Intended parent process.

Create your family with Heart to Hands.

steps to your creation story

Surrogacy can be a complicated, confusing process for intended parents. It’s our commitment to make your surrogacy story as clear, safe and comfortable as possible.

our 10-step
intended parent process

getting started

Ready to start your surrogacy journey? We’ll provide you with all the necessary documents to apply and tell us what is important to you in your surrogacy story. After we receive your information and review it with you, we’ll run background checks and take some time to establish a relationship with you.

Who you are and why you’ve chosen surrogacy to grow your family is the heart of your surrogacy story. We’ll capture that heart in a gorgeous profile that tells your story. You’ll be shown a surrogate profile and—if you like her profile—your profile will also be shared with her. We only share profiles for surrogates who meet your specific surrogacy needs.

telling your story

meeting your match

It’s a match! Once you and a surrogate have chosen each other, your surrogate’s medical records are sent to your clinic for their review and approval. You’ll then meet with your surrogate for a “match meeting.” This meeting is designed so you and the surrogate can talk, visit and get over the “first date” jitters. Great matches are built on communication, trust and connection. You’ll be spending the next year of your life making a dream come true.

Once you’ve met your perfect surrogate match, your surrogate will be introduced to your IVF medical team for an in-person medical evaluation, blood work and exam. Afterward, you and your surrogate will meet with a qualified mental healthcare provider to discuss everyone’s needs and expectations, as well as how to experience a successful surrogacy journey.

evaluations & preparation

attorney & support partners meeting

Next, all parties will meet with their respective attorneys for the surrogacy legal agreement. Your attorney writes the agreement, reviews it and then it is sent to your surrogate and her attorney. They review it and, often, suggest a few edits. This agreement covers all of the important details of your surrogacy process. When you and your surrogate are in agreement, you will all sign the agreement.

You will also meet with insurance and escrow professionals during this time.

This is when things get exciting! Your surrogate will receive an IVF calendar and the medications to begin preparing for the embryo transfer. She will have several appointments at a clinic near her for bloodwork and ultrasounds. Once her body is ready for the transfer, she will travel to your IVF clinic for the embryo transfer.

medications begin

embryo transfer

Embryo transfers are quick, painless procedures where an embryo is gently placed into your surrogate’s uterus. A short 24-48 hour rest period after transfer is recommended before she returns to her normal day-to-day. The first pregnancy test will be 10-12 days after the embryo transfer.

When we see that precious little heartbeat at about seven weeks of pregnancy, the transfer is officially a success! You’ll spend the remainder of the pregnancy staying in contact with your surrogate and sharing in the experience of how the baby is growing and progressing. You may wish to attend certain appointments or ultrasounds with your surrogate during this time frame.

grow a happy, healthy baby

delivery

This is the moment everyone has been waiting for! Your hands and voices will be the first to greet your baby as they enter the world. You’ll spend the first couple of days in the hospital getting to know your new little one. You and your baby will return home between 7 days and 3 weeks after your baby’s birth.

At last, you have your sweet baby and your surrogacy journey has come to a close—yet your fulfilling journey of parenting is just beginning.

celebration

become an
intended parent

Creating a family through surrogacy is an emotionally fulfilling journey and we can’t wait to help guide you through it all. Let us handle all the details so you can focus on the future.