Idaho is said to be the unofficial surrogacy capital of the world. Abundant Life Surrogacy in Boise is passionate about helping couples worldwide on their journey to starting a family.
By understanding individual needs, Abundant Life Surrogacy matches families with like-minded surrogates for a truly personalized experience. They also facilitate a smooth process that allows the surrogates and parents to have exceptional communication, clear expectations, and stronger bonds.
Becoming a Gestational Surrogate
What is a gestational surrogate? With IVF, an embryo is created utilizing the sperm and egg from the IPs (intended parents). From there, the embryo is transferred to the gestational surrogate, leading to a pregnancy. The surrogate will have no biological connection to the child, giving a different outlook on the pregnancy than if they were carrying their own.
Having this alternate outlook on the pregnancy and carrying the IPs child leads to a strong connection between all parties involved. Another way Abundant Life Surrogacy is so successful in their stories is the boundaries they establish on both sides and the support groups that form caring and ideal experiences.
Surrogates help families grow by carrying and delivering another parent's baby for them to raise. Amber Valdez, owner, CEO, and surrogate herself, spoke to Totally Boise about the mindset women have to become surrogates.
"It has to be a heart decision. It cannot be financially based," said Valdez.
Surrogates are not responsible for cost throughout the pregnancy and are compensated for the following:
- Medical costs associated with the pregnancy and recovery
- Mileage to appointments
- Childcare
- Vitamins & supplements
- Lost wages for postpartum recovery
- Any other expenses related to the pregnancy
Surrogacy is a highly intimate process. Ensuring success in every story, Abundant Life Surrogacy goes through an intensive evaluation and selection process for finding top candidates interested in becoming a surrogate.
Abundant Life Surrogacy uses the following 10-step approach to help find surrogates and match them to future parents.
1. Contact Abundant Life Surrogacy: Asking questions is the first step and the most helpful. If you are unfamiliar with the process, the staff at Abundant Life Surrogacy are available to help answer any questions as they arise.
2. Intake & Interview: There are essential requirements for becoming a surrogate, including:
- You must have given birth to and be raising at least one child.
- Criminal background check
- Overall good health
- Live in a stable residence
- No medical issues during past pregnancies
Read more basic qualifications here:
Requirements for Becoming a Surrogate
3. Commitment Form: Personal in-home visits, Profile Creation, Support Groups: This is crucial to be matched to a family with similar needs. This step is vital in ensuring you are ready for surrogacy and finding the best matching IPs. During this phase, you also have the opportunity to meet fellow surrogates.
4. Match with a Family: After being matched with a family, you begin to form strong bonds, set expectations, and determine boundaries.
5. Selection & Evaluations: Surrogates meet with the IPs, and are evaluated further to ensure the right fit.;
6. Medications & IVF Transfer: An exciting part of the process as you prepare your body for pregnancy and have the IVF transfer.
7. Confirmed Pregnancy 5 weeks from implantation: It's time to visit the OB upon which you have selected.
8. Pregnancy Progress: This includes doctor appointments and creating birth plans with the IPs.
9. Due Date Nears: This is where all the excitement and anticipation build. Abundant Life Surrogacy will ensure all proper parentage, and legal documentation is complete. They also help plan any needed travel arrangements and provide baby items for Intending parents if needed.
10. Their Baby Arrives: A beautiful baby is born. Abundant Life highly encourages Intending Parents and Gestational Carriers to spend time with one another during the first few weeks after the birth. There will be some legal paperwork to complete as well. Abundant Life will be present during this time to assist and facilitate.
Surrogacy Stories & Support
Passionate about surrogacy, the fantastic team at Abundant Life Surrogacy has the unique experience of all having been surrogates themselves. With first-hand surrogacy experience, the staff is able to provide an immense amount of support and education. Abundant Life Surrogacy always encourages surrogates to share their stories.
A Story from an Abundant Life Surrogacy Surrogate:
The screening part to becoming a surrogate can go many different ways, i.e., quick and simple, long and dragging, or slowly but surely. Whichever way it goes, you have to trust the process. We do everything we can to make sure things run smoothly with no delays. Sometimes though, the world has different plans.
Sometimes your family has blood relations, but more often than that, your family is a group of people that you pick because they are the closest embodiment of unconditional love that can be represented on Earth. Surrogacy has helped build families, including my own, by working towards giving the gift of parenthood to the most amazing men an entire world away.
The unique and exciting journeys taken by surrogates are remarkable. Many opt for surrogacy again and even continue to work with the same family.
Read the full story and more surrogacy stories here:
Abundant Life Surrogacy Facebook