Baby 50! One Intended Parents’ Story

As we celebrate our 5th year in business, we wanted to share a special story from the intended parents who had Baby 50! We are honored to have helped bring so many babies into this world through this special path to parenthood! Please read Aaron and Chris’s story below.

Our story starts here:

We met in 2009 in Philadelphia. We were both in medical training in the city. As we were getting to know each other, we talked about having children and learned that it was an important mutual goal for our future. As we worked with kids for our schooling and jobs, we dreamed about what it would be like to have one of our own. In the fall of 2015, we finished our training and moved to Minneapolis. After settling in, we decided to bring our dreams of a child to light.

Our surrogacy journey as intended parents:

As intended parents, initially started with international surrogacy in Mexico. We traveled to Mexico City in 2017 and visited the clinic and staff. We were on cloud nine when we learned we had multiple embryos to start. Unfortunately, we went through multiple transfers with no success. The embryos not implanting was painful, as was the distance that we were from Mexico City and all that was happening. After multiple rounds of IVF, we decided that maybe this wasn’t the right path for us.

Over the next couple of years, we explored other options including adoption, but also focused on our relationship and starting our careers. We got to travel, but we would always say, “wouldn’t it be fun to bring a baby here?” Although we were not actively pursuing any avenue, it seemed there was a piece of the puzzle that still needed to be found.

At the beginning of 2020, we decided to start getting more serious about surrogacy. We tried with a familial acquaintance; we even created embryos with a local infertility clinic. In the end however, this endeavor also failed. After this time, we were determined to succeed, and our clinic recommended Hope Surrogacy.

Our Match:

From our initial meeting, we knew that we hit the jackpot! After having all the burden of learning the ins and outs of the surrogacy in two different countries with two different surrogates it was an incredible relief to have this team take the reins. We felt safe and secure with Mary, LeeAnn, and Amy helping guide us through the process. They knew all the ins and outs and all the steps, and it took away a layer of stress we didn’t even know we were carrying.

We remember getting the call at the end of 2020, letting us know that Hope had a potential match for us. After hanging up, we did our notorious jumping up and down excited dance. In a couple of weeks, we met Erin and James, two of the most generous and wonderful people we have ever known. Starting with our trust of Mary, LeeAnn, and Amy, we knew firsthand that this was about building lasting relationships.

We talked with Erin and James for a couple of hours. It was an instant match. We exchanged numbers and gained two new members of our story and family.

A couple of months passed as we got everything in order. It was then time for the embryo transfer. We went to the transfer with pragmatism, hoping that everything would work. Unfortunately, it didn’t. We didn’t give up hope, and still felt secure that we had a strong team and eventually it would take. The second transfer implanted, and Erin called us with the news! Aaron and I wept with joy. Over the course of the next 8 months, we got to learn more about Erin and her family. We didn’t live far from each other, so met throughout the pregnancy. 9 Months later we again cried as our baby boy was born.

Throughout the experience, we have always known that the relationships we built with Mary, LeeAnn, Amy, Erin, and James were based on more than a snippet of time.