Wuhan Baby: A Surrogacy Story
When we had our first consultation with Amy and Jeff, parents from Wuhan, China, we had no idea that their journey to have a child would take twists and turns through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amy and Jeff met with us in May 2019 for an in-person consultation, and we were immediately captivated by the love and drive they felt to build their family. We discussed their specific needs, their fertility plan, and left the conversation excited to help them make their biggest dream come true: having a baby. After five years of grueling fertility treatment, they were now turning to a gestational surrogate to carry their precious baby.
They were eager to start their surrogacy search, but they agreed to wait ultimately postponed until Amy completed her egg retrieval. Knowing how many embryos are available is part of our surrogate matching process and In October of 2019, Amy and Jeff found out that of the five embryos they had created, three were normal — two girls and one boy. They were overjoyed with the result and returned to their home town of Wuhan, China. Amy and Jeff were eager to get started and we began the search for their gestational carrier, reaching out to the 60+ agency partners to find out who might be a good fit for them.
Within two weeks, we found Amy and Jeff a wonderful surrogate who lived close to their clinic in Northern California. Once we received initial approval of her labour and delivery records from their reproductive endocrinologist, we helped arrange a match meeting between their potential surrogate and Amy and Jeff. Everyone agreed it was a perfect fit and even though they spoke a different language, there was a union between everyone involved. It truly felt like the stars had aligned. The next step for them was to transfer a deposit for the agency fee and start the process of getting the gestational carrier ready for transfer of her precious cargo.
Back in Amy and Jeff’s hometown of Wuhan, China, the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic spread. We received a panicked call from Amy and Jeff. Banks had locked down, but they needed to transfer funds to their surrogate’s agency. As uncertainty grew, we stepped in to work everything out with their gestational carrier, her agency, and their attorney Richard Vaughn of the International Fertility Law Group.
Spring of 2020 came and went, and as the world buckled under the weight of COVID-19, here in the US, lockdowns began and everyone in America was scrambling. As an essential medical service, Donor Concierge stayed open, but we knew from our conversations with Amy and Jeff, that the worst was yet to come.
And as we in the United States dealt with the pandemic, we learned that despite all the odds, Amy and Jeff’s gestational carrier was pregnant with their child.
Unable to travel to the US to attend ultrasound appointments or pregnancy screenings, Amy and Jeff, their surrogate, agency and Donor Concierge kept in constant contact. When they heard hearing that the US was running out of PPE, Amy and Jeff shipped two boxes of masks to our office from Wuhan, arriving on the first day of lockdown in March 2020. The gesture touched our hearts. In the midst of their own chaos, their generosity and care from half a world away was inspiring to our entire team.
Finally, their baby girl was born on January 20th, 2021 - our first Donor Concierge baby of 2021! And what a special little girl she is - we felt like everything had come full circle.
As we reach the one year mark since COVID-19 lockdowns began in the U.S., we can’t help but think of Amy and Jeff’s empathy, sincerity and perseverance in the face of such a difficult situation.
This week, one year after this terrible pandemic took hold, Amy and Jeff took their baby home to China.
Against all odds, Amy and Jeff were able to complete their dream of starting a family. Their story reminds us of our mission as a company: helping parents have the baby they always wanted. We don’t know what lies ahead in 2021, but we are more committed than ever to help hopeful parents who are standing where Amy and Jeff started.
Amy and Jeff – we are so grateful to have been a part of your journey, and we’re wishing your family all the best in 2021!
