Surrogate mother Emma Williams has just given birth to an Auckland couple's second child and wants to raise awareness for families that are interested in using a surrogate. Photo / Bevan Conley
Surrogate mother Emma Williams has just given birth to an Auckland couple's second child and wants to raise awareness for families that are interested in using a surrogate. Photo / Bevan Conley
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It is not always a hot topic of conversation, but one Whanganui woman is shedding the light on what it is like to help create an extended family.
Emma Williams isa mother of three and over the last two years has given birth to two more children as a surrogate for Auckland couple Nick Georgiev and his husband Long Hsu.
She is now 10 weeks postpartum after giving birth to the couple's second child, a healthy baby girl, Yana.
But as Williams recovers from the birth, she is looking to build more awareness around surrogacy and the options available for both gay and heterosexual couples in New Zealand who wish to start a family.
"I asked my hubby 'How do you feel about me looking at doing this again?' as they were still looking for a surrogate and he said 'It's your body, sure go for it'."
The couple decided to have their child born via international surrogacy and flew Williams to San Diego Fertility Centre, where she and the couple underwent an IVF transfer.
Both children were born via gestational surrogacy, where the child is not genetically linked to the surrogate mother.
Due to the father needing an egg donor, they decided to go to America where Williams said surrogacy is very commercial and they were able to choose from a database.
Long Hsu (left) with Yavor, surrogate Emma Williams holding baby Yana, and husband Nick Georgiev. Photo / Supplied
Their first son, Yavor, was born on October 8, and Williams believed her surrogacy journey had come to an end.
"It wasn't until their son was born that I watched them with him and knew they would want another child and because of the relationship you have to build with them and the close, intimate relationship that comes from that. I couldn't sit back and watch someone else carry for them, it's just something I felt like I needed to do."
In December 2018, Williams offered to carry again and went through another round of IVF in April 2019 and on December 13 their daughter Yana was born.
She said her children and husband have been very supportive and her children refer to Yavor and Yana as their "tummy brother and sister".
Williams is referred to as "Mumma" as she is the closest person to a mum they are going to have, she said.
Last Christmas the families spent the day together and Williams said it feels like they have created an extended family.
Williams utilises Air Chathams to send up to 20kg of breast milk to the couple as it is able to get to them still frozen for them to use.
Williams is still expressing and said it is tiring and is looking forward to a full night's sleep soon, but she can see that it is benefiting Yana.
"This time around it's taken me until now to start feeling okay again, people think because I don't have a child with me I don't have to get through all those pregnancy hormones, it's not like that."
For the first six weeks, Williams found she was not coping emotionally as she found herself asking what her purpose was after giving three years of her life to IVF and being a surrogate.
Williams and her extended family include the Auckland couple, her husband Brian (second from left) and her three children (from left) Maddison, 10, Lacie, 8, and Korban, 12. Photo / Supplied
Since then she has been in contact with Growing Families director Sam Everingham and found her direction is now on the ground in New Zealand, helping other people create a family.
"Sometimes I think I'm still so capable of carrying babies but I feel like I've made and completed a family, I've done my part now. I'd like to help other people who are just starting out in their journey."
Williams has recently attended and spoke as part of a panel at the Growing Families annual surrogacy forum in Auckland and said the organisation is great for those wanting direction on how they should start creating a family.
She hopes to help the organisation get off the ground in New Zealand and bring more forums closer to Whanganui.
Growing Families global director Sam Everingham said the organisation has been running surrogacy and donor seminars annually in Auckland since 2016.
Growing Families, formerly Families Through Surrogacy, is a non-profit organisation focused on bringing together surrogates, donors, intended parents and families to network, share their stories and stay informed about best practice in family-building arrangements.
As the organisation's reputation grows, there has been an increase in requests to run seminars in Christchurch and Wellington, Everingham said.
The organisation is looking to follow a model it currently uses in Australia where a series of seminars is carried out over six cities.
"Surrogacy is a route to family that does require much effort and perseverance, but I am constantly amazed by the level of dedication both surrogates and parents put into the hurdles in their way," Everingham said.
There was plenty of emotional support available from the New Zealand surrogacy community and practical support from organisations like Growing Families to help couples start their journey of becoming parents.
Everingham said in New Zealand having leadership from MPs like Tamati Coffey, who has introduced a private member's bill to Parliament to streamline access to surrogacy, was really encouraging.
"It shows that there is progress in the pipeline."
Under New Zealand law, people who have a child with the assistance of a surrogate mother do not have any legal parental rights unless they adopt the child. At the time of birth, the child's legal parents will be the surrogate mother and her partner, if she has one. To be a legal parent, the partner must have consented to the surrogacy arrangement.
In New Zealand, surrogacies are an altruistic arrangement on the part of the surrogate mother and it's illegal to pay her more than her reasonable expenses.
