Surrogate Spotlight:
4-time Surrogate Jill

“My name is Jill. I am 40 years old. My husband Joe and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this July. We have two amazing sons Gabe (20) and Jacob (18).

Pregnancy came easy for me and I really enjoyed being pregnant. I was always curious if I would qualify to be a Surrogate, so I finally decided to contact an agency (Family Source Consultants). Within a few hours of submitting my information, Zara called me. Zara mentioned she had a possible family waiting to be matched.

Pregnancy #1: The family already had a couple of young ones. I was not sure what to expect, due to it being my first journey. This couple was looking for a business-like relationship. My husband and I went and did our psych evaluations and met with Staci. We became matched with the couple in October of 2007. We met the Intended Mother in person in January at her fertility clinic. We were set for a Match transfer of frozen embryos. On March 27, 2008, we transferred three frozen embryos. After only four days, I tested positive on a home pregnancy test. My beta HCG’s were very high and we were prepared for multiples. At 6 weeks, 3 days we had our first ultrasound. I wasn’t sure what to expect that day. I certainly wasn’t going to be the first Surrogate to carry triplets for FSC. The pregnancy was pretty uneventful and my body handled it wonderfully. I had a UTI at 29 weeks and was taken off of work at that time. I was very busy attending OB appt.’s, BPP, and NST’s for the next few weeks. We have a C-section set for Nov. 7th, the babies had a mind of their own. I went into labor on Nov. 6th @ 34 weeks 4 days. They weighed 5.5, 4.13 and 3.15. They spent less than two weeks in the hospital and returned home with their family. This was an amazing journey but I felt like something was missing.

Pregnancy #2: I knew I wanted to complete three journeys. Not sure how I came up with that number but that was my plan. I had spoken with Zara and she told me to wait until about six months before I was ready to move forward. We contacted Zara in February of 2009. I think we looked at a few profiles until we finally found a couple we really were interested in meeting. We met them in March or April of 2009. It didn’t take long to know that they were the right ones. We started with the medical screening and testing in May/June. We transferred two fresh 3 day embryos that resulted in a failed transfer. They had frozen embryos as a backup plan. So in October of 2009, we transferred 4 embryos. Our first ultrasound was a 5 weeks 4 days and to our surprise we had two heartbeats! The ultrasound tech stated they must have just started beating, as you normally do not see heartbeats until around 6 weeks gestation. This pregnancy was also uneventful, but again, my body did great and I felt good. I worked until the middle of June around 35 weeks and then just rested and waited for the babies to arrive. The IP’s had a family wedding the weekend of the 4th of July and our C-section was scheduled for July 6th. Well….these babies too, had a mind of their own. I went into labor on the morning of July 5th. The babies arrived that afternoon weighing in at 6.2 & 6.8. During the C-section, I was able to see my IM’s face and the excitement and joy in her expressions was simply amazing! Their family all arrived later that afternoon and all came into my room to greet and thank me. It was by far the most emotional moment I have had next to the birth of my own boys. We continue to maintain a wonderful relationship with the family and the kids get very excited to know that the “BIG KIDS” (my sons) are coming to visit them.

Pregnancy #3: I spoke with Zara not long after the delivery and said I would want to start as soon as I was cleared by my OB. She started showing us profiles in June of 2011. I knew the kind of relationship I wanted with my IP’s but didn’t think it would come in the form of a single male. We met the IF in early July 2011. I liked that he had been through Surrogacy before and he liked that I was experienced. We transferred a single embryo in September 2011 that resulted in a chemical pregnancy. We transferred again in December and that transfer took. We made a few trips to where my IF lived to attend an OB appointment and ultrasound. Everything went very well with this pregnancy as well. I was guessing since the last two pregnancies I went into labor before my scheduled C-section, it would happen again, but it didn’t. At 39 weeks 2 days, the baby was born weighing 7.6 pounds. This was the first time I was asked to pump breast milk. I did it for a little over 8 weeks, but it wasn’t easy. I had a few infections and wasn’t producing large amounts. We keep in touch with the IF and know that he has his hands full with his kids.

Pregnancy #4: I spoke with Zara and she was presenting us with profiles but again nothing that jumped out at us. She sent a profile of a couple from California and we really liked what we read. They just happened to be coming into Chicago a couple days after reading their profile. We met up with them for lunch. They were very energetic and very excited to become parents. We knew right away that they were the right couple for this journey. They felt the same way! I was really hoping for a December transfer but the fertility clinic needed to do a special test and that it would not be able to be done in time for a transfer in December. The transfer was set for January 25 of two frozen embryos. My beta tests weren’t very high. They were lower than with my single pregnancy as a surrogate. My IF flew into town for our first u/s and my husband attended as well. My IM was out of town for work, so we did Face Time with her during the ultrasound. The ultrasound tech asked me as I laid down how I was feeling. I told her pretty sick. Morning sickness was getting pretty bad at this point. We were 6 weeks 4 days. The ultrasound tech smiled at me and I said “Why are you smiling?” She said “Wait a minute.” We were getting my IM on Face Time and as soon as the ultrasound tech had everyone’s attention, she announced that it was twins! I was in shock. They were in awe and she was crying. It was such a wonderful feeling to make this couple so happy with the start of a family. We as Surrogates are always focused on the beta numbers and since mine weren’t high, I was guessing only one baby. My IP’s are super excited for the future. My morning sickness has finally subsided.

Today, I am currently 17 weeks pregnant and I am trying to enjoy every moment of my final journey as a Surrogate. I am so very thankful for each and every journey. Each one has been completely different, yet all ended with the same result, a very happy and thankful family. God has truly blessed me with the ability, opportunity and family support to help create those wonderful families.”