HOW DO I BECOME AN INTENDED PARENT(S)?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to the surrogacy process with Adoption and Surrogacy Choices for intended parents, and a surrogacy timeline to help you see how long it takes to have a baby through surrogacy:
Consultation & Sign-On
- Consult with agency
- Sign agreement for services
- Intro video call
- Match with egg donor (if needed)
- Create embryos
1-3 months – This first step in the surrogacy process is one of the biggest ones – making the decision to grow your family through surrogacy and choosing an agency. Once you’ve signed on with an agency, you will have your intro video call with the Journey Coordination team who will support you throughout your journey. You will also match with an egg donor (if needed) and create your embryos (if needed). The timeline for this stage is approximately 1-3 months.
Matching with your Surrogate
- Matching process & approval
- Intro video call with surrogate
- Start journey to pregnancy
3-6 months, approx. – The matching stage is one of the most exciting – you will be finding the amazing woman who will help you grow your family! Our Matching Team will find you the perfect surrogate match based on criteria such as: personality fit, legal fit and your views on termination. A match will be presented to both the surrogate and the intended parents. If both parties are interested, they will have an introductory video call. If after that call everyone says “YES!”, you will be officially be matched!
Medical & Legal Requirements
- Surrogate medical screening
- Legal contracts written
- Medications & monitoring
- The transfer!
- Beta tests
1-2 months – During the medical & legal phase, there are many mini milestones of your journey. First, your gestational carrier will go to your IVF clinic for her medical screening. From there, she will receive her protocol and begin her medications and monitoring at her local clinic. You will also be working with your lawyer to draft your surrogacy contract, while your carrier works with her own lawyer. When the time is right, your surrogate will go to your IVF clinic for the embryo transfer. Many intended parents attend this milestone in person and spend time with their surrogate. Once she returns home, she will continue to go to the local clinic for her beta tests until there is a (fingers crossed!) confirmation of heartbeat.
Surrogacy Pregnancy
- Ultrasound check-ins
- Create birth plan
- Establish parental rights
- Hospital and delivery prep
- Your baby’s birth!
9 months – The pregnancy stage is usually the longest step in your surrogacy journey. During this milestone, you’ll continue to develop a strong bond with your surrogate as she updates you on the pregnancy and your baby. She’ll be released to her own OBGYN and will continue with ultrasound check-ins. The 20-week ultrasound is a big milestone that many intended parents attend in person. It’s also a good time for intended parents to tour the hospital where their baby/babies will be born. Intended parents will be working with their lawyer and local counsel to establish their parental rights. Parents will also be preparing for their baby’s arrival, packing and booking travel. You’ll plan and plan and before you know it, your baby will be here!
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!