5 REASONS TO BECOME A SURROGATE
Surrogates are very special people. The majority of people I meet would never consider carrying a child for someone else. They are often shocked that someone would put their body through the physical and emotional toll of pregnancy and childbirth all for someone else. Once they hear about the compensation and benefits side of surrogacy their ears often perk up but those aren’t the ones that go through with it. Surrogates don’t only do this for the money. Here are some reasons women choose to become surrogates, all 5 of them are a few of the reasons I choose to be a surrogate.
They enjoyed pregnancy: This is hard to a lot of people to understand. The thought of enjoying weight gain, frequent urination, and morning sickness (you get the point) is unfathomable to many. For some women though, they are willing to put up with the uncomfortableness of pregnancy to experience the miracle of growing another human. There is no other feeling like a baby kicking and hiccuping in your womb. For others, they had easy pregnancies and didn’t experience any negative side effects so why not do it for someone else! In my experience, I had 2 very easy pregnancies and births and felt like I could do it 10 more times. It wasn’t until my surrogacy pregnancy that I realized what the majority of women experience during pregnancy, but here I am, wanting to do it again!
Birth is their jam: This is a big reason I chose surrogacy, probably not the most common reason for most surrogates! Birth has been described as running a marathon while breaking 52 bones. Yeah, it’s the hardest thing I have ever done but it’s also very soul filling for me. Giving birth surrounded by people you love and trust is a spiritual experience. Some people enjoy jumping out of planes, I enjoy giving birth (when I'm not in a hospital).
Helping others brings them joy: Surrogates have a very giving heart. They want to help others even if it means they will not get an equal gift in return. With surrogacy, there is no equal gift that you could give a surrogate in return and they don’t expect it. Giving to others is what makes them feel alive. I am an empath that wants to save the world but I often feel helpless in my efforts. Being a surrogate was one way I could bring happiness to the world, even if it was just to a few people.
They have seen friends and family struggle: A lot of surrogates I talk with have said they have watched so many friends and family members struggle to create a family. Creating a family was so easy for most surrogates that they want to pay it forward. Creating my family wasn’t a stressful, heartbreaking time like it can be for so many others. For me it was fun and exciting but I did see others around me struggling. I was young and healthy when I was done creating my own family so I thought, "why wouldn’t I do this for someone else?"
A little extra cash couldn’t hurt: Although surrogates don’t do this just for the money, it’s always nice to have extra cash flow coming in while doing something you love. There are some surrogates who do altruistic surrogacy, meaning they don’t get compensated at all but many surrogates do get a compensation fee. They are doing the hardest job imaginable so it makes sense that they would be compensated. Surrogates have stated that they use the money for a down payment on a house, paying off debt, buying a car, their kid’s college fund or a family trip. I took my family to Costa Rica and used some of it for a down-payment on our house!
Surrogates do this for many reasons but one thing is for sure, they do this because they have hearts so big that they want to give the biggest gift possible, the gift of life. The other amazing thing about surrogacy is that most of these women are doing this for strangers that they sometimes have only met over video chat. Surrogates are angels.
Amber Campanelli ~ The Honest Surrogate