FSC was amazing from day one. I was referred to them by a friend and during my journey I have made so many friends. I was amazed at how supportive everyone was! FSC was always very responsive to all my questions. I always felt supported through the process from the application and continued after delivery. The support group meetings are amazing and you can really talk about anything with the ladies as we have been through it all.
Q 1: What led you to become a Surrogate?
My husband and I had made the decision that our blended family of 7 was complete. We both loved me being pregnant and wanted to help a couple fulfill their dreams of having a family. We have had family and friends that have struggled with fertility in the past and wanted to help a couple become a family. I wasn’t sure where to start the process and then a few days later I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, who works with FSC and we got to talking and she started me in the process.
Q 2: Who was your largest support person/s throughout your journey?
My largest support person was my husband T.J He was so excited and supportive throughout every step of the journey. He was the shoulder to cry on when the journey wasn’t always going the way I thought it would. All of our children (20,18,16,15,15,12,6 yrs old) were supportive of the process and thought it was very awesome to be doing such a great thing for a family. This was a new adventure for our families. We had such great support from everyone. My intended Parents were also very supportive during the process!
Q3: What made you decide to choose your Intended Parents?
When I received the profile of my Intended Parents I saw a couple that is in love and wanted to share their love and become parents. Their profile showed great support of their families. I chose them because they were open to a continued friendship. We have gained a new family in this journey and I am excited for future adventures with our families!
Q 4: What are some of the highlights of your journey?
My whole journey was amazing! So many highlights!!! The first positive beta! The first time of seeing the heartbeat!! I remained active and continued to work and go to school full time. My Intended Parents were always asking about how my schooling was going and always supporting me along the way.
The best highlight was meeting the intended parents in person. We have become family over the duration of the pregnancy and it great to be able to give them a big hug!!
After the big hug the greatest highlight was when they got to meet their baby for the first time!! Happy tears were pouring out of all us of!!
There were so many highlights after the birth. I was so blessed to be welcomed into their family and we spent so much time with them and the baby. We spent many days together going on adventures in the city and sharing meals together. We spent my birthday together at the zoo.
A great highlight was that my Intended Parents and the baby were able to come to my son’s high school graduation party. It was amazing, beyond words, for my family to meet the baby that they had watch grow in me along with the parents I had been talking so much about. It was just amazing to have the parents and the baby meet my family. So many smiles, and laughs we all had that day, I will never forget that day!!
Q 5: Do you have advice for women who are interested in becoming a gestational surrogate?
My advice for someone interested in gestational surrogacy is to have patience. There is a lot of hurry up and wait. There are a lot of emotions. You have to have faith in the process. There is no guarantees in the process but in the end, when you have participated in helping dreams of a family come true for a couple and there is no better feeling in the world!
Q 6: Why did you chose FSC?
I chose FSC because a friend of mine referred me to them. She has been a surrogate and works for them. There was no question of going anywhere else! The best advice is that of a trusted friend.
Q 7: What is the one thing about your journey that has most surprised you so far?
I would say that I went into the surrogacy journey thinking I was going to change the lives of a couple but in the end, I think as much as the journey changed my Intended Parents lives, it also changed my life. I was surprised how much it changed me. It is truly difficult to put into words my emotions, it has been such a positive experience, I can’t explain it.
Q 8: How is being a Surrogate different than your own pregnancy(ies)?
I am a mother of 4 children. Step mother of 3. Surrogate mother of 1. My surrogate journey was only different from my other pregnancies because I knew I was helping a couple create their family. I knew my family was complete. I enjoyed my surrogate pregnancy differently because I knew I was given the honor of being a part of something that was greater than anything I have ever experienced in my life. The joy of surrogacy is one that cannot be put into words. The emotions are unlike anything I have ever experienced. The love I have for my surrogate baby and her parents melts my heart. My family gained a new family in this process. My Intended Parents welcomed my children into their lives and we have all become family throughout this journey.
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.
