How to Become a Surrogate Mother: Red Flags in Gestational Surrogacy
By Kyla Helwig
If you are interested in becoming a surrogate, you need to be aware of the possible red flags accompanying gestational surrogacy. A red flag in surrogacy alerts a surrogate mother to a deeper issue. This should often bring a temporary or permanent halt to the process due. Although red flags aren’t common in the surrogacy process, these warning signs are things you should be aware of. In addition, these signs will help you maneuver the gestational surrogacy process to protect yourself and even the intended parents.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a surrogate, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado.
1. Lack of Thorough Communication From Intended Parents
Communication is essential for every surrogacy situation. Therefore if the intended parents aren’t forthright with you as you begin the process, this could indicate a deeper issue. You deserve to know exactly what is going on throughout the process and your experience through it. However, if the intended parents refuse to answer any questions, this is also a red flag in communication. In other words, as a surrogate mother, you play an essential role in the surrogacy process. Not understanding what the intended parents want or what they are planning, problems will most likely arise in the future.
2. No Clear Compensation Outlined in Surrogacy Contract
A significant incentive for many surrogate mothers is receiving compensation for their work. This is a major red flag if the intended parents you are working with refuse to outline any specific compensation from the beginning of the process. You need to ensure that the intended parents will cover your related expenses and other needs throughout the surrogacy process. If they don’t establish concrete compensation initially, there is no guarantee that they will give you any in the future.
3. Refuse to Share Their Incentives and Motives
Intended parents need to be eager to care for a child and excited about surrogacy. However, if the intended parents don’t share why they want to have a child, significant problems may lie under the surface. This red flag is important to address. It is vital for you to know why the intended parents want to have a child and make sure that they have pure motives for starting a family to protect the child’s future.
4. Gestational Surrogacy Requirements Not Clearly Outlined
To become a surrogate mother, you will have to fulfill a set of requirements outlined by the surrogacy agency you choose. If you choose to use our agency, Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado, the conditions are clearly outlined in multiple places across our website. However, if the surrogacy agency you are working with refuses to tell you what they require from you as a surrogate mother, that should be a significant red flag. You deserve to know precisely what the surrogacy process will entail. They will also be looking into assessing you throughout the gestational surrogacy process.
Who Can Help Me Stop the Red Flags in Surrogacy and When Can I Start?
To become a surrogate mother, your first step will be to fulfill the requirements. Once you determine if you meet these qualifications, you can apply to be a surrogate mother. If you have any questions about the Colorado surrogacy process or becoming a surrogate mother, don’t hesitate to contact Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado. Our staff is ready to answer your questions and assist you in any way they can.
If you are interested in learning more about your gestational surrogacy options, contact Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, don’t hesitate to contact us 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!