Welcome to Conversations, the podcast with Surrogacy Australia.
Join Anna McKie in conversation with surrogates and parents who have navigated Australian altruistic surrogacy. Anna is a gestational surrogate, high school Math teacher and surrogacy educator working with Surrogacy Australia and running SASS (Surrogacy Australia’s Support Service).
On this page you will find episodes from surrogates. On the main podcast page you will find recent episodes and links to other categories: gay dads, straight mums, education, Katrina Hale and guests / themes.
These podcasts were recorded as part of our free, fortnightly webinar series. If you would like to attend one, check out our dates and registration links. The recordings can also be found on our YouTube channel so you can see the photos that are described in the recordings.
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Bec from Bacchus Marsh is a single mum to 5 and has been a surrogate twice. She birthed a girl in 2016 and a boy in 2024 – for 2 different sets of IPs, each who were previously strangers. She is an admin for the national facebook group and organises catch ups locally in Melbourne. Come and hear from Bec about her observations from her nearly 10 years in the surrogacy community – what it promises and what it’s really like.
Samm birthed as a surrogate in Port Hedland, WA in May 2022 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little boy, Josh, for his parents Lisa and Jared in Adelaide, SA. Samm and her family are now in Perth, however it was a long journey with COVID restrictions limiting in person catch ups during the pregnancy.
Kim started her journey in March 2020 when she first joined SASS. After joining, Kim and her family were fortunate enough to meet two couples through the surrogacy community, however both IP couples decided to pursue other options to start a family, After taking some time out to regroup, in March 2022 Kim accessed the SASS database and asked to be introduced to Lindsay and Antony in Brisbane, as they matched what Kim and her family were looking for in regards to being around the same age, a heterosexual couple, sharing the same values and expectations. This would be especially important considering they would be an interstate team. The initial meeting went well, and after spending time getting to know each other, in September 2022, Kim and her family offered to be their surrogate and help make them a family. The journey culminated in February 2024 when she birthed their son, Finn. Kim has supported many new IPs and surrogates on their journey and has been building up the surrogacy community in WA.
Episode 68 – Bonnie – surrogate
Bonnie, who lives near Hervey Bay, was a traditional surrogate for Andrew and Sam who live in Canberra. She birthed their daughter Paige in December 2020 and son Cole in February 2023. The births were total opposites with Paige needing to be in the NICU for 7 weeks but Cole was a homebirth.
Episode 65 – Laura – surrogate
Laura and husband, Justin, live in Adelaide with their 3 children and she birthed a little girl, Abigail, as a surrogate in December 2023. The parents, Candice and Robert, were previously strangers whom they met through the facebook communities. Laura expressed milk for 5.5 months and even continued to do some direct feeds until 4.5 months. Their team had roadblocks along the way so it took them a few years to get to birth.
Zoe birthed a little boy as a surrogate in Wollongong in October 2018 for her sister and brother in law who live in New Zealand. Unfortunately the relationship dissolved during the pregnancy and post birth. Surrogacy has had a huge impact on her life, contributing to the strains in her now separated marriage, and she wants to share her story so future surrogates and Intended Parents can be aware of the challenges.
Episode 56 – Janna – surrogate
Janna birthed a little boy as a surrogate in Adelaide in October 2023 for a couple who were previously strangers and are now life long friends. Janna and her team have not only created an extended modern family but have all supported many other IPs and surrogates in the SA and National community over the years.
Episode 52 – Nikita – surrogate
Nikita’s SASS team are the first that we have supported from their introduction (January 2021) through to birth and now beyond for a year. Nikita birthed as a surrogate in Brisbane, QLD in October 2023 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. They had a little girl, Isabelle, and her parents are Menaka and Simon who live on the Gold Coast.
Episode 48 – Rachel – surrogate
Rachel, from Melbourne, birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide September 2022 for a couple who were strangers and now life long friends. Matt and Aldo are now dads to their son Ari and have embraced Rachel as part of their modern family. Rachel’s story is also unique as she has not had children of her own before surrogacy.
