Tawny & Kyle’s Story
This was a surrogacy journey wherein a sister-in-law carried a baby without compensation, which is referred to as a "compassionate" or "altruistic" surrogacy arrangement. In other words, an aunt carried her niece! Compassionate/altruistic surrogacy is a very special arrangement, usually between two parties already in a relationship as family or friends, and care deeply about each other's family dreams. In this case, the gestational carrier was sister-in-law to the intended parents.
The Challenge
Early in their marriage, Tawny and Kyle pursued IVF to create their family. Years later, after two complicated c-sections, they had two beautiful children, but Tawny could not carry another child due to complications with her last delivery. This was heartbreaking for them because the couple still had remaining embryos from the IVF cycle they'd done many years prior.
After returning from the hospital with her second child, Tawny struggled to process all that had happened with her delivery. She was grappling with the fact that this little girl would be the last child she carried. It was at this time that her amazing sister-in-law, with the full support of her own husband and children, offered to carry their next child. They were blown away and overwhelmed with gratitude. Tawny and Kyle felt that this was God's provision for them.
The Solution
A couple of years later, when the timing was right, they began the journey with their sister-in-law as their gestational carrier. Kyle and Tawny knew they also needed an attorney to help them with the process. Tawny, in particular, had no experience working with an attorney at that point in her life and she initially felt overwhelmed.
"I am so very thankful that someone recommended that I reach out to Katharine for legal assistance. Katharine was wonderful to work with. She was always positive and caring, and I felt that she really enjoyed helping us. After talking with her, I knew we had a plan, and I felt a sense of peace about the whole process."
Katharine drafted Kyle and Tawny's surrogacy contract. A few months later, after a successful embryo transfer, she also drafted their prebirth order. She made sure that the prebirth order was signed by the judge and ready to go on the day of their daughter's arrival. When the couple went to register at the hospital, they had the prebirth order in hand.
"We had a beautiful delivery day. My amazing sister-in-law delivered my sweet baby girl without complication, and the doctors passed her straight to me. I was once again overwhelmed by the love and sacrifice. By the time we left the hospital, we had filled out the required paperwork for our daughter's birth certificate, and she was legally ours. We were so relieved by how smoothly everything went.
Today, after all of the emotional ups and downs of building our family, we are beyond grateful to have our three beautiful kiddos! It is so special that every time we go home to visit family, our little Jojo gets to see her auntie, who helped bring her into this world. We are so grateful for Embaby Fertility Law, PLLC for helping our family make this dream a reality!"