Culture
Meet the Surrogates
A look at the lives of women who give birth to other people's babies
A small but growing number of couples in the United States and Europe are turning to gestational surrogates to help create their families. Today, the demand for qualified surrogates far outpaces their availability; the women typically receive $20,000 to $25,000. Who are these women? Some are stay-at-home moms, others are career women. They range in age from their early 20s to their early 40s. Many have children of their own. And all of them share a desire to help those that can't carry their own children create families. NEWSWEEK spoke with dozens of gestational surrogates. A look at a few of them. Photo: Gillian Laub for Newsweek
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Posted By: evoo73 @ 06/27/2008 1:48:53 AM
Comment: im a surrogate child! im 15 now too. i love my surrogate mom. she lives in california and i live in north carolina. but we are still connected and i love it!
Posted By: surr @ 04/04/2008 9:14:46 PM
Comment: My husband and I had a difficult time trying to have a child because of difficulty with my eggs. We were extremely lucky and we were able to have twins with IVF. My sister has had repeated miscarriages and I am now a surrogate for her and her husband (they are the biological parents). I am now 6 months pregnant with their child. I have lived through the heartbreak of infertility and I am grateful that my sister and brother in law are able to have this chance. I am so excited for them that in another few months they will be holding their baby. Good luck to people out their trying to have a baby and to the surrogates who are willing to help make dreams come true.
Posted By: janperrott56 @ 04/02/2008 3:56:01 PM
Comment: My daughter Stephanie was a surrogate parent and now owns her own agency, Simple Surrogacy. When Stephanie first broached the subject of being a surrogate parent, I was more than a little apprehensive. Though she thrived upon the knowledge that she was going to be personally responsible for another couple's happiness, her experience with the agency she was with was a nightmare. I have since watched my daughter establish her own agency. Her pleasure in assisting others in realizing their dream of having children has made her own life a constant joy. Stephanie is one of the rare agency owners that actually WORKS for the surrogate and intented parents. I hear her on the phone with her clients at all hours of the day and night, consoling, laughing with, and generally being a friend to all of them. Her agency might as well be a non-profit organization....she puts in her whole heart and receives just enough compensation to live on. Stephanie has advised me that it never will be the money. She lives for that good feeling she gets when dreams are made.