Episode 99: Sarah Jefford

Mike, Nate & Sarah

The Surrogacy Podcast Episode 100: Mike, Nate and Sarah. We made it to 100 episodes of the Podcast! And it seems only fitting that we revisit the earlier episodes, and in particular my interview with my intended parents, Mike and Nate. When we recorded those first episodes, we were very early in the fourth trimester and and finding our feet as new parents and (old) surrogate. Almost three years later, with a toddler running around and the benefit of hindsight and reflection, we got to chat about our relationships with each other, with Darcey and my children, and what we've learned in the past three years. We also got to chat about Mike and Nate's experience of parenting post-surrogacy, in a two-dad family.

Episode 99: Sarah Jefford

The Australian Surrogacy Podcast Episode 99: Reflections on surrogacy with Sarah Jefford. I was lucky enough to sit down with Miranda Crowther-Jones, writer, and mother through egg donation and surrogacy, and talk about the last 3 years and my book, More Than Just a Baby. You might remember Miranda from her own episode on the Podcast, and also from her guest blog post she wrote about parenting with a chronic illness. We are celebrating 100 episodes of the Podcast in the coming weeks! This episode reflects on the last 98 episodes, and on the perpetual journey of surrogacy.

Yvette & Cam

The Surrogacy Podcast Episode 98: Yvette and Cam. Yvette and Cameron are intended parents in South Australia and have shared their story for the Surrogacy Podcast. Yvette is a primary school teacher, and teaches drama and dance in French. She can speak four languages! Cameron considers himself the family chauffeur and chef. Yvette's son Xavier is a gamer kid, and Cameron's sous-chef. Cameron can speak Japanese and has worked as a garbologist! Yvette has a long history of infertility and pregnancy losses, and has adenomyosis. Their specialist has recommended that they consider surrogacy in South Australia to grow their family.

Katie

The Surrogacy Podcast Episode 97: Katie. Katie is a surrogate in New Zealand, who carried for her sister and birthed a few months ago. Katie is originally from Ireland, and so is her sister - so their surrogacy journey crossed Irish and New Zealand borders and two different legal frameworks. Add in a global pandemic part-way through a pregnancy, and a mad-dash across the world before borders shut, and then two families in lockdown before a baby arrives - and we've got quite the epic tale of surrogacy!

Kirsty & Angela

The Surrogacy Podcast Episode 96: Angela and Kirsty: surrogacy pregnancy during COVID. Ange is an intended mother in Queensland, and Kirsty is her surrogate. Kirsty is pregnant and due in just under two months. They met through the Australian Surrogacy Community on Facebook, and had an embryo transfer in February - just weeks before the COVID pandemic led to lockdowns and restrictions in hospitals. As the pregnancy has progressed, they've had difficulties planning the birth, attending hospital together for appointments, and negotiating with the hospital. Their hospital is a COVID hotspot, with several staff diagnosed with the virus. And Kirsty is a fast-birther, so choosing another hospital further away from home is out of the question. Unfortunately, Kirsty and Ange have had to deal with 'one size fits all' hospital policies that were going to prevent either of the intended parents attend hospital, leave Kirsty to birth without them, and require Kirsty to care for the baby in the hours and days after the birth. But, with a bit of pushing by them, advocating for themselves, and some advocating by their surrogacy lawyer (!) they've been able to get a better response from the hospital. Hospitals and healthcare providers who are supporting a surrogacy pregnancy and birth need to develop a surrogacy policy, and need to recognise that the birthing person is not the parent, and does not generally wish to care for the baby once it is born. And the parents do want to provide care, and neither of them have given birth. It is in a child's interests that they be cared for by their parents, and a surrogate cannot be forced to care for a child she birthed.