Surrogacy at Nascency

She paused nursing school in 2019, three kids and tuition weren’t going to work at the same time. Two surrogacy journeys later, she’d covered the rest: remaining credits, clinical hours, licensing exam fees. She’s labor and delivery now, on the other side of the room she once thought she’d never get back to.

Compensation isn’t the reason most surrogates start. But it’s often the reason a paused plan gets to restart. What’s yours?

Most surrogates never actually compare their own state’s protections to what’s possible elsewhere. D.C.’s framework is a useful benchmark for what “inclusive” can actually mean on paper.

Curious how your state’s surrogacy laws stack up? DM us and we’ll break it down.

Compensation isn’t just a number sitting in an account it’s what actually moves on your life. Future plans you kept pushing back. A cushion you didn’t have before. A plan you kept putting off because the money wasn’t there.

What would nine months of real money change for you?

Casey has completed two surrogacy journeys - and this holiday weekend, elbow-deep in laundry and tripping over toys, she got an unexpected reminder of exactly why.

“It was just a moment of gratitude that I had to be able to give that to somebody - and a very humbling moment to realize what a privilege it was to have all of those things.”

Surrogates carry the weight of a journey long after the birth, and this is part of it - the ordinary chaos she helped build for someone else. Full laundry baskets, kids underfoot, being called “mommy” 300 times in a day: the stuff most parents complain about is exactly what an intended family spent years hoping for. That’s the part of surrogacy that rarely gets said out loud.

Nascency Voices is where real stories live. Surrogates, intended families, and reproductive health professionals share their experiences — honestly, in their own words — so others can see what this journey looks like through the people who’ve lived it. As part of our mission, every interviewee earns a gift card or makes a donation to RESOLVE , March of Dimes or The Surrogacy Foundation

Comment “Voices,” visit voices.nascency.com or come to our next “Share Your Story” event to share yours!

People think surrogacy comes down to one moment - the positive test. Before that, there’s getting matched, passing your psych eval, and signing the contract. Each one is its own win. Which one would matter most to you?

Want to know what those steps actually involve? Send us a DM.

Most people assume the person who gives birth automatically holds legal parentage. Johnson v. Calvert changed that in 1993, and it’s the reason your intent to parent carries real legal weight in gestational surrogacy today. Your contract exists because the law backs it.

What part of your contract gave you the most peace of mind once you understood the legal protection behind it?

Two journeys as a surrogate. A background in law. Now I’m the person surrogates call when they need a straight answer instead of a sales pitch.

What’s the one thing about becoming a surrogate you’ve never asked anyone?