It’s late July and Kath Wood is 37 weeks pregnant. But she’s not carrying her own child.
“I'm really blessed that my body's been able to create healthy babies...why can't I help somebody else and bring joy to them?” she says from her home in Geelong, holding up an onesie that has “Best Dads Ever” printed on the front.
Kath is an altruistic surrogate for Brisbane-based couple, Ben Warner and Terry Crouch. This is their second surrogacy journey together -- she gave birth to their daughter Ivy two and a half years ago.
During that pregnancy, Ben and Terry flew to Geelong and cooked for Kath, went to all the prenatal scans, they had a joint gender reveal party, and were present at the birth.
“That's the moment a surrogate looks forward to, you just look forward to seeing the parents see their baby for the first time,” Kath tells The Feed.
But this time, under COVID-19 restrictions, things are going to be a little different.
Kath calls Ben and Terry over Skype. Source: The Feed
“Worst-case scenario, we might not even be able to make the birth because there are no flights at the moment,” says Terry.
It’s a daunting prospect for Kath.
“I'm excited to hand her over to her parents... I'm just not sure how my body would react to having to take care of her. Looking after a baby for a few days, even 48 hours, is not ideal.”
COVID-19 is presenting significant barriers to surrogacy
Each year around 280 babies are born via surrogate to Australians, according to Surrogacy Australia. Nearly 75 percent of these babies are born overseas. Parents whose surrogates became pregnant just before the onset of COVID-19 are now facing significant challenges.
Surrogacy consultant, Sam Everingham, is helping dozens of families negotiate international travel restrictions in order to pick up their newborn babies.
“There's been many cases where we haven't been able to get those parents to those births in time,” he says.
It can be precious weeks, even months, before the parents and their babies are united.
“If nobody’s here to collect the baby when the baby’s born, the hospital will call the state,” says American surrogacy consultant, Trish Scarborough.
Trish is looking after three-month-old baby Zach -- she’s had him in her care since he was 24 hours old. Zach’s mum and dad are in China and haven’t been able to get entry into the US.
While Trish tries to stay in touch with Zach’s parents and plays nursery rhymes in Mandarin to him, she’s worried about the psychological impact.
Trish is looking after three-month-old baby Zach Source: The Feed
“I worry about (him) creating a bond and then being placed into a totally different environment -- different sounds, smells, sights. I mean everything will be totally different.”
Back in Geelong, Kath calls Ben and Terry over Skype during her weekly prenatal checkup. With her huge belly taking up much of the screen, the doctor chats to Ben and Terry and says everything is looking good.
“Any more questions?” Kath asks the couple as the appointment comes to a close.
“Just...what are the chances of the baby coming early?” replies Terry, with a nervous laugh.
