Books about Surrogacy from Amazon.com

The Kangaroo Pouch introduces young children to the concept of surrogacy Narrated by a young kangaroo character, whose mother has decided to help another family in their efforts to have a child, the story gently guides the reader through the surrogate's decision-making process, the pregnancy, and the resulting baby that is then given back to the biological parents.

The book is designed to act not only as a conversation starter for surrogates with their own families; but also as a "how-to" manual for their children to refer to throughout the process.

The author, Sarah Phillips Pellet, who herself was a surrogate on behalf of a close family member, wrote The Kangaroo Pouch for this purpose with her own children in mind. When asked, "How are you going to tell the kids?" she thought, "I'll write a book, do some stick-figures to illustrate it, and read it to them". She did and discovered that her children would re-read the book throughout the duration of the pregnancy and afterwards. After the encouragement of many friends, relatives, and professionals to produce the book for other surrogates, she decided to have the book professionally illustrated by artist Laurie A. Faust.

The Kangaroo Pouch has been reviewed by both a child psychologist and a behavioral specialist to ensure that the story answers questions that a typical child would have and that it is communicated effectively..
Price: $14.94 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Surrogacy Was the Way: Twenty Intended Mothers Tell Their Stories documents the true stories of twenty women who had children via surrogacy Surrogacy is a complete possibility in today's day and age, but anyone considering this route to parenthood should know the pros and cons. The women featured go to surrogacy for a variety of reasons, ranging from Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) to cancer to unexplained infertility and everything in between. Some of the journeys go rather smoothly-while others are filled with one obstacle after another. Some of the women have children already and want to add to their family, while most are attempting to become moms for the first time. What they all have in common, however, is that every woman whose story is told knows what it's like to be an intended mother-the term for the "mother to be" if and when a baby is born. And all of the women ultimately end up having a child (or more) through surrogacy. When I first started researching surrogacy, I was fortunate to find several Online support groups. As I gave and received support to so many other women I became fascinated with the extent to which people would go to simply have a baby. I realized that their stories-our stories-needed to be heard; thus, the idea for this book was born. For the millions of women who have been touched by infertility in some way, or know someone who has, Surrogacy Was the Way will open their eyes to amazing possibilities. It will show them that they do have options, and with persistence and faith, they can achieve their dreams of motherhood after all..
Price: $10.91 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Who does a woman turn to when, more than anything in the world, she wants to have a child, but her body refuses to cooperate? Sometimes, all you need is a miracle

In 1998, when thirty-seven-year-old Sandra Watson Rapley and her husband Craig married, both decided that they wanted children right away. Sandra expected some difficulty trying to conceive because of uterine fibroids she had removed years ago. However, she was not prepared for the turbulent—and often times disappointing—road she would have to travel to make her dream a reality. After many failed attempts at drug therapy, ovulation calculation, and in-vitro fertilization, the Rapleys finally learned the devastating truth—fibroids inside Sandra’s uterus were preventing a successful pregnancy. Following months of discussion, testing, and counseling, the miracle that the Rapleys were praying for arrived in the form of a surrogate. Their sister-in-law, Victoria, selflessly volunteered to be their embryo’s oven, and on August 29, 2001, Victoria gave birth to the Rapleys twin sons.

Intended Parents: Miracles Do Happen is the touching account of author Sandra Watson Rapley’s struggle with infertility, through the emotional highs and lows and the exciting time when her dream of having a child is finally fulfilled.

A soul-baring story of the emotional aspects of being an intended parent in a surrogate pregnancy. Fibroids, and the surgery to remove them, left Rapley infertile, with a scarred uterus and fallopian tubes. Things looked grim, writes Rapley in unadorned prose that gives her circumstance a particularly vulnerable quality, until her brother's wife, Victoria, volunteers to be the "oven" for Rapley's fertilized eggs. A valuable frontline story of interest to anyone considering intended parenthood.

-Kirkus Discoveries .
Price: $7.92 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Follow an inquisitive little boy who learns of his parents' quest to have children, and the success they ultimately achieve in creating a family. Told in a language a child can understand, read the tale of how mom and dad met, fell in love, and ultimately built a family.

This story on the gift of surrogacy is part of a book collection that brings to light the many reproductive options of family building. Come and celebrate the unique gift couples can receive on their way to becoming a family.

--Full Color with Illustrations.
--Ages 3-7.

About the Hope & Will Collection

Ordinarily, most people don't think twice about how to build a family. Having biological children is presumed to be the way it is going to happen -- until it doesn't. It is at this stage that parents begin the journey to explore additional options, and this journey is not always easy.

For those parents who choose third party reproductive assistance, these books provide a delightfully new and refreshing way to tell children about their unique beginnings. Written by mental health and reproductive specialist Irene Celcer, and boldly portrayed by internationally recognized illustrator Horacio Gatto, each stand-alone volume recounts the same story from a different perspective, highlighting four distinct pathways to conception: egg donation, embryo donation, sperm donation, and surrogacy. Each book in this collection provides a great vehicle for parents to tell children how they came into this world.

