Surrogate Mother Interview: Angie Starcher
ConceiveAbilities Match Manager Leah A. McFail recently caught up with Gestational Surrogate Angie to chat about her experience as a first time surrogate. Angie delivered for her Intended Parents in December of 2015.
Leah: Why did you want to be a surrogate and was it what you thought it would be?
Angie: I wanted to become a surrogate because I’ve always wanted to help others who were unfortunately unable to become parents. I love being pregnant and my husband and I had decided we were done with our own; however, I wasn’t ready to be done being pregnant. It turned out to be even better than I ever imagined it would be. The relationship with my IPs (Intended Parents) is everlasting.
Leah: What did you think of the matching process? What were your initial impressions of your IPs and what did you like about them? Angie: ConceiveAbilities couldn’t have picked better IPs for me. We connected right from the start and I loved how they were so easy to talk to.
(Learn more about our Matching Matters process on our website. )
“…after a couple of hours my IM (Intended Mother) came into my room with tears rolling down her face and just hugged me. We just sat there and were crying and hugging each other for a good 3-4 minutes and she thanked me over and over.”
Leah: What was your communication like with your IPs during the journey? How did you check in with each other? Did you ever give each other gifts?
Angie: In the beginning, we didn’t really communicate as much only for the fact that there wasn’t a lot to say I guess. As the pregnancy progressed, they got more excited and started texting me a lot more and towards the end we talked a lot more. I mean, we didn’t really talk on the phone, but my IM (Intended Mother) and I texted a lot. We are texting sort of people, lol. When I was like 16-17ish weeks along, I surprised my IPs with a 3D ultrasound and had it sent to them. They absolutely loved it and they had sent me flowers. I got them a bunch of baby clothes and on delivery day, they gave me a necklace, which meant so much to me.
Leah: How was your own family involved in your journey and how did they support you?
Angie: My husband and son were very supportive throughout the whole process. My husband went to a lot of my appointments with me and my son always kissed my belly. It was so cute. My parents, in-laws, and friends just always made sure to ask me how I was doing and check up on me every so often.
(Hear from a mother husband about his role in hid wife’s surrogacy journey here)
Leah: How did ConceiveAbilities support you?
Angie: ConceiveAbilities always supported me in making sure if I needed anything they were there. They always asked me how I was doing and I just knew they were there if I needed them.
Leah: What was the birth like? Do you remember what your Intended Parents said or did when they saw and held their babies for the first time? How did that make you feel?
Angie: The birth was amazing. Everything happened pretty quickly and the parents were immediately so in love. As soon as the babies were born, both parents took them to get them cleaned and cuddle them with skin to skin contact. I was fixed up and sent back to my room where after a couple of hours my IM came into my room with tears rolling down her face and just hugged me. We just sat there and were crying and hugging each other for a good 3-4 minutes and she thanked me over and over. It reminded me of exactly why I was doing this and how much I loved every minute of it and how amazing my whole journey was. It made me feel like I had a purpose. It was amazing.
Leah: What updates do your Intended Parents share with you now?
Angie: Basically now I get videos and pictures and I really keep up on Facebook. My IM is always putting pictures up. I absolutely love seeing pics of them!
Leah: What words would you use to describe your journey? How would you explain this experience to others?
Angie: AMAZING is all I can say. If you really want to help others, Surrogacy is perfect for you! It is an experience of a lifetime! I love knowing I helped two incredible people become parents.
Leah: Would you consider being a surrogate again? If so, why?
Angie: When I did my 1st journey I had no idea how things would turn out or if I would ever do it again a second time, but the day I delivered, I remember lying in that bed just waiting for my belly to move, and when I looked down and there was no more (huge) belly and I realized I didn’t have anything in there anymore to move my belly, that is when I realized I was ready for round two! If I were to talk to future surrogates who haven’t done this before, I would simply tell them to enjoy every bit of it because it sure flies by.
Related Content
Read some of our other interviews with surrogate mothers, such as our post on Leslie Mattern