Jordan and Roderick

Medical Information:

General Health:

Excellent.

Fertility Information:

We have a total of 6 embryos. All have been PGT-A tested and are eligible for transfer. We are using ova donated by a known egg donor from Her Helping Habit, a Canadian-based egg donor program. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet our egg donor and we plan to maintain an ongoing relationship with her.

If necessary, we are willing to create more embryos.

Fertility Clinic:

Victory Reproductive Care, Windsor, ON

Why are you looking for a Surrogate?

After 12 years together and four years of marriage, we've reached a point in our lives where we feel ready to grow our family. We've built a home together, established our careers, and created a life filled with love, shared experiences, and a strong support system. Becoming parents is the next chapter we're excited to begin together. Since we're unable to have a child on our own, surrogacy offers us a path to parenthood that we're incredibly grateful for. We're hoping to connect with a wonderful woman with whom we can build a relationship grounded in mutual trust, honesty, and care as we take this meaningful journey toward becoming parents.

Tell us about your family & loved ones.

Both of our parents are aware of our surrogacy journey and highly supportive of our endeavor to start a family of our own. They are enthusiastic to receive ongoing updates and understand both the exciting and stressful moments we expect to experience throughout this process.

All of our siblings (Jordan’s two sisters and Roderick’s brother) have also been following our surrogacy journey closely and are excited to share this experience with us and support us.

We have an incredibly supportive group of friends and colleagues who are as close to us as our own family. They are eagerly following our process through this journey and with many having young kids of their own, are excited to see us expand our family soon!

Would you like to attend appointments with your Surrogate?

We hope to be actively involved throughout the pregnancy, including attending all medical appointments whenever possible and whenever our surrogate feels comfortable with us being there. Equally, we want to be available to support our surrogate in whatever ways are helpful to her.

What are your thoughts on termination of a pregnancy due to genetic abnormalities or complications related to the pregnancy?

We feel that every pregnancy is an amazing gift and the decision to terminate should not be taken lightly. However, it is important to us that we give our children the best opportunity to live a typical and healthy life. We would wish to terminate the pregnancy in any situation where genetic abnormalities that negatively impact quality of life are identified, or any situation where continuing the pregnancy puts our surrogate at serious risk of medical complications. We appreciate that differing viewpoints on this topic exist, but hope to find a surrogate who shares our perspective.

If the Surrogate becomes pregnant with multiples, how would you feel? How do you feel about the possibility of selective reduction being recommended due to a multiple pregnancy?

If our surrogate becomes pregnant with multiples we would make a decision on selective reduction based on the advice of our fertility specialist and the perceived risk to the success of the pregnancy and health of our surrogate. While we would be excited for the opportunity for multiples, we would be okay with selective reduction to ensure a safe pregnancy.

Are you vaccinated for Covid-19? Do you have a preference for a Surrogate to have been vaccinated for Covid-19?

Yes. As a member of the healthcare profession, we have both received all our vaccinations and would wish to have a surrogate who is compliant with receiving any public health recommended vaccinations and vaccinations recommended by our fertility clinic during pregnancy.

What kind of relationship do you want to have with your Surrogate during the pregnancy?

We believe that frequent, open, and honest communication is the foundation of a healthy relationship with our surrogate. We hope to build a relationship where we feel comfortable sharing our thoughts, asking questions, and having difficult conversations with mutual respect and understanding. We value setting clear expectations from the beginning so that everyone feels heard, supported, and on the same page throughout the journey. Ultimately, we hope to build a genuine connection that continues beyond the pregnancy, with our surrogate becoming an extended part of our family.
Being involved in the journey is very important to us. We hope to be present throughout the pregnancy, including attending medical appointments whenever possible and whenever our surrogate feels comfortable with us being there. We'd love to receive regular, timely pregnancy updates and share in the excitement of important milestones. Equally, we want to be available to support our surrogate in whatever ways are helpful to her. Ultimately, our hope is to build a close, trusting relationship throughout the pregnancy, where we can celebrate the exciting moments together and navigate any challenges with open communication and mutual respect.

Do you want to be in the delivery room when your child is born?

Yes, absolutely!

What kind of relationship do you hope to have with your Surrogate after the birth of your child?

We hope our relationship with our surrogate will continue beyond the pregnancy, ideally growing into a lasting friendship and a connection with our extended family. We plan to be open with our child about their birth story and the important role their surrogate played in helping us become a family. We want our child to grow up understanding and appreciating the people who helped make our family possible. Above all, we hope this journey is a positive and meaningful experience for everyone involved, with a relationship that develops naturally and feels right for all of us.

Would you be open to a home birth?

No. Childbirth carries many risks to both the newborn and mother, and being in a space where help and lifesaving resources are immediately available is non-negotiable for us. We would never want to do anything that puts our baby or surrogate at unnecessary risk.

Are you open to midwifery care?

In short, yes. Midwives provide a viable alternative to obstetric care for straight forward, uncomplicated pregnancies. However, as someone who works with obstetricians and midwives daily, there is certainly a need to recognize when the situation changes and transferring care to an obstetrician may be the best and safest option. We would expect our surrogate and any potential midwife to recognize this limitation and be willing to consult an obstetrician if circumstances dictate.

Would you like your Surrogate to provide breastmilk?

We would certainly be very appreciative of this. While it is not a “deal-breaker” for us if our surrogate is unable to provide breastmilk, we would be very happy if this is something our surrogate would consider.

What will you tell the child about the Surrogate, and the circumstances of their birth? If the child asks to meet the Surrogate, how will you feel?

