Intended Parent from Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Explain your reasons for wanting a surrogate/donor:
We have had miscarriages from natural pregnancy and IVF pregnancy as well as failed IVF rounds. The doctors said it was an ovarian issue so we decided to move forward with donor eggs. We implanted a tested embryo in September, but unfortunately Maggie miscarried again. As of now the doctors do not know why she cannot carry. We thankfully still have embryos so surrogacy is the natural next step. We have also learned a lot about surrogacy by speaking with our friends who have used this to build their family. Some told us that it can be like adding a family member or special role model for your child. We've also spoken to surrogates, and many have said that they too found meaning in the experience and that it touched their lives. We hope that surrogacy can be this type of opportunity for us as well!
How would you best describe yourself(s):
Maggie: I am very energetic, upbeat and loving. I find joy in being outside and active - yoga, surfing, running. I love animals and my dog is my everything (second to my husband!). My favorite thing is to make others laugh and to create fun, positive environments. I have dreamed about being a mom my entire life so that I could make my child smile and experience that special bond that's like no other. I am a VP of technology at a fortune 500 company, and I work from home in Charleston, SC. Jay: While I am shier than my wife, I love to be around my friends and family. I enjoy playing and watching sports - I was an athlete in college. I love to travel abroad and have adventures, but my favorite thing to do is every Sunday my wife and I cook and watch TV on the couch with our dog. I have always thought about being a dad and all of the cool adventures that I can take my child on - like snorkeling, sports, theme parks. I want to be a fun loving dad but also make sure I raise him or her to be grateful for these experiences.
Use this space to communicate a letter to potential Surrogates/Donors:
First, thank you for considering to be a surrogate and to help families in our position. It inspires us to do more selfless acts. I want to provide you with background on who we are and our current life: Jay grew up in Virginia with his mother, father and older sister. After college, he moved to Spain to teach English. When he moved back to the US, he decided to use his fluent Spanish and took a job in finance in Miami. Maggie grew up in Connecticut with her mother, father and older sister. Similar to Jay, she loves travel so after graduating from NYU, she moved to Tanzania to volunteer at a solar energy organization. Returning to the US, she moved to Los Angeles to work at a digital research company. In 2015 we met on the first day of business school, but it took Jay three months to finally ask Maggie out! On our first date, the connection was immediate, and we realized that we shared our top life goals: to buy a house near the ocean and to start having children in our early 30s. We bonded over wanting two kids, the places that we would take them, the kinds of parents that we wanted to be (hard working but present) and the values that we want our kids to have (gratitude and kindness). A little over a year later, we graduated, moved to NYC & started our next life chapter together. We stayed in NYC for 3 years, but eventually wanted to buy a home and start our family, so we moved to a small beach town outside of Charleston SC in 2020. Our town is the ideal place to raise children - we are on the beach, there is a top-rated elementary school close by and a beautiful recreation center with sports and summer camp programs. There are also many other young families in the neighborhood. We are lucky to have stable jobs with good salaries that can support a growing family. Maggie works from home and her company provides 6 months maternity leave with 6 months flexible work schedule when she goes back. Jay works at a company in Charleston that is family oriented and lets him work from home. The only thing missing to complete the dream is our child. We are happy to answer ANY questions and look forward getting to know you. Thank you 😊