Staying Active During Surrogacy Helped Kari Avoid Many Pregnancy Complications

Q: What made you decide you would like to become a surrogate?

A: After having my first child (who is about to be 14) I started thinking that I would love to help someone else have a family. My pregnancy with her was so easy and uncomplicated and I knew friends that were struggling. However, I waited because I was not done building my family. Once I remarried and had 2 more easy uncomplicated pregnancies, I was good to go. I wanted to be able to show my love for Christ in my journey and show others how he can move mountains to give someone the chance at parenthood through my help. 

Q: You are an avid runner! How has running/staying active affected your surrogacy journey?

A: Staying active during pregnancy was very important to me. I wanted to continue to run throughout my entire pregnancy but unfortunately it just got too uncomfortable. I stopped running every other day around 30 weeks, but continue to get in at least 30 minutes of some type of exercise daily. It improves my mood, makes me less tired, keeps my weight gain at a healthy amount, and decreased my chances of developing gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia which is very important to me to avoid since I am now older than in my previous pregnancies. 

Q:  You are set to give birth to surro baby number 2 in about one month! How has this journey differed from your first journey?

A: My first journey was a year long, but unfortunately did not produce a full term baby. I had a miscarriage with the first transfer and 2 failed transfers after that. I was very invested in helping my sweet IPs become parents and it just didn’t work out, I was heart broken for them. With that experience I was more guarded at first, and very scared for the first transfer with a new set of parents. I knew my body was not the cause of the previous fails, but after a loss it changes you. I couldn’t relax and enjoy the journey until after the first trimester. Now I am enjoying everything, I love feeling her move around and knowing she is growing strong and healthy and I can not wait for the day she gets to meet her parents! This journey has truly blessed me more than I could have even imagined. Seeing the happiness on my IM’s face makes every ache and pain completely worth it!

Q: What made you choose an agency instead of going the independent route?

A:  I choose an agency just because I wanted the extra support. My agency coordinator is so incredibly helpful and knowledgeable that I just couldn’t do this without her. In the beginning before you transfer there is just so many steps to complete and I was afraid I would skip a step if doing it alone.

Q: Can you describe how your daughters have supported you during your surrogacy journey?

A: My daughters have been super supportive during the entire process. They are so happy their mom chose to help out another family. One of the reasons why I waited so long to become a surrogate was that I wanted my girls to be more independent and to be able to understand what was going on. So they have known from day one what I was doing. With my previous journey they were my number one support (including my husband) when I had so many failed attempts. They are what kept me going and pushed me to try again. All three of my girls are just amazed and proud of me during this pregnancy and help me so much.

Q: What advice do you have for Intended Parents that are searching for a surrogate?

A: Don’t give up! You will meet your perfect match in God’s perfect timing! I know the journey can be long and hard, but God has you and will get you through. 

@karihernandez82