There are many different ways to approach a surrogacy agreement. Families may ask that the surrogate mother signs away all rights to contact with the child. Families may allow the surrogate to receive updated information about the progress of the child over time. And in some rare cases, families may continue to include the surrogate mother in a meaningful way throughout the life of the child. The decision about which way to proceed is up to the individual family and the surrogate mom but everyone should be aware that a bond could grow between you that you aren't going to expect.
For the surrogate, the bond begins with the bond to the child. There is no denying that carrying a baby creates a bond even if you know that you're going to be giving it to another family as soon as the child is born. This can extend to creating a bond with the family. From the perspective of the parents, this bond can grow throughout the time that the family and the surrogate are interacting to bring the child into the world.
There is no requirement that you need to honor this bond by including the surrogate in the life of the child. However, it's something that you should think about since the bond is certainly going to be there.
Read one success story of a surrogate bonding with the family here.
Question of the Day: What do you think is the best agreement for the involvement of the surrogate in the life of the child?