Episode 46 – Angela – surrogate
Angela birthed as a surrogate in Tamworth in December 2019 for a couple who were friends of a friend and they connected through a facebook post. The parents, Casey and Andrew, live nearby with their first son Nate and surro bub Darcy. She is a single mum to four children of her own.
Lisa birthed as a surrogate in Sydney in September 2023 for her brother Daniel and his wife Mira. They had a little boy, Angus, who made a big brother out of Thomas who was born through surrogacy in Canada. Lisa’s husband Vincent and two young daughters went on this journey together and have helped to expand a family.
Episode 39 – Merindah – surrogate
Merindah birthed as a surrogate on the Central Coast in November 2020 for a couple who were previously friends through her wife’s work. They had a little girl, Josie, and the two dads live in Sydney.
This episode was recorded in October 2021.
Merindah’s wife Kelly can be heard (with 2 others) on an episode about Partners of Surrogates. Watch it on youtube or listen to it on episode 36.
Episode 34 – Talitha – surrogate
Talitha birthed as a surrogate on the Sunshine Coast on New Years Day 2023 for a couple who were previously friends. Talitha expressed milk for little Leo for 9 weeks, as well as direct feeding for the first 3 days until her milk came in. Their IPs, Sindia and Tom, are from Brisbane and Talitha and her husband, Barton, were friends with Dad Tom long before surrogacy.
Lee birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide, SA in June 2019. She carried for her cousin Hannah, who is a single mum, and they had a little girl, Imara. Lee has been an active member of the Adelaide surrogacy community, spoken at surrogacy seminars and has supported many of her surro sisters through their journeys.
You can hear Hannah share her story in Episode 28.
Jess and husband, Jayden, live in Adelaide with their 2 girls and she has birthed another 2 girls as a surrogate, Amalia in May 2020 and Oriana in July 2023. The dads, Baden and Nelson, previously strangers and now friends for life, live in QLD so their journey was long distance and in the peak of COVID the first time.
Episode 24 – Danni – surrogate
Danni birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide in February 2021 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little girl, Evie, for Sarah and Ben. Danni was initially a gestational surrogate for the couple but they moved to traditional surrogacy – meaning Danni is also the egg donor. Danni is a SASS Surrogate Mentor, hosts our Zoom monthly catch ups, and is a very dear friend of mine!
Episode 17 – Sarah – surrogate
Sarah birthed as a surrogate in Adelaide in March 2023 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little boy, Alfie, for Elle and Luke and made a big brother for Sonny. Sarah met bridesmaid Elle while photographing a wedding while heavily pregnant and also has a son named Sonny.
Episode 11 – Jemma – surrogate
Jemma, from north QLD, birthed as a surrogate in Brisbane in March 2023 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. Despite her waters breaking 10 weeks early and an emergency C-section, she had a little boy, Rupert, at 32 weeks for two dads James and JimBob. Jemma is also an admin of EDA (Egg Donation Australia), has donated 13 times for 6 different families, with 7 babies born and 2 on the way!
Kate birthed as a surrogate in Sydney in October 2022 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. She had a little girl, Vivian, for two dads Angus and Adam. YYou may have seen their team featured on channel 9’s show Big Miracles and can hear Adam’s version of this journey in episode 10.
Episode 4 – Allison – surrogate
Allison is a single mum living in Coffs Harbour, who birthed her third surrogate baby September 2022. Baby Charlie and his two dads also live locally, and the families knew each other socially before starting this journey. Allison has previously birthed two boys as a gestational surrogate for other families in QLD, in 2013 and 2014, as well as helping 5 families through egg donation. She also helps run a support group for egg donors and surrogates on the NSW mid-north coast.
Episode 1 – Kirsty-Lea – surrogate
Kirsty-Lea birthed as a surrogate in QLD in 2020 for a couple who were initially strangers . They surro dated, then completed the surrogacy paperwork before a failed embryo transfer and one where the embryo didn’t survive being thawed out. They then juggled the intensity of hospital restrictions in 2020 to bring Anton into the world in November of that year.