'I lend my womb to strangers so they can have a baby'

After giving birth to her son a year ago, Ashley Parks decided she wanted to be a surrogate to give others the gift of becoming a parent, too.

Ashley, from Ontario, Canada, realised just a month after having her baby son that she wanted to help others 

Now, the mum-of-one – who intitially had no intention of having children of her own – is five months pregnant with a baby she’s carrying for two strangers from Australia.

The 30-year-old is due to welcome Cameron Green and Fernando Rosas’ baby boy in February next year and is looking forward to giving birth again.

She added: ‘Surrogacy is something I have been interested in for many years, and I first started looking into it about seven years ago.

‘However, in Canada, one of the requirements is that you have to have had a child of your own first and I had no intention of having kids at the time so I just pushed it to the back of my mind.

‘But, after meeting my husband, my perspective changed and we welcomed our baby boy in October last year.

‘A month after giving birth, I had a sense that I wanted to look into surrogacy again. I’d had such an easy pregnancy with my son and enjoyed it so much, I wasn’t concerned about having to do it again for someone else. So, I started looking on social media for Canadian surrogates to hear their stories which led me to the surrogacy agency that I am with now.

‘I knew I wanted to help a same-sex couple and I didn’t mind if they were international. I was sent many profiles of couples that matched my requirements, and in January I was paired with my intended parents, Cameron and Fernando.’

Cameron and Fernando, who have been together for more than 14 years, had given up on the idea of becoming parents until they met Ashley.

The first embryo transfer took place in May this year and a month later doctors confirmed that Ashley was pregnant.

Ashley adds that since being matched with Cameron and Fernando, she and her husband have developed a great relationship with the couple.

‘It was really important to me because I wanted to be able to have a life-long relationship with the family after giving birth,’ she added.

‘To be a surrogate, you have to be able to acknowledge that it’s not your baby. The connection is very different because I obviously care about the baby and want him to be as healthy as possible, but I don’t feel a parental connection.’

Ashley says that her husband was apprehensive and uncomfortable about her becoming a surrogate at first, as he thought the baby was genetically connected to her.

However, after some research, he is now fully onboard and supportive of her surrogacy journey.

Ashley adds that there are lots of other misconceptions around being a surrogate.

She explained: ‘There is a lack of understanding surrounding surrogacy and lots of people have the immediate assumption that I am giving away my baby which is just not the case.

‘Unlike in the US, you don’t get compensated in Canada for being a surrogate. I am doing this because I really want to help another family, not for financial gain.

‘I am so looking forward to giving birth in February. My son came fast and furious, it only took two and a half hours from start to finish, so I am really looking forward to experiencing childbirth again.

‘I can’t wait to see Cameron and Fernando with their new son.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Source: Read Full Article