Surrogate episodes

Episode 97 – Rachel – surrogate

Rachel birthed as a surrogate in Brisbane in November 2024. They had a little girl, Lenny, for dads Caleb and James and she knew Caleb’s brother in law from school. Their first pregnancy was ectopic and needed a fallopian tube removal and the second was a miscarriage just before 8 weeks, requiring medication and two D&Cs. Rachel expressed milk for 7 weeks before going back to work and Uni 2 months post birth. Rachel’s story is also unique as she has not had children of her own before surrogacy and is also single.

Episode 94 – Fiona – surrogate

​Fiona birthed as a surrogate in NSW in April 2021 for a couple who were initially strangers and are now life long friends. They had a little girl, Ari, and her two dads are Josh and Jack who were in Sydney and are now in Canberra.

Episode 92 – Julie – surrogate

Julie is heading for retirement as a surrogate – again! She has been in the community for 10 years, had 11 embryo transfers for 3 different IPs, 100s of blood tests and ultrasounds, 1000s of hours invested resulting in 2 beautiful girls and life long friends with surrogates and parents. Julie birthed Ottilie in May 2019 creating a sibling for that family (Leah, James and Alyza) and then retired as a surrogate aged 42. She had built a friendship with Trudy from the community, came out of retirement and offered to carry a sibling for Trudy, Tom and Bonnie. She birthed Lily in August 2024 aged 48 – and she’s also a midwife!

Episode 88 – Michelle – surrogate

Michelle and husband, Glenn, live in Wollongong with their 2 children and she has birthed 2 children as a surrogate, Alice in March 2019 and Isaac in November 2020. Michelle works as a nurse at IVF Australia and that is where we met one of the dads – Dr Shadi Khashaba. She has also donated her eggs 10 times to help 5 families, as well as supporting many people through surrogacy – both through her work and part of the wider surrogacy community.

Episode 84 – Mel – surrogate

Mel birthed as a surrogate in Wollongong in January 2022 for a couple whom she knew through the brother of one of her friends. They had a little boy, Jetson, through a home birth. The two dads, Warwick and Jason, live in Sydney. Mel went on to be a surrogate again for this couple, and she once again birthed at home in May 2024 – a little boy Jasper.

You can hear from one of the dads she carried for, Warwick, in the previous episode 83. 

Episode 80 – Bec – surrogate

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.

Episode 77 – Samm – surrogate

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. 

Episode 73 – Kim – surrogate

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.

Episode 60 – Zoe – surrogate

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.

Episode 42 – Lisa – surrogate

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.

Episode 31 – Lee – surrogate

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.

Episode 27 – Jess – surrogate

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!

Episode 8 – Kate – surrogate

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.