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On 19/20 June 2021, , Growing Families are hosting their first face-to-face conference in two years – Australia’s 10th Surrogacy & Donor Conference. Spurred on by Australia’s record low covid rates, the donor and surrogacy community’s need for connection, discounted domestic air travel and the desire to leave home, if only for a weekend, Growing […]
Surrogacy can fall into the categories of altruistic or commercial. Altruistic surrogacy means that the surrogate derives no financial benefit from being a surrogate with the exception of having her reasonable expenses of the surrogacy paid. Commercial surrogacy is the opposite, being an arrangement whereby the surrogate obtains a financial benefit beyond her expenses for […]
For those intended parents undertaking international surrogacy in Georgia or Ukraine, it is important to be aware that your baby or babies will be born stateless and that you will need to apply for Australian citizenship by descent before you can come back home. In order to prove a biological relationship, The Department of Home Affairs will […]
Lawyer, Stewart Dalley of D&S Law, has both lived and professional experience of surrogacy, having represented several people with their surrogacy journeys (domestically and internationally) as well as having three children of his own through surrogacy. Stewart is considered an expert in the field of the laws related to human assisted reproduction, including surrogacy, sperm, […]
What is a surrogate? The word surrogate just means appointed to act in the place of. Surrogacy refers to an arrangement whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant for the purpose of gestating and giving birth to a child for a couple or single person with the intention of giving that child to that person/people […]
It has been our great pleasure and privilege to have worked with Irish couples who have pursued their route to parenthood via surrogacy. It is essential that any person who is considering pursuing surrogacy as a route to parenthood must ensure that they are as fully informed about the process as is possible, that they […]
Giving Food to the hungry; Hope to the needy; Life to a baby Together keeping babies healthy as only breastmilk can. I am excited about being involved with Growing Families. I have already had the privilege of helping many intending mothers prepare for breastfeeding by assisting them induce lactation. It has been wonderful to support […]
This pandemic situation has brought everyone’s life to a standstill. So, if you are an intended parent looking for a surrogacy program, there are certain precautions and factors you must consider beforehand. Are agencies still operating surrogacy programs during the Covid-19 outbreak? Nearly all surrogacy agencies continue to accept intended parents, although in Georgia new […]
How ‘twinning’ Facebook emojis connected a couple to their surrogate When Mark and David began their surrogacy search, they had no idea something as simple as a Facebook comment could lead them to their dream of starting a family. For many couples and individuals who find themselves in need of a surrogate, it can be […]
When James and Sara first decided on surrogacy as a mode to pursue their parenthood dreams, their minds were full of doubts and questions. They checked everything – online reviews and experiences of intended parents who had taken similar journeys But they were keen to understand whether there was a ‘ best surrogacy agency in […]
Surrogacy is regulated in most Australian states & territories. This means there is no uniform law nationally. Currently, there are no surrogacy laws in the northern territory, Victoria and South Australia have progressed significant reforms recently. Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia Only Altruistic surrogacy is permitted and the intended parents have to cover all […]
This guest blog is from Australian mum Jessie Schuhart McRae who will speak at the 4 July Domestic Surrogacy Webinar Infertility isn’t something you ever think about growing up. You fall in love, get married and say one day when we are ready we will start our family. For us we did a lot of […]
Ukraine airspace has opened and airlines such as Lufthansa & Ukraine International Airlines are operating limited flights from Frankfurt, Amsterdam and London If you need a visa to enter, Ukraine E-Visa applications are closed. Instead, apply for a visa to your nearest Ukraine embassy via post Flight Bookings Qatar is flying into European hubs from […]
Growing Families have been working around the clock in recent months to assist parents from Australia, USA, UK, mainland Europe and Asia to travel to births. It has meant countless hours assisting with airline protocols, paperwork, embassies, visa, ground transport and that most precious commodity – love and understanding.We are sharing feedback below from just […]
Nearly one in five Australian couples venturing abroad choose Canada as their special place to create family (one in three if you only consider gay couples). Eleven couples I know are expecting babies via Canadian surrogacy over the coming five months. They are not alone. Intended parents from dozens of countries, including France, the UK, […]
Surrogacy is an exciting journey and an ideal option when you are unable to conceive on your own. However the current Covid-19 pandemic brings added stress to both surrogates and intended parents, particularly when working at a great distance from each other. So during surrogacy arrangements now more than ever, a relaxed mind is essential […]
Surrogacy is one of the most trending topics of the recent times. But it is not only high-end celebs like Jay Z, Beyonce, and Kim Kardashian who pursued surrogacy to realize their parenthood dreams. Even though surrogacy is more accepted as a means of building family, many people are still unaware of the whole concept. […]
First Fertility is a global IVF and surrogacy provider with hubs in South-East Asia and Russia.Their surrogacy programs drastically reduce the costs of family-building by utilising IVF and surrogacy procedures in countries with lower professional salaries. Countries such as Russia offer significant savings on all aspects of the process . First Fertility offers Fixed cost […]
The priority of most nations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been to close their borders to foreigners while getting their own citizens ‘back home’. Many countries have shut down government departments, closed visa applications – some have introduced night-time curfews. This repatriation focus on nationality over need has had a terrible impact on […]
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it will be possible to provide permission for foreign citizens to enter Georgia during travel ban provided that their embassy contacts MFA Georgia with the following information: Intended Parents full name, Passport Number and copies of their passports. Name and registration number of the IVF clinic (for New Life […]
If your surrogate is due to give birth prior to 30 July in a country with travel restrictions, please contact your surrogacy agency for advice. The following ‘source’ countries have set up channels of communication with governments in respect to emergency travel and fast-tracked document processing. If you are from one of these countries, email […]
Many intended parents need to travel abroad in the coming weeks and months for the birth of their child(ren) via cross-border surrogacy. Chinese healthcare authorities now have the best understanding of Co-Vid-19, how it spreads and how to prevent this. Note that animals cannot spread the virus. If you are travelling to a high risk […]
______________________________________________________________________________ Preliminary studies from China show no evidence that if a surrogate was infected with Co-Vid-19 she would pass it on to the child she births. Additional Time Off Work for Your Surrogate Some intended parents may want their surrogate to take additional time off work or work from home. The former may incur significant […]
In this difficult time, Growing Families is providing an update on current travel restrictions which will impact intended parents travelling internationally for embryo creation or the birth of children. OVERSEAS TRAVEL FOR BIRTHS (updated as at 4.30pm 22 July AEST) You need to consider Whether your local authorities will allow you to leave your home […]