Available separately, the other books in the Hope & Will collection are The Gift of Egg Donation, The Gift of Embryo Donation, and The Gift of Sperm Donation..
Price: $12.43 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A deeply personal account of the trials and tribulations of the surrogacy journey!

Surrogacy's been coldly and unjustifiably called "baby buying" and "baby selling" and many states have banned it. But those insensitive terms do not tell the inspiring tale of a couple fiercely wanting to become parents. A Gay Couple's Experience with Surrogacy: Intended Fathers is the moving true story of a gay couple's decision to have their child through a surrogate mother. With humor and emotion, the author traces their intense experience from the initial decision to have a child through surrogacy on through the entire pregnancy and birth.

A Gay Couple's Journey Through Surrogacy chronicles this couple's no-holds-barred account of the emotional toll, the legal matters, the financial concerns, and the ultimate fulfillment of parenting a child.

A Gay Couple's Journey Through Surrogacy reveals the author's answers to these questions:

why surrogacy over adoption?

which type of surrogacy—traditional or gestational?

what were the issues when choosing a surrogate?

how much does surrogacy cost?

what living expenses are included in the cost?

what are the emotional and financial reasons that surrogates choose to bear another's child?

what are the pitfalls in choosing surrogacy?

what are the legal issues—what to beware and what to consider

An excerpt:

Before I knew it, I was writing an ad of my own, and I actually posted it. David, of course, had no idea what I was up to. The ad read:

"We're a gay couple in New York that just celebrated our fourteenth anniversary and we've decided to extend our family. We're looking for someone close by and even have a separate apartment available if needed."

Nice, huh? Could it be just a little bit more. . . vague? Could my ad have lacked a little more personality? Sure, have our baby and move right in while you're doing it! Who the hell would respond to that? I wasn't even sure after reading it myself that it made any sense. But what should I have said? What could I have said? I scrambled to find a way to delete it, but couldn't.

A Gay Couple's Journey Through Surrogacy is a touching memoir that reveals the challenges that face gay and lesbian couples who may be considering either adoption or surrogacy..
Price: $20.63 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Published in 1997, this book is a step-by-step guide to surrogate parenting. It discusses finding and working with a surrogate, what a surrogate program provides, what to include in the contracts, recommended testing for potential surrogates, detailed costs for each item related to surrogacy, the medical procedure, medications and their side effects, embryo cryopreservation, demographics of surrogates and surrogate couples and the effects of surrogacy upon children. One chapter outlines the laws in U.S. states and in Israel, South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Russia. Jewish law also is discussed, along with the views of several Christian denominations and other religions regarding surogacy..
Price: $21.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Pathways to Parenthood is a how-to guide to Surrogacy It covers Gestational Surrogacy via IVF as well as Traditional Surrogacy via Artificial Insemination. The mystery that surrounds Surrogacy is demystified and everything is broken down into layman's terms. This book will take you from deciding if Surrogacy is the right path for you, to contact with your surrogate after the delivery and everything in between. You will learn about the legal, medical, as well as the emotional aspects of choosing Surrogacy as your pathway to parenthood. You will be given the pros and cons of using an agency as well as going about it on your own..
Price: $16.16 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Surrogacy raises a whole host of commercial and political questions, and even more than IVF and other forms of assisted reproduction, it pushes against traditional definitions of parenthood. This chapter takes an in-depth look at surrogacy, its history, overt commercialism, and political implications..
Price: $6.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Heart-wrenching, high-profile court cases such as the Baby M case have called attention to the troubling consequences of new reproductive technology; the law has yet to catch up with the ways that people create families today. Although these times may appear chaotic and confusing, Mary Shanley shows us that we don't have to be afraid. Her timely work begins by demonstrating that the traditional model of the "natural," patriarchal family is outdated, and that the newer contractual model based on equality between adults can lead to questionable results for the child.

Shanley offers a new vision of family law that's based on existing caring relationships of adults for children. It ensures each child's right to be cared for, and takes into account the emotional realities of family life. She applies this practical, humane model to the most complex and controversial issues of our time, including adoption, biological fathers' legal rights, surrogate motherhood, lesbian families, and the rights of sperm and egg donors and recipients.

"In this impressive study of family law's uneasiness with custody rights, Shanley explores how dominant notions of family (in which the primary partners are married, heterosexual and of the same race) have contributed to legal rulings on adoption and surrogacy....Shanley's discussion of transracial adoptions and the controversial role of race in shaping custody rights is evenhanded and riveting, as is her critique of surrogacy-for-pay and the sale of genetic material. Readers may be surprised that the U.S. is the only Western country that doesn't restrict human ova sales, and that France doesn't pay sperm donors. This critically sophisticated yet readily accessible discussion of adoption, reproductive technology and parental responsibility represents a much-needed addition to the growing number of books on new forms of family in the 21st century." —Publishers Weekly

"Making Babies, Making Families takes on all the hard questions . . . and with unflinching clear sight, clearly defined principles, and moral compassion creates a compelling basis for answers." —Mona Harrington, author of Care and Equality

"[This] distinctive and valuable contribution ensures that [we] protect the interests of children and other vulnerable people while sustaining the bonds of intimacy." —Martha Minow, author of Between Vengeance and Forgiveness.
Price: $18.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]