Experiencing Surrogacy is the true story of how a beautiful girl named Ava arrived in our world through a years-long collaboration of patience, determination, love, friendship, and professionalism between two couples, their families, and a host of professionals. The story is told, step by step, from the respective perspectives of the book's authors: Melissa, the gestational surrogate who carried and gave birth to Ava, and Emily, Ava's intended parent and mother. In telling the story, the authors provide the reader with a unique look into and candid advice about every step in the surrogacy process from the two most important sides of the surrogacy experience.--Back cover.

If you can make it through this book without feeling a shred of emotion or shedding a tear of sorrow or joy, then please check yourself for a pulse… EXPERIENCING SURROGACY is the true story of how a beautiful girl named Ava arrived in our world through a years-long collaboration of patience, determination, love, friendship, and professionalism between two couples, their families, and a host of professionals. The story is told, step by step, from the respective perspectives of the book’s authors: Melissa, the gestational surrogate who carried and gave birth to Ava, and Emily, Ava’s intended parent and mother. In telling the story, the authors provide the reader with a unique look into and candid advice about every step in the surrogacy process from the two most important sides of the surrogacy experience. Surrogacy is a unique, beautiful, and challenging way to have a baby. Whether you are looking into surrogacy as an intended parent or surrogate, are a professional in a related field, or are simply curious about surrogacy and want to know more, the authors hope that through you reading about their experiences and hearing their advice, you will feel more informed about the surrogacy process. No matter your level of existing knowledge or reason for interest, if you choose to read this book, then you are guaranteed to learn something new about surrogacy. And you will be treated to a beautiful story, that is both fascinating and joyous, along the way.

The complexity of Surrogacy is arguably made even more so by the very nature of it being a decision many families reach due to the greatest of emotional challenges. There are so many opportunities for things to go wrong, but also the greatest of happy outcomes for so many families too. As a specialist surrogacy lawyer and a surrogate in 2018, Sarah Jefford has observed many surrogacy teams both flourish and struggle, and that has led to this very important book. In order to maximise every potential for things to go well for both intended parents and surrogate mothers, we need to make informed decisions that protect the interests of everyone involved, but most importantly that are in the best interests of the children - those who are already here, and those who will be in the future. If you want to know answers to the questions of how does surrogacy work, and the surrogate mother process, then this book will be your best place to start. But keep it handy throughout the entire process so that as your journey progresses, you will be able to understand the many aspects of surrogate pregnancy, intended parents roles, and each other's vital roles in creating a family together.

Surrogacy Was the Way: Twenty Intended Mothers Tell Their Stories documents the true stories of twenty women who had children via surrogacy. Surrogacy is a complete possibility in today's day and age, but anyone considering this route to parenthood should know the pros and cons. The women featured go to surrogacy for a variety of reasons, ranging from Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) to cancer to unexplained infertility and everything in between. Some of the journeys go rather smoothly-while others are filled with one obstacle after another. Some of the women have children already and want to add to their family, while most are attempting to become moms for the first time. What they all have in common, however, is that every woman whose story is told knows what it's like to be an intended mother-the term for the "mother to be" if and when a baby is born. And all of the women ultimately end up having a child (or more) through surrogacy. When I first started researching surrogacy, I was fortunate to find several Online support groups. As I gave and received support to so many other women I became fascinated with the extent to which people would go to simply have a baby. I realized that their stories-our stories-needed to be heard; thus, the idea for this book was born. For the millions of women who have been touched by infertility in some way, or know someone who has, Surrogacy Was the Way will open their eyes to amazing possibilities. It will show them that they do have options, and with persistence and faith, they can achieve their dreams of motherhood after all.

"This book tackles a very difficult, complicated subject in a sweet, whimisical way. A lighthearted picture book on surrogacy."--Cover p. [4].

Whether couples pursue surrogacy as a way to combat infertility or because of a preexisting condition (or two men seek to have a child together), surrogacy can be fraught with anxiety, concern, and fear of the unknown and it's easy to see why-how can anyone trust a virtual stranger to carry their baby for them?Couples wonder if it's awkward to watch another woman pregnant with their child. And what would possess someone to be a surrogate mother in the first place?Successful Surrogacy: An Intended Parents' Guide to a Rewarding Relationship With Their Surrogate Mother is the only book of its kind in the world of infertility resources. It provides intended parents a first-hand look at the gestational surrogacy process from start to finish from a surrogate mother's perspective and addresses their concerns and questions every step of the way. Written by Susan MZ Fuller, a seven-time gestational surrogate mother for six different couples, Successful Surrogacy is an essential resource for couples considering or currently using a surrogate mother to build their families.While it's is true that surrogacy is one of life's most emotionally intense events to go through, it can also be one the most uniquely rewarding and joyous experiences for couples and surrogates alike. Successful Surrogacy helps couples select a surrogate who is the best match for them and then candidly walks them through the surrogacy process from the surrogate mother's point of view, from deciding to work together through the birth of their baby and beyond.The book explains each phase of surrogacy in detail, starting with initial medical evaluations and undertaking a medicated cycle leading to the embryo transfer and elaborates on what a surrogate mother is going through physically, emotionally, and socially so intended parents can better understand and relate to their surrogate mother. The surrogate's perspective on the phases of pregnancy as well as the birth and afterward is also detailed in chronological order as the surrogacy journey unfolds. Formatted as a series of probing questions and discussion items for couples to explore together, Successful Surrogacy gives parents-to-be a unique guidebook for exploring their own thoughts and feelings on the various aspects of surrogacy. The book also gives a surrogate's perspective on the same topics so parents can consider the issues from both sides and if necessary, broach individual topics with their own surrogate mother, allowing them to more easily develop and strengthen their relationship with her.Successful Surrogacy: An Intended Parents' Guide to a Rewarding Relationship With Their Surrogate Mother is a quick yet detailed read that is designed to be a handy step-by-step resource and discussion toolkit that couples can consult throughout the phases of their own surrogate pregnancy experience. It's also a wealth of information for loved ones, friends, and family members supporting any couple embarking on the surrogacy process.You are not alone on this journey. Scroll up and get your copy today.

