Hilaria Baldwin Surrogate

Hilaria Baldwin has chosen to talk openly about the circumstances and the public commentary around the birth of her sixth child. She spoke very candidly about the criticism that she has faced since welcoming her daughter via surrogacy. Hilaria Baldwin who shares seven children with actor Alec Baldwin talked also about the many ways in which an individual can become a parent including using a surrogate. She remarked that while she has faced criticism for welcoming her sixth child via surrogacy in February of 2021, she does not view her daughter any differently from the other children, that she gave birth to, even though people assume that the girl was less of her daughter and she less of a mom. 

The former yoga instructor also went on to recall how she had read articles about Lucia’s birth which had been written by women whom she remarks as really mean. She said that the articles made her feel like an outcasted person for using surrogacy, even though people didn’t know her story. She gave her opinion on how her daughter Lucia would be affected by those articles if she were to see them, remarking that those reporters were questioning her validity, hence questioning whether she should exist.

Hilaria revealed that she has a good relationship with her surrogate, how they talk almost every day, the transformations they went through together and how they became very close due to it. This was not her first time sharing her candid thoughts on motherhood. Following the birth of her seventh child, she confessed on Instagram that she was feeling mama guilt about trying to balance her time between her newborn and six other children.

Celebrities opening up about surrogacy 

When trying to understand the reason for a person to choose surrogacy, it is important to understand the circumstances behind the choice. Various factors like how long the person has been trying to get pregnant, whether there have been any previous successful pregnancies, and the age of the individual play very crucial roles in influencing their decision to choose surrogacy. As more celebrities are becoming more open about their surrogacy journey, they serve to sort of de-stigmatize the process, leading to more women who would otherwise feel ashamed about seeking the treatment to be bold in their choice.

Presently, for women who have been trying for a baby and failing, either due to infertility, miscarriages or age-related factors; options exist for them to have their baby. One of them is surrogacy, a fertility intervention which while being controversial, is becoming more popular among people that want to have a child with biological relationship to them. Stories of celebrities like Hilaria Baldwin who come from a wide range of backgrounds using surrogacy to overcome their infertility challenges and achieve their desire to grow their family may inspire others who face the same struggles. Also, single men and women, as well as same-sex couples who desire to have children of their own using assisted reproductive technologies, can have the courage to fully pursue their desires because of this.

What is surrogacy?

Surrogacy is a form of fertility treatment where a woman who is referred to as the surrogate agrees to a proposition where she gets pregnant and delivers a baby for an individual or couple, called the intended parents or parent. The treatment requires a lot of involvement, years of planning, and months of work before being done. It is a complex treatment, and due to the resources that it requires, the intended parents have to have substantial and adequate finances. The intended parents and the surrogate will require legal advice, psychological and mental assessment and emotional support for the duration of the treatment.

What are the types of surrogacy?

Globally, surrogacy can be done in two forms, they include:

Traditional or altruistic surrogacy 

In this type of surrogacy, the intended father’s sperm is artificially inseminated into the surrogate in order to help conceive. Due to this fact, there is a genetic link between the surrogate and the baby. This genetic link is the reason why this form of surrogacy is not generally popular. Traditional surrogacy is also cheaper to do and less complex than the other forms of surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy is the only legal type of surrogacy in countries like Australia and Canada. Also, in the instance that the surrogate decides not to give up the baby after delivery, that genetic relationship means that the woman can lay a legal claim on the parentage of the baby. Also, it is called altruistic surrogacy because there is usually no monetary compensation paid to the surrogate after, but her out-of-pocket medical expenses are covered by the intended parents.

Gestational or commercial surrogacy 

This type of surrogacy is more expensive, more complex and also has more processes. This type of surrogacy is also the generally preferred type of surrogacy by fertility clinics and agencies. This is because there is no genetic relationship between the surrogate and the baby. Hence, the surrogate has no legal claim of parenthood on the baby. The way the embryo is created is from the sperm and egg of the surrogate in the lab, in vitro. The sperm and egg can also be obtained from donors as well, as long as it is not from the surrogate.

The lab grows the embryo for a few days before transferring the embryo to the uterus of the surrogate. The surrogate then carries the baby for nine months, delivers and gives the baby to the intended parents. There is usually an agreed compensation in this type of surrogacy, a set amount that is paid to the surrogate after. The intended parents also pay for her medical expenses. This type of surrogacy is the most widely practised and is legal in countries like Kenya, Cyprus, Greece, Armenia etc.

In some instances, intended parents will reside in countries with unfavourable surrogacy laws, or limited technology to complete the process. In those instances, they can go to other countries with the laws and better technology. This option is provided by medical health travel agencies, usually in the form of overseas medical treatment.