Gestational mother

Gestational Surrogate Mothers

Baby Bump Journeys specializes in helping surrogates
navigate their way through the entire process.
With our experience in being surrogates ourselves,
we can help you with any questions you have
along the way.

Surrogate Mothers

Surrogate mothers are the reason people who are struggling with fertility are able to complete their families. At Baby Bump Journeys, we provide the knowledge and experience to help you through the process. You will get one on one support through the entire duration of your journey. With Baby Bump Journeys, you get more than a business relationship, you get a friend.

What To Expect at Your Screening

Matching

When you fill out an application, we will create a profile that will be sent to prospective parents to review. Once a prospective parent responds with interest in your profile, you will be given a profile or bio of the parents to review and decide if you want to move forward with meeting them. Most meetings are done on Skype or some other form of FaceTime. If the parents are local or in town, Baby Bump Journeys will arrange a meeting in person. Once both parties officially decide to move forward, your case manager will set everything up with the clinic for medical screening.

Medical Screening

Once the match is made, you will be required to get a physical with the IVF clinic the Intended Parents are working with. This includes blood draw, urinalysis and an ultrasound. The blood test is to check for any infectious diseases, immunities and different levels of hormones that are natural to your body. The urinalysis will detect any drugs/alcohol use along with the protein levels of your body. The ultrasound will detect any abnormality in your uterus or ovaries. They want to make sure you don’t have any scarring or polyps/cysts that would prevent a successful pregnancy. Some clinics will also perform a breast exam, to make sure there isn’t any abnormalities that need to be addressed. With all of the medication you are on, the hormones can increase any abnormality that would be in your body. The results for the medical screening take approximately 7/10 days to get back. If you have a spouse or partner, they will need to do blood tests as well to eliminate the possibility of any infectious diseases they may be carrying, that you don’t have. Once the clinic gives us the official medical clearance, we will move on to contracts.

Legal

Once we receive Medical clearance from the IVF clinic, your case manager will send information to the attorney to begin drafting the contracts. Your case manager will set you up with your own personal attorney, not affiliated with the drafting attorney. They will reach out to you, in order to get set up with their services. Once the initial draft is in place, the intended parents will review the contract with their attorney and make any changes needed on their end. Once the changes are in place, the drafting attorney will send a copy to your attorney, who will then review the contract and any changes made with you. The draft is then sent back to the drafting attorney with any changes made and will once again be reviewed by the intended parents and their attorney for approval. If no changes are made or the changes made have been approved, the drafting attorney will send the Final contract to your attorney for signatures. The contracts are now required to be signed in front of a licensed notary. The attorney will let you know if you will have to travel to a certain city to have it done. There are some circumstances that require trips to Los Angeles for Notary, to help ease the judgement process for the attorney’s while establishing the parental rights. If you have to travel, there is a mileage compensation in your surrogate benefits package.

Psychological Testing

Baby Bump Journeys will arrange for you to connect with a psychologist to arrange your psychological evaluation. There is normally a multiple choice “personality” test that is done along with a Face to Face type meeting. Depending on where you are located that can be at the psychologist’s office or over Skype.

Partner Screening

If the surrogate has a partner/spouse, the partner/spouse is also required to undergo blood tests to screen for any infectious diseases that the partner/spouse may have. They are mainly looking for anything that can be passed onto the surrogate or the baby and can cause harm or complication to the baby/pregnancy. The test can usually be done if your partner/spouse joins you at the screening or outside of the clinic at your local lab.

Surrogate Pregnancy

The Screening Also Includes

The surrogates cycle may be synchronized with the egg donor’s or intended mothers cycle through birth control pills if IVF clinic has decided on a fresh embryo transfer.The surrogate will start taking estrogen after her menstrual cycle starts.

The surrogate will be closely monitored so that the IVF physician can determine when her uterine lining is thick enough to receive the embryos. On the embryo transfer day, the embryos will be inserted into the surrogate’s uterus. The surrogate may be required to stay on bed rest after the embryo transfer.

Approximately 10-12 days after the embryo transfer, the surrogate will take a quantitative HCG blood test where the pregnancy hormone is measured. If there is a pregnancy, an ultrasound is done at approximately 6-7 weeks to confirm the fetal heartbeat.

Once the IVF Doctor feels your pregnancy is developing safely, they will release you to continue your care through your chosen OB. If you have to apply for new insurance, you must be positive that the chosen OB is in your network of providers.

This is just a small overview of the surrogacy process. The physicians and program directors will go over the entire process of becoming a surrogate with each individual surrogate candidate, including the potential risks and complications of surrogacy.

Surrogate Program Requirements

Please review the following minimum qualifications to become a surrogate mother
in our program.

  • Age Limit

    Be between the ages of 21-40

  • Previous Pregnancies

    Have given birth to at least one child

  • Pregnancy Overlook

    Have had minor to no complications during previous pregnancies/deliveries

  • Living Situation

    Be in a stable living situation

  • At Home

    Have some sort of support system at home

  • Prohibited Assistancies

    Cannot be receiving government assistance (WIC ok)

  • Citizenship

    Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States (Visa Citizen can be discussed)

  • Transportation

    Have reliable transportation to attend multiple medical appointments

  • Background Check

    Be able to pass a background check

  • Forbidden Use

    Does not smoke or take illegal drugs, or be exposed to second hand smoke

  • Prohibited Consumption

    Be willing to refrain from alcohol throughout the pregnancy

  • Being a Part of Groups or Tribes

    Not registered to any Native American Tribe Does not smoke or take illegal drugs, or be exposed to second hand smoke

If the above requirements are met, please complete and submit the application for our surrogacy program.
Apply Now

Our Commitment

Baby Bump Journeys is committed to making your journey a memorable and enjoyable experience. You are a blessing to a family and should be treated as one.quat.

  • Find Surrogate Mother

    Provide one on one support to the surrogate and her family.

  • Surrogate Moms

    We offer you the option to decide if you want to move forward with a couple who chooses you.

  • Surrogacy Requirements

    Personal contact from your case manager through the whole journey 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  • Surrogate Programs

    No major out of pocket expenses, unless previously discussed with your case manager. Any payments made out of pocket by you will be reimbursed to you.

Testimonial

At Baby Bump Journeys, we have the utmost respect for the women like you who decide to help others by becoming a gestational carrier. Becoming a gestational carrier may feel complex and overwhelming. Carly and her team are here to guide you through the process step by step to make this a fulfilling experience. Surrogacy has been described as one of the most powerful and rewarding choices a woman can make.

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