A Gay Couple's Journey Through Surrogacy: Intended Fathers details a gay couple's own hopeful quest for a child. This very personal memoir gives the reader a look into the available choices and problems faced today by gays and lesbians wishing to become parents. The author traces his and his partner's challenges from their initial decision to find a surrogate on through the trials and tribulations of the entire pregnancy and birth.

Sharmila Rudrappa interrogates the creation and maintenance of reproductive labor markets, the function of agencies and surrogacy brokers, and how women become surrogate mothers. Is surrogacy solely a labor contract for which the surrogate mother receives wages, or do its meanings and import exceed the confines of the market? Rudrappa argues that this reproductive industry is organized to control and disempower women workers and yet her interviews reveal that, by and large, the surrogate mothers in Bangalore found the experience life affirming. Rudrappa explores this tension, and the lived realities of many surrogate mothers whose deepening bodily commodification is paradoxically experienced as a revitalizing life development.

Included in Time's 100 Must Read Books of 2021 list * A New York Times Best Seller * One of Audible's Best of The Year * AV Club's Best Books to Buy “Funny, tender, and so good.” — Mindy Kaling, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Why Not Me? Remember when we hit it off so well that we decided We’re Going to Need More Wine? Well, this time you and I are going to turn to our friend the bartender and ask, You Got Anything Stronger? I promise to continue to make you laugh, but with this round, the stakes get higher as the conversation goes deeper. So. Where were we? Right, you and I left off in October 2017, when my first book came out. The weeks before were filled with dreams of loss. Pets dying. My husband leaving me. Babies not being born. My therapist told me it was my soul preparing for my true self to emerge after letting go of my grief. I had finally spoken openly about my fertility journey. I was having second thoughts—in fact, so many thoughts they were organizing to go on strike. But I knew I had to be honest because I didn’t want other women going through IVF to feel as alone as I did. I had suffered in isolation, having so many miscarriages that I could not give an exact number. Strangers shared their own journeys and heartbreak with me. I had led with the truth, and it opened the door to compassion. When I released We’re Going to Need More Wine, the response was so great people asked when I would do a sequel. The New York Times even ran a headline reading “We’re Going to Need More Gabrielle Union.” Frankly, after being so open and honest in my writing, I wasn’t sure there was more of me I was ready to share. But life happens with all its plot twists. And new stories demand to be told. This time, I need to be more vulnerable—not so much for me, but anyone who feels alone in what they’re going through. A lot has changed in four years—I became a mom and I’m raising two amazing girls. My husband retired. My career has expanded so that I have the opportunity to lift up other voices that need to be heard. But the world has also shown us that we have a lot we still have to fight for—as women, as black women, as mothers, as aging women, as human beings, as friends. In You Got Anything Stronger?, I show you how this ever-changing life presents challenges, even as it gives me moments of pure joy. I take you on a girl’s night at Chateau Marmont, and I also talk to Isis, my character from Bring It On. For the first time, I truly open up about my surrogacy journey and the birth of Kaavia James Union Wade. And I take on racist institutions and practices in the entertainment industry, asking for equality and real accountability. You Got Anything Stronger? is me at my most vulnerable. I have recently found true strength in that vulnerability, and I want to share that power with you here, through this book.

Summary: In February 2011, 61-year-old Kristine Casey delivered the greatest gift of all to her daughter, Sara Connell: Sara's son, Finnean. At that moment, Kristine--the gestational carrier of Sara and her husband Bill's child--became the oldest woman ever to give birth in Chicago. While Finnean's birth made local headlines, this book tells one modern family's remarkable surrogacy story. Connell recounts the tragedy and heartbreak of losing pregnancies; the process of opening her heart and mind to the idea of her mother carrying her child for her; and the profound bond that blossomed between mother and daughter as a result of their unique experience together. Bringing in Finn is a tale of despair, hope, forgiveness, and redemption--and the discovery that when it comes to unconditional love, there are no limits to what can be achieved.--From publisher description.