This weekend we received our first Christmas card…nothing unusual about that at this time of year right? Except this is a Christmas card that, a few years ago, it didn’t occur to me I would receive! Let me explain…

It was this time 2 years ago that I ‘dropped the bombshell’ to my husband that I wanted to be a surrogate. We talked the idea over, spoke to our children about it and then decided to join Surrogacy UK. We loved the friendship first ethos and thought we would meet a couple who could be our friends, I’d carry a baby for them and then we’d get on with our lives. What we actually got was so much more! Not only did we meet our fantastic friends but we now have a whole SUK family!

We were at the Bicester Christmas social having a great time this weekend when our IPs handed me a gift bag. Inside was this beautiful card from their family. When I first thought about surrogacy, the wider ripple effect hadn’t occurred to me. Surrogacy hasn’t just made parents – it made aunties, uncles, cousins and grandparents too. Watching beautiful Rose with her family is better than I could ever have imagined. I am so proud to have been part of creating this family and I can’t wait to watch them enjoy their first Christmas together.

I quite often get told, as I’m sure a lot of surrogates do, what an amazing thing I’ve done and that it’s so selfless. I don’t feel selfless at all, I’ve gained so much more from surrogacy than I’ve given.

This time 2 years ago, I could never have imagined that I’d have the friends and extended surro family I do now. I really hope that in the future, we can receive a card from another family about to spend their first Christmas with a much wanted new family member.