My Surrogacy Journey: Trista’s Story

We're thrilled that previous surrogate Trista is sharing thoughts from her surrogacy experience. Read on to see how the decision ultimately changed her life - and the life of the family she helped to build. 

About four years ago I started on a journey that would dramatically change my life: a journey to become a gestational surrogate. This was my journey to help a family grow by carrying their child for them, since they could not safely do so themselves.

To do this I had to conquer my intense fears and fight through countless injections. Although I started out terrified to even look at a needle, soon enough I was successfully giving myself intramuscular injections with a two-inch long needle every night. I took medications three times a day to control my hormones. I went to weekly and biweekly doctors appointments, sometimes driving 30 miles to do so. We suffered a miscarriage. After getting pregnant again, I faced the loss of one baby and four weeks of strict bed rest. Seven months later, in April 2014, I went through a grueling labor that lasted over 18 hours and resulted in a cesarean section. Then I faced eight long weeks of recovery. I gave all that for a family I didn’t even know when I started. I put my life, my other goals, and my family on hold.

And was it worth it? Absolutely.

You see, when all was said and done, this family’s life was changed forever. I helped bring them their own daughter that they had fought for for nearly 6 years. I helped bring their son a sister. I helped give their parents a granddaughter, their siblings a niece. They had done injections and hormones for years and years with no reward. They had been broken. They had faced loss. They had faced hopelessness. They had faced uncertainty and heartbreak over and over and over and kept on fighting together. I felt all their pain when I started and I wanted to fight for them too.

They were the real heroes here. I only played a small part.  I was only a blip on their life radar, but I was able to make a big impact. And they were able to make a big impact on me as well. On this journey I learned something about myself: I can. I can overcome my fears. I can face the impossible. I can help.