A year and a half ago, my life was completely different.
I was going through a hard divorce. My husband cheated on me, and after that I knew I couldn't stay in the marriage. It hurt terribly, but what frightened me even more was being left alone with two children, realising that all the responsibility was now on me.
I worked, I hustled however I could, but there was never enough money. I wanted more than just covering the basics — I wanted to give my children more, and finally stop living in constant strain.
One evening I was scrolling through Instagram and saw an ad for surrogacy.
At first I thought: “No, this definitely isn't for me.” But for some reason I decided to open the page. I started reading the posts, watching the girls' stories, learning. The more I read, the more I understood it was nothing like what most people imagine.
After a while, I sent in an application. After the medical checks, I was accepted into the program.
My program took place in Albania, and my coordinator was Maria.
I don't think I'd have made it through this journey nearly as easily without her. Maria was with me the whole way: she explained every stage, helped with any organisational question, and was always there whenever something worried me or wasn't clear. Thanks to her, I felt calm and knew I was never on my own.
Before the embryo transfer I was very anxious. But everything went well.
Then came the two longest weeks — waiting for the result.
When I found out the pregnancy had taken, my first thought wasn't about me. I pictured how happy the biological parents must be right then.
The pregnancy was calm. Of course there was tiredness, sometimes I wanted to go home, sometimes just to cry for no reason. But those are ordinary emotions, and I think almost every surrogate mother goes through them.
The birth went without complications.
When the baby was placed in his parents' arms, I felt an enormous relief. Everything had turned out exactly as it was meant to.
After the program I was able to pay off my loans, renovate my home, and finally stop worrying about money every single day.
But the most important thing is that my inner state changed.
After the divorce it felt like my life was over. It turned out it was only just beginning.
Surrogacy helped me feel sure of myself again and understand that any hardship can be survived.
And today I'm grateful to myself for not being too afraid, back then, to take the first step. 🤍
With love, a ConnectSurrogate surrogate mother
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