Children are naturally curious, and coming from a same-sex couple, we expect them to have questions surrounding their birth. We plan to be completely transparent with them about the important role our surrogate (and egg donor) played in helping make our family possible. By hiding or restricting information, we worry that our child may be encouraged to seek answers in a manner that is secretive or dangerous. Through full disclosure and honesty from a young age, it is our goal to make them feel comfortable with their own story and find peace with themselves by supporting the type of relationship that feels right to them.

We expect them to ask to meet their surrogate and would be fully supportive of this. The story of their birth is not a secret and part of the reason we want our surrogate to feel like family is because they are becoming a part of ours. We are hopeful that one day our child will be able to meet the woman who made our family possible.

If the transfer is unsuccessful, will you want to try again? If so, how soon after?

Yes. We are committed to having a family and would want to continue trying until we are successful. Our preference would be to try as soon as possible, but understand everyone experiences loss differently and would be open to short delays if our surrogate or fertility specialist felt like more time was needed.

If this surrogacy journey is successful, would you want to complete a sibling journey? What do you envision that looking like? (timeline, same Surrogate etc.)

Yes. If we are fortunate enough to have a successful journey, we would love to pursue a sibling journey and plan to disclose this up front to any surrogate who may be interested in us (in fact, we have already planned for this as part of our package with our fertility clinic). If our surrogate is open to navigating another journey with us, we would be thrilled! Our timeline would be as soon as possible, but would absolutely consider input from our surrogate regarding timing for a sibling journey.

What are your plans for childcare once the child is born?

Both of us plan on taking parental leave immediately following our child’s birth. Once we are settled, one or both of us will likely take an extended parental leave. Both of our families also live close by (<1 hour drive) and would be very supportive during the first several weeks/months. Our home has several spare rooms and space available to accommodate family able and willing to help.

What does a typical weekend look like for you?

Our weekends are very precious to us and we like to use that time to do things that help us unwind and regenerate for the week ahead. That can include social weekends filled with get-togethers or celebrations with our family and friends (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries), camping and cottage trips, skiing, or training for our next race. Other weekends are much quieter, spent walking through local parks and trails with our dog Bella, visiting farmers' markets or new local restaurants, cooking together, or simply relaxing by the fire in our backyard.

What are some of your interests/ activities?

We are building a life focused on sharing experiences, time, and love; expanding our cultural horizons, learning new skills, and challenging ourselves to achieve new personal heights and accomplishments. Together, we love trying new food (either cooking exciting new recipes at home or indulging the newest local restaurant/bakery), travelling and experiencing new landscapes, wildlife, and cultures (in the past 5 years we have done some incredible trips including Hawaii, Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand, and Norway), and being active (we have both completed marathons and Olympic distance triathlon!)
We also highly value having a home that is comforting and calm, and provides a safe space for us to relax and decompress. We love gardening and growing our own vegetables, playing games, hanging out with our friends and family, and spending time cuddling with our dog Bella. Finally, of course, we can’t pass up the opportunity to binge watch a good TV series or rewatch The Lord of Rings and Harry Potter films over and over.

Fun Facts:

A huge part of our lives is Bella, our seven-year-old Great Pyrenees and Bernese Mountain Dog mix. Despite being bred to guard livestock, she spends most of her time sleeping like a princess. She's gentle, wonderful with young children, and currently occupies approximately 95% of our camera roll! We think she'd make a wonderful big sister.

Food is our love language and reviewing restaurants and recipes could be a full-time job for both of us. We love visiting new restaurants with unique takes on classic recipes (from street vendors in the park to Michelin-starred restaurants), or bakeries with the most picture-worthy pastries and breads. We love everything from bold Indian flavours and spices to the honoured tradition of fresh-baked sourdough or hand-rolled pasta. I think to list any single meal or food as a favourite would feel disingenuous.

One of our favourite travel memories was visiting Fridheimar, an indoor tomato farm and restaurant in Iceland during a particularly cold month. We love how this experience brought together so many things we enjoy: travelling and discovering new places, gardening and growing food, learning about nature and animals, and, of course, eating! We were fascinated by the bees pollinating the plants, the incredible variety of tomatoes growing on the indoor vines, and the many food and drink products made right there on-site, all with tomatoes! The highlight was enjoying their restaurant buffet with freshly baked bread in the warmth of the greenhouse. We never expected an indoor tomato farm to become one of our favourite memories from Iceland, but it perfectly captures how we love to travel: discovering unexpected places, learning something new, and enjoying delicious food along the way!

After more than a decade together, we've built a loving relationship grounded in support, patience, compassion, and laughter. We make a conscious effort to prioritize each other, have fun together, and never take ourselves too seriously. We appreciate that we complement each other while still maintaining our own hobbies and interests, giving us a healthy balance between spending quality time together and enjoying time independently. Above all, we love that we can be ourselves with each other, support one another through life's challenges, and continue growing together while having fun along the way.

Our friends and family would describe us as opposites who complement each other really well. Roderick is generally the calmer, more patient and outgoing one, while Jordan is always on the go but also values time to recharge independently. We both share a curious, driven, compassionate, and playful side. We care deeply about making the people around us feel accepted, supported, and loved.

Growing our family is important to us because we're excited about the opportunity to raise a child together and experience the world through their eyes. We look forward to sharing our experiences, introducing them to the things we love, and creating opportunities and memories that we hope they'll carry with them throughout their lives. We also want to give our children experiences we cherished growing up, alongside opportunities we may not have had ourselves. Ultimately, we see parenthood as one of the most meaningful and fulfilling experiences we can share together, and we're excited to build a family and a lifetime of memories filled with love, learning, and laughter.