Pandemic Postscripts and Portraits of Pride collide to give you this story of Maureen, Eric and Kevin. Maureen was photographed last spring as part of the Stay at Home series. Since then, she has quite a story to share!
“I decided to go on a journey about a year ago to become a gestational surrogate for two men who felt like family from the first time we met,” said Maureen.
Eric and Kevin met in Scotland in 2014, and currently live in Michigan. They have always wanted to be dads, but the journey has not been simple. “We had several interviews with surrogacy agencies and adoption agencies. The process was so deflating,” said Kevin. “We thought we had to accept that this dream of being parents is not a reality.”
They pressed forward, but then the pandemic hit the US. Stay at Home orders went into effect. “The pandemic gave us the chance to take more time to research this properly. It felt like an exam I was prepared for,” Kevin said.
“Trying to find a surrogate who clicked was hard,” said Eric. “It was important for us to find someone who wanted to remain involved with the child’s life.”
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One night, Maureen went to bed thinking “I would be a surrogate. I liked being pregnant and I would love to give this gift to someone”. Days later, an old friend reached out to her out of the blue and shared Kevin and Eric’s story. The three connected last June. Maureen was amazed: "I couldn’t believe I put that into the universe just two days ago and I already got that message.”
Maureen and her husband, Jeremiah, met Kevin and Eric last summer and they connected immediately. Not long after, they began the journey together.
“I had two hard red lines: I want someone who wants me to be a part of the family and I didn’t want to use my eggs,” Maureen said.
Kevin and Eric agreed. “Our kids are going to have two dads. At some point the kids are going to have questions. We want to be as honest as we can.”
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In January, they transferred one embryo. Two weeks later, Maureen shared the exciting news that the embryo transfer was a success! At their 6-week scan, Maureen, Eric and Kevin learned that they were expecting twins. One week later, they were shocked to learn the embryo split one more time and that they would now be expecting triplets!
Now, Maureen is 28 weeks pregnant with 3 identical girls for Eric and Kevin.
“It’s an absolute honor to be able to carry their baby girls with the same love that I carried with Julian four years ago,” said Maureen. “The doctor said we have three healthy babies and one healthy lady! I’m overjoyed to say that Kevin and Eric will be starting (and finishing) their family in a couple short months.”
“By offering to be our gestational surrogate, she’s helping us fulfill our dream of having a family,” said Eric and Kevin. "The shock hasn’t worn off and the excitement continues to build every day. We can’t wait to welcome our DAUGHTERS to the world!”
