Preparing for Parenthood Through Surrogacy: 8 Tips for Intended Parents
Surrogacy is an unconventional way of building a family. It involves a set of unique challenges, such as anxiety around bonding with the baby, explaining surrogacy to friends and family members, and maintaining an amicable relationship with the surrogate. In this guide, we’ve curated some tips for preparing for parenthood through surrogacy. We hope we can make your surrogacy journey enjoyable and stress-free.
The Top 8 Tips for Intended Parents
Many intended parents feel overwhelmed, as they do not deal with a progressing pregnancy. One day they aren’t parents, and the next, they are. This shift can feel abrupt and confusing and leave you feeling woefully underprepared for parenthood.
What if we told you that you could start preparing for parenthood even before your baby is born? In the nine months before the baby’s arrival, you can take the following steps to prepare yourself for the journey ahead.
Tip 1: Learn More About Parenthood
Parenthood is an intense and rewarding experience. Many people choose to speak about their journey as parents by writing books, giving interviews, and speaking on podcasts and TV. Many parents and even celebrities who have undergone surrogacy have been open about their journey and how they prepared for it. By exposing yourself to multiple perspectives, you can understand more about surrogacy and how it affects parenthood.
Tip 2: Talk To Other Intended Parents
Surrogacy has helped many couples conceive and complete their family despite their struggles with infertility. Speaking to fellow intended parents can help you prepare for the challenges you might face on your parenthood journey.
Tip 3: Preserve Your Memories
While the surrogate is carrying your child, you can begin preparing a time capsule for them by preserving the beautiful memories of the surrogacy process. You can do this by creating a journal or scrapbook to document your parenthood journey. Or you can open an email account for the baby and give them the password when they grow up. You and your family members can leave them special messages and voice notes for the future.
Tip 4: Talk To Your Baby
Babies can hear even when they’re in the womb! Intended parents can record conversations, stories, and messages for the baby to hear and pass them on to the surrogate. This way, your baby will find your voices familiar after birth and bond with you easily.
Tip 5: Stock up on Baby Items
After the baby comes home, your life will be much more hectic than usual. Stocking up on essential items before the baby comes can help you physically and mentally prepare yourself for parenthood. Prepare items like a stroller, baby carrier/car seat, diapers, wet wipes, baby clothes, rags, baby formula, and soft blankets in advance.
Tip 6: Baby-Proof The House
Before the baby comes home, make a list of things you need to baby-proof. You can buy covers for electrical sockets and sharp edges, install locks on cupboards and cabinets, and get any fragile or breakable home decor out of the way. Baby-proofing your home in advance keeps your baby out of harm’s way in the future, so you can bring them home worry-free.
Tip 7: Prepare The Nursery
Decorate and stock your baby’s sleeping area before they come home. This may involve arranging for a crib, toys, and baby-safe items. Also set up a corner of your home, preferably a small table or countertop, as a diaper-changing station.
Tip 8: Build a Support System
It takes a village to raise a child. Looking after your baby alone can be challenging and overwhelming, especially if you’re a first-time parent. Speak to your parents, in-laws, and friends, and ask for their help when you need it. Caring for a newborn can be very stressful, which is why you’ll need a lot of support when your baby comes home.
Are You Ready To Be a Parent?
While parenthood can be challenging, it is also one of the most beautiful feelings in the world. It can also feel different for everyone. Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong way to be a parent. As long as you’re ready to shower your baby in love, care, and happiness, nothing else matters.
At Bloom IVF, we have delivered hundreds of smiles across India. As one of the oldest branches of IVF clinics in the country, we excel in providing high-quality treatments and medical care to patients dealing with infertility.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is bonding with the newborn baby important?
Yes, bonding improves the relationship between parents and child. The baby will trust you more and become more attached to you as time goes on.
Can the intended mother breastfeed a surrogate-born baby?
Yes, an intended mother can breastfeed her surrogate baby even if she wasn’t pregnant. She can take hormones for a few months prior to the baby’s birth to induce lactation.
Should I tell my surrogate-born child about their birth?
Yes. If you are not open with your child about their birth, they may feel betrayed in the future. There are many resources and tools available to intended parents about how to discuss surrogacy with surrogate children.
What are some good books for new parents?
Some helpful books for first-time parents are Your Baby’s First Year Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler, Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, and What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.