Micaela and Sam
Our Story
Sam & Micaela have been together for 14 years (9 married). In 2020, we welcomed a beautiful and healthy baby girl named Kate with the help of IVF. After a very difficult labor, Micaela suffered from peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), which is heart failure brought on by pregnancy and/or labor. Unfortunately, this means that she cannot carry another child as the risk of relapse is too great, but luckily Sam and Micaela have embryos ready for a loving surrogate! They are excited to work with a surrogate who is located in a nearby state, but would be open to elsewhere for the right match.
Our Interests
As a family, we love to cook, entertain friends and family, go to concerts, travel, and just spend time together. Living in Nashville means we have access to some of the best music around. Music is such a passion of ours that we even got married on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium! Our daughter is nearly 3 and loves the zoo, art, and playing with our 1-year-old Golden Retriever, Emmylou. We are in the process of renovating our home and are excited to build our forever home where we can welcome another baby.
Extra Information
- Names: Micaela & Sam
- Location: Nashville, TN
- Number of embryos: 7
- Agency: Growing Generations
- Fertility Clinic: Nashville Fertility Center
- What kind of relationship do you envision with your surrogate: Medium to high level of communication – frequent check-ins, general updates, attend appointments
- Surrogate Compensation: High 35,000-$45,000 range
- Requirements:
- Between the ages of 21-38 for first time surrogates or 21-39 for returning surrogates
- Have not had a past occurrence of serious pregnancy complications. Examples: toxemia, pre-eclampsia, preterm labor, incompetent cervix, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
- Do not have any health conditions that can be exacerbated by pregnancy
- Have a healthy BMI, below 33.
- Lifestyle Requirements: Live in a surrogacy friendly state. No criminal history. If you are not a US citizen, you must have a Green Card/Visa that is valid for the next 3 years.
The Biggest Ask Says
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine provides the following recommendations for evaluation of gestational carriers (i.e., many fertility clinics will require the following for their gestational carriers) :
- Carried at least 1 child without complications
- Fewer than 3 deliveries via c-section
- Body mass index in between 19 and 32
- No smoking, abusing drugs, alcohol or prescription medications
- Not receiving welfare, public housing or cash assistance from the government
- Has a stable home life with emotional and child care support
- No mental health conditions requiring the use of medications within the last 6 months (including depression)
- No criminal record
No one likes to talk about surrogate compensation, but it is an important factor in any surrogacy agreement. The following is how we classify high, medium and low compensation (excluding the value of any benefits). Many factors affect surrogate compensation including surrogate experience (e.g., has the woman been a surrogate before?), whether the surrogate is signed up with an agency and surrogate preferences.
- Low = surrogate compensation less than $20,000
- Medium = surrogate compensation between $20,000 and $40,000
- High = surrogate compensation greater than $40,000
You can learn more about how much surrogates get paid in our surrogacy guide’s module: “How much does surrogacy cost?”.
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