Surrogacy Awareness Week 2024

Her heart, though, was destined to extend its warmth beyond her family and her profession.

An encounter at an egg donor gathering introduced her to a pregnant surrogate, sparking an irresistible curiosity within her and ultimately inspiring her surrogacy journey.

At the time, Charlotte and her husband were grappling with fertility treatments following a challenging miscarriage, hoping to conceive their second child. Despite their personal struggles, Charlotte found herself magnetically drawn towards surrogacy. She yearned to extend her helping hand to others.

As they welcomed their second son amid the pandemic in 2020, her interest in surrogacy was reignited in 2021 when friends reminded her of this long-held aspiration.

That evening, they applied to join Surrogacy UK (SUK). The process was an exciting whirl of emails, information-gathering, and virtual meetups. Their two sons were included in the process, meeting potential IPs and understanding, at a level appropriate to their age, the amazing journey their parents were about to embark on.

It was during one of these online get-togethers that they met their IPs, bonding over shared laughter and a natural ease in each other’s company. Their eldest son, without any influence, chose the same IPs, confirming their choice.

Their friendship with the IPs blossomed into an unbreakable bond, which was strengthened by numerous meetups and shared experiences. Rather than setting strict boundaries, they let their relationship flow naturally, ensuring that their contact continued beyond the pregnancy. To them, it was more than a mere journey; they were building a family.

Their journey to pregnancy was swift, falling pregnant during a trial run as a straight surrogate. While pregnancy brought joy, it also came with challenges, including a nerve complication causing bouts of dizziness, fainting, and sickness. Charlotte had to be signed off work at 23 weeks, and her family had to adjust to a new normal.

However, the support of her IPs and her family, combined with the joy of helping another family, outweighed the physical toll. One of the most rewarding parts of Charlotte’s journey was witnessing the first precious moment her IPs held their baby.

Often asked about the emotional aftermath of “handing the baby over,” Charlotte calmly explains that she never perceived it as such. Rather, she had fulfilled her role and was returning the baby to his rightful parents.

Her journey with straight surrogacy raised some assumptions about her emotional attachment due to shared DNA, but Charlotte was quick to clarify: the baby was never hers but always belonged to his loving dads. Her role was to help him grow. “DNA doesn’t make a family, love does,” she affirms.

Charlotte’s advice to potential surrogates is simple: “Listen to your heart. You will know when IPs are right for you.” Her husband adds, “If your team is right, you’ll be alright,” highlighting the importance of a strong supportive network.

Charlotte’s story is one of love, sacrifice, and a profound understanding of family – demonstrating that families are woven together not by strands of DNA, but by threads of love.