Surrogate Baby’s Gender Reveal
At the beginning of my intended mother’s IVF journey she completed a procedure called egg retrieval. This is where they remove eggs from her ovaries which is then combined with the intended father’s sperm to create an embryo. These embryos are later tested to determine which one(s) are strong and healthy. This allows fertility clinics to know which embryo fertilized properly. These embryo’s are placed back inside the intended mother or gestational carrier (GC). The other amazing part about this stage is how they are also able to perform genetic tests on each successful embryo. This allows parents to find out the gender of the baby or even determine if the baby will have any special needs. With all this technology we - my intended parents and I - already knew the gender before this miracle baby was ever placed inside of my body. If you are interested in learning more about the egg retrieval process check out CNY Fertility Clinic’s Blog for more.
My IP’s originally did not want to share the gender of the baby. I respected their decisions even as their minds changed to only share with family and close friends. Know, however, this left me with the incredibly difficult task of not saying a word to other inquiring minds. And let me tell you, there were lots of inquiring minds! People - whether you know them or not- are already intrigued with pregnant women. I was asked all the time if I knew baby’s gender and if I’d share.
A few ways that’s helped me keep the secret:
Having people guess baby’s gender. Keeping a mental note of which gender I hear most and sharing with what other people have guessed helped.
Inform inquiring minds the parents have decided not to share baby’s gender yet. Standing on this wasn’t always easy. Some people can get really pushy with their questions or comments. However, kindly smiling, sharing this statement, and shrugging them off had to be acceptable as I was not going to share. Understand, it’s not my place (or any other surrogate).
Share with my intended parents the difficult task they have charged me with and jokingly make them feel guilty. Luckily the nature of our relationship is very loving and friendly. Picking on my IP’s any and every way possible is always a must.
Needless to say, I’ve been carrying the baby’s gender as a secret for so long. Now I’m excited to finally share we are adding another little GIRL to the family! I know so many individuals are shocked by this because so many believe, strongly believed, I was carrying a baby boy. This proves to us all those old wives tales are not always correct. Baby girl’s position is much lower than where I carried my daughter. My niece just enjoys resting on my bladder more than my daughter did.
As always thanks so much for following our IVF and Surrogacy journey. Some of you have asked if my intended parents have a baby registry - Yes, they do! If you’re interested in gifting this family something special during this season check out their registry here. Whether it’s sending a gift, a note, or positive prayers we greatly appreciate it all!
