Episode 172 – Ideas for IPs (Intended Parents) in waiting

This series of episodes springs from my work with SASS, Surrogacy Australia’s support service. When intended parents, IPs, have completed their profile and are in the pool of IPs waiting to connect with a surrogate, I do monthly check-ins to make sure they’re still active and waiting. I like to give some guidance and support along the way because the waiting game can be hard. This series of episodes is designed as though they are a letter to the waiting IPs.

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I’ll add to the show notes some of the links I’ve mentioned, including spreading the word about your need for a surrogate, the Facebook group Australian Surrogacy and Donation, and our Zoom monthly national catch-ups. I encourage you to continue to talk about surrogacy with your friends and family as you have gatherings throughout the year. To take it one step further, if you haven’t already done this, of course, you might consider leaning on these friends and asking them if they could share your story and need for a surrogate.

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Although one of your direct friends might not be able to be your surrogate, they might know other women who might consider surrogacy. It feels very vulnerable and requires some bravery to have to ask your current friends or family to go out of their way to have these conversations with others and to also ask that they each mention it in a different circle of friends and so on. This method of spreading the word is something I’m very passionate about. And even though you’ve already done this in the past, I encourage you to continue to keep the conversation active

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as new villagers may enter your world. The waiting game is hard, so I encourage you to stay as positive as possible. Make sure you’re taking care of yourselves mentally and physically, as this can be quite a draining experience when you don’t have much control over the outcome. Focus on what you can control rather than those things you cannot. 18 months is certainly a long time to be waiting to start any project, and I wish for you and other IPs

02:00
that I could rustle up lots of women in Australia to step forward to be surrogates. We are certainly trying to make that happen as an organisation at Surrogacy Australia, but it is a slow process to change the surrogacy landscape within Australia. In terms of what you can control, you can control being active in your communities, but I’m also very passionate that you shouldn’t have to be on Facebook to access community. That’s part of the reason we created the Surrogacy Australia monthly Zoom catch-ups one Friday of each month.

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The sessions are for IPs, parents and surrogates at all stages of their journey. It’s a relaxed, informal setting where you can get to know the surrogacy village. Come for a couple of hours or stay for many. We have breakout rooms where you can chat to about three or four people more personally. Some surrogacy teams have been created because of these Zooms, so you could be next. Head to our website for dates and links. There’s only ever one first time, so be brave and dive into the community.

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If you are enjoying this podcast, I kindly ask that you share it with others or leave a rating or a review wherever you listen to the show. If you’re looking for more support from me one-on-one, register for SASS at saragasyaustralia.org and think of me as your chat GPT for surrogacy. Until next time, welcome to the village.