support system of friends and family.”
We ask Julie whether she worries about bonding too much with the baby, and suffering heartbreak when the time comes to give the child up to its family. She responds: “I am going into this knowing that I am doing it for somebody else. This is actually not my baby. I like that it’s an embryo.”Julie then jokes: “I’m AirBnB. My womb has been rented out.”
“I’m done with the baby part of my life, I’m done with waking up in the middle of the night. I love the pregnancy part of the journey and then I am going to be off the hook,” continues Julie, laughing.
Julie finishes her interview with a big smile on her face. “I am helping another family and I am actually happy to do it. I am excited to be a surrogate.”
If you’re interested in following Julie along her journey, you can find her social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok) under the handle @surrgalicious. We are looking forward to catching up with Julie in the very near future.
To find out more about our partner Extraordinary Conceptions and their surrogacy hybrid programme, please read our blog and listen to their podcast here.
Listen to Julie's podcast below:
