Create A Happy Family

What is it really like for two dads to build their family through surrogacy? In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with Will and Chris as they prepare to welcome their first child. They share how they found their way to surrogacy, what it's been like building a relationship with their surrogate, Brie, and how they've stayed involved in the pregnancy while living in different states. Their journey has brought exciting milestones, unexpected challenges, and plenty of moments when they've leaned on each other, their surrogate, and their team at Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions. But their circle of support has grown beyond the people directly involved in their journey. What began as a way to document their experience for themselves and their son has grown into @twogaysandababy, where they share their journey as a gay couple building a family through surrogacy. While sharing their story has meant navigating difficult questions and comments, it has also opened the door to educating others about surrogacy and connecting with dads who understand their path to parenthood firsthand. In this episode, we discuss: - Choosing surrogacy as a path to fatherhood - Building a relationship with a surrogate across the distance - Navigating the surrogacy process with a trusted support team - Sharing their family-building journey publicly - Preparing to welcome their first child #surrogacy #gaydadsviasurrogacy #intendedparents #lgbtqfamilybuilding #twogaysandababy CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS https://createahappyfamily.com/ @createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

Are sibling surrogacy journeys easier? It's easy to assume a second surrogacy journey with the same intended parents will be easier. But as Erika shares, the same family doesn't always mean the same journey. In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Erika shares what it was like to carry siblings for the same family, navigating pregnancy loss, anxiety, healing, and ultimately helping her intended parents welcome their second child. Along the way, she shares honest advice for surrogates and intended parents about communication, trust, and finding hope when the journey doesn't go as planned. In this episode, we discuss: Sibling surrogacy journeys Pregnancy loss during surrogacy Why every surrogacy journey is different Building trust throughout the journey Subscribe for more conversations about surrogacy, IVF, family building, intended parents, and reproductive medicine. #surrogacy #gestationalsurrogate #ivf #familybuilding #intendedparents CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS https://createahappyfamily.com/ @createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

What happens when IVF doesn't work? After a failed IVF cycle, miscarriage, or difficult diagnosis, it's easy to feel like you've run out of options. But according to reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Leah Kaye, you're never just a diagnosis, and your story isn't over. In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Dr. Kaye shares how she helps patients navigate infertility with compassion, balance hope with realistic expectations, and explore the next steps in family building, including egg donation and surrogacy when appropriate. In this episode, we discuss: • Failed IVF cycles and pregnancy loss • When to consider egg donation or surrogacy • How fertility specialists approach complex cases • Why feeling heard is medicine • Supporting the whole person, not just the diagnosis Content note: This episode includes discussion of miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Please take care while listening if these topics are especially tender for you. #ivf #infertility #fertilityjourney #surrogacy #familybuilding CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS https://createahappyfamily.com/ @createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

What happens after a surrogate delivers and everyone goes home? In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with Barette Best, a licensed postpartum doula and Surrogacy Education & Engagement Specialist at Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, to talk about a part of the surrogacy journey that doesn't always get as much attention: the fourth trimester. So much of a surrogacy journey is focused on getting to delivery. But once the baby is born and the journey everyone spent months preparing for is technically over, the surrogate begins a transition of her own—one that isn't always an obvious part of preparing for surrogacy. Whitney and Barette talk about a surrogate's life after a surrogacy journey, why the fourth trimester deserves its own conversation, and the new Fourth Trimester Program created to provide Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions surrogates with an additional layer of support after delivery. In this episode, we discuss: The fourth trimester after surrogacy A surrogate's life after a surrogacy journey What can change after delivery Postpartum support for surrogates Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions' Fourth Trimester Program #surrogacy #fourthtrimester #surrogatesupport #postpartum #lifeaftersurrogacy CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS https://createahappyfamily.com/ @createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

Why do our family-building stories matter, even before we know how they'll end? In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with award-winning journalist, author, and host of the Infertile AF podcast Alison Prato to talk about the stories we tell about infertility, IVF, loss, and the many different ways families are built. Ali shares how her own experience with secondary infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss led her to start sharing her story, and why, nearly 400 episodes of Infertile AF later, she continues making space for others to share theirs. That belief in the importance of seeing our experiences represented extends to the stories we tell children, too. Whitney and Ali talk about her Work of ART book series and Petri Dish Princess, Ali's new book with Elizabeth Carr, the first person born through IVF in the United States, and what it means to bring a piece of IVF history to a new generation. In this episode, we discuss: Ali's experience with secondary infertility, pregnancy loss, and IVF The story behind Infertile AF Why family-building stories don't all need the same ending Representation in family-building stories Petri Dish Princess and Elizabeth Carr's IVF story #Infertility #infertileaf #ivf #familybuilding #petridishprincess Get your copy of Petri Dish Princess by heading to the link below! https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books CONNECT WITH INFERTILE AF https://www.infertileafgroup.com/ CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS https://createahappyfamily.com/ @createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]