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Aussie mum who advertised her womb for ‘rent’ is now expecting for the first time as a surrogate.

Michelle Griffin, 26, has two children, Leilani, four, and Isaac, three, with her hubby Trent.

She is now 13 weeks along with a bub for a couple who have struggled with fertility problems.

The professional birthing coach from Perth told Yahoo Lifestyle she has always been ‘honest’ with her kids, who are just as excited as she is about helping another family.

“We’ve always been really honest with the kids and have simply explained that a doctor has put a baby in my tummy for our friends,” she said.

“They’re very excited for them and like to check how big the baby in my belly is getting every day. They know it’s not ours to keep and are very happy for our friends.”

Michelle was inundated with messages from hopeful parents two years ago after sharing her desire to become a surrogate on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I’ve thought long and hard about sharing this, but I know I want to document this experience and so here I am, sharing the very beginning of my Surrogacy Journey. So, a lot of you may know that I have a strong desire to become a Surrogate. A little fire ignited in me after having my own children. I am now so completely happy with my two wonderful children but I still crave being pregnant. After doing my Birth Doula training, that little fire turned into a great big flame. Surrogacy is on my mind pretty much all of the time so we’ve decided to take action! With the incredible support of my husband, we are now at the very beginnings of searching for IP’s (Intended Parents). Becoming a mother was the greatest gift I could ever receive, and being lucky enough to give such a gift to another couple would be the most amazing thing I could ever do. You all know that I love to share so this journey will be no different! Be prepared for Surrogacy spam! This is going to be a long road and will probably push my patience to breaking points but I’m so very excited to become someone’s “tummy mummy”. I’ve joined a few surrogacy support groups on Facebook and there is so much information I am slowly gathering, but every day I grow in anticipation. Anyway, enough of my rambling. If anyone knows of a couple in Perth looking for a Gestational Surrogate to carry their first child, send them my way, I would love to hear their story! ???? A post shared by Michelle Griffin (@michellegriffindoula) on

“It’s been two years, countless hours of counselling, psych assessments, fertility appointments, two egg retrievals and three embryo transfers,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

“But we are due early April 2019 and are so excited. I’m over the moon.”

Michelle found her couple six months after posting an powerful advert that stated her womb was for ‘rent’.

“I had a lot of people reach out to me and it was difficult to read so many heartbreaking stories and to see how many people are affected by infertility,” she said.

“But I’m glad it eventually lead me to my current ‘Intended Parents’ and I’m so happy to finally be helping a couple become a family.”

When the baby is born next year, Michelle plans on taking an ‘aunty’ type role in the baby’s life and said she’s good friends with the parents.

In Australia, it is illegal for a woman to financially benefit from a surrogate pregnancy, but the donor parents are can cover the medical costs in an ‘ altruistic agreement’.

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  • What a wonderful gift and such a wonderful woman she is to give this gift. But also her partner must be wonderfully giving and understanding as well.

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  • What a generous woman. I used to think I would do this for my brother whose wife couldn’t have babies. They didn’t ask and I didn’t offer, so it didn’t happen. Not sure how much a 3 and 4 yo would understand about the whole situation. But good for her for talking to them about it

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  • I don’t think I would making it public knowledge yet. If she is using the public system the only expensives should get is medications.

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  • Good for her, what a beautiful person. I know I couldn’t do it again it was hard enough being pregnant for my own family.

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  • You have a heart of gold and I’m glad someone is going to benefit from your selfless offer.

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  • What a kind human! What a gift to give others.

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  • WOW, what an amazing human being. I know the struggle of trying to get pregnant, and I have a dear friend who had to use an overseas surrogacy. This is fraught with so many questions, issues, scenarios, but she is doing an amazing think for a family who felt they had hope. WOW!

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  • It will be interesting to watch her journey

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  • I loved being pregnant but I could never do it, I would be way to attached to the baby

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  • I don’t think I could do that. I would become so attached to that baby. But good on her. :-)

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  • Wow, well good on her for helping some other couple!

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  • What an amazing woman!

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  • That’s an admirable thing to do but I wouldn’t do that, it’s for me.

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  • Wow what an amazing woman. I can’t even imagine doing this for strangers.

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  • So she uses her crave to be pregnant, after having to wonderful children herself, in a positive way to surrogate for others. It sounds initially selfless, but might be not as selfless as it sounds.

    Reply

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