Meet Nichole!

“Surrogacy opened me up to a “family” I had no idea existed. Surrogacy to me went behind giving my IPs a child but built so many relationships with FSC employees, feritility clinic staff, my IPS, and fellow surrogates. I met, spoke with, and continue to have contact with so many women that I would not have met otherwise.”

Q: What led you to become a Surrogate?

Family has always been really important to me. My husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to build our family with no issues, and I had easy pregnancies. It broke my heart to hear stories of women with infertility struggles. I could not imagine not being able to have a family and being able to experience being a Mom. One of my daughter’s classmates’ Moms was a surrogate. After talking with her about her journey, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to help a couple build their family and give them the joy of parenthood!

Q. Who was your greatest support person throughout your journey?

I could not have gotten through the journey without the support I received. Didi, my case manager, was a huge support in navigating me through the process, as I was a first-time surrogate. If I needed her, I always knew she was just a phone call away. My husband for talking me off the ledge at times and supporting me in pursuing surrogacy. My close family for watching my kids. Also, the connections with past & current surrogates. The women I met along the way and listening to their stories were amazing, and knowing I was not alone in the process.

Q. What made you decide to choose your Intended Parents?

After our initial meeting with IPs it just felt right. Our conversations felt comfortable/natural; we were both from the Midwest and had common interests. My husband and I both felt a connection. Their story of infertility and what they had been through melted my heart.

Q. What are some of the highlights of your journey?

  • Meeting IPs for the first time on our trip for medical screening
  • Watching IM’s face light up when hearing the heartbeat for the first time at our 6-week apt
  • How involved & the questions my 8-year-old daughter had. She would rub my belly and say it was our job to take care of him for his parents. She would tell our family/friends my Mom was helping my friend start a family.
  • Seeing baby B. for the first time. When he heard my voice, his eyes shot open, and became so aware and followed my voice.
  • Watching IM bond with baby over our hospital stay. The joy she had in her voice talking about him.
  • Getting updated pictures of the baby from IPs and seeing him grow

Q. Do you have advice for women who are interested in becoming a gestational surrogate?

Your relationship with your IPs is so important. Do not take selecting your IPs lightly. For me our relationship made the journey everything I had hoped.

Talk with former surrogates about the process and have a support system in place.  The process itself can be so overwhelming and demanding. I was discouragegd and almost gave up due to how lengthy the process was before even getting to being a surrogate. I had to circle back and remind myself the end goal of what being a surrogate was all about to make it through.

Learn more about becoming a surrogate by submitting a request for information, or start your surrogate application today!

Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants, has been a prominent leader in reproductive medicine for over two decades. Through her strategic vision and dedication, she has developed Family Source Consultants into a globally recognized agency specializing in comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy services. Under Staci’s leadership, the agency has become a trusted partner for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors worldwide, known for its rigorous standards, compassionate support, and commitment to excellence in third-party reproduction.

Her professional insight is uniquely informed by her own family-building experiences. As an intended parent, Staci welcomed her son via gestational surrogacy in 2005, and as a known egg donor, she assisted an infertile couple in expanding their family. These experiences lend a rare depth to her leadership and have fueled her ongoing dedication to ethical, empathetic, and professional support within the field of reproductive medicine.