The following is a composite story based on the experiences of families we've had the honour of working with. Names and details have been changed.
David remembers the exact moment he decided to call us. He'd been reading about surrogacy for months — bookmarking articles, watching YouTube videos, filling a notes document with questions he didn't know who to ask. His husband Marco kept saying, "Just call someone. Just start somewhere."
So he did.
"I was embarrassed by how much I didn't know," David told me later. "I thought you'd think we were naive."
We didn't. We never do.
The Beginning
David and Marco had been together for eleven years when they began seriously exploring parenthood. They'd talked about it for years — the timing, the path, the what-ifs. They'd explored adoption. They'd attended information sessions. They'd done what thoughtful people do when they want to get something important right.
Surrogacy felt right. Not because it was easy, but because it connected them to their child in a way that mattered to them. They wanted a biological connection if possible, and they wanted to be part of the pregnancy in some way.
Their first call with our office was forty-five minutes long. They came in with a list of questions. They left with a longer one — but also with a clearer picture of what the journey actually looked like, and what the next few months would require.
They signed with CSO two weeks later.
The Match
Matching took seven months. David will tell you it felt like seven years.
They were introduced to three surrogates. The first was a beautiful match on paper — but when they met on video call, the chemistry wasn't quite there. The second had a medical history that introduced complications they weren't prepared for. The third was Chantal.
"We talked for two hours on our first call," Marco said. "We were supposed to talk for forty-five minutes and I don't think any of us wanted to hang up."
Chantal was a mother of two from New Brunswick. She'd thought about surrogacy for years before applying. She was warm, pragmatic, and deeply clear on why she was doing this.
They were matched in the spring. By summer, they had a signed surrogacy agreement and a confirmed embryo transfer date.
The Wait
The first transfer didn't work. Neither did the second.
This is the part of the story that most surrogacy narratives rush past, and I want to sit here for a moment. Because the failure of an embryo transfer — not once, but twice — is a specific kind of grief. You have done everything right. You have found your person, signed your agreements, prepared your embryos. And still: nothing.
David and Marco took a month to regroup. They talked to a counsellor. They leaned on each other. They stayed in close contact with Chantal, who was grieving too — in her own way, for her own reasons.
The third transfer worked.
The Call
Chantal called David the morning of the pregnancy test. He was at work. He stepped into a stairwell, sat down on a step, and answered.
"Positive," she said. "We're pregnant."
He didn't say anything for a full minute. He just sat in that stairwell and cried.
Bringing Him Home
Their son, Eli, was born on a Tuesday morning in February. David and Marco were in the room — masked, gowned, overwhelmed beyond language. Chantal had asked that they be there for the birth, and they were.
When the midwife placed Eli in David's arms, Marco said the only thing that made sense: "Hi. We've been waiting for you."
Eli is two now. He knows he was born with help from a very special person. When he's old enough to understand the full story, his parents plan to tell him everything — with warmth and pride and gratitude for all the people who made him possible.
That includes Chantal. They exchange photos every few months, and Eli has a card on his shelf from the woman who carried him.
Every family's story is different. If you're ready to start yours — or just ready to have the first conversation — I'd love to hear from you.
— Robyn Price, Executive Director, Canadian Surrogacy Options
Ready to start your journey?
Book a free 30-minute call with Robyn. No commitment, no pressure — just the information you need to take your next step with confidence.
Book Now →