Michelle Nelson
DeKalb, Illinois
Michelle Nelson of DeKalb, Ill. first got to know the staff at ARR as an egg donor. Mary Ellen McLaughlin, a registered nurse and partner who works closely with donors and surrogates, “was always available to answer my questions or just to talk,” says Nelson. She had watched friends deal with fertility issues and was very interested in helping others find a solution. After thinking about surrogacy for more than a year, she decided to continue to work with ARR as a gestational surrogate. Nelson credits her husband and three children, ages 10, 7 and 5, for their support throughout the pregnancy. “My kids and my husband were very involved, and the kids understood that we wouldn’t be taking the baby home,” she says. Meeting the intended parents was very special to her. “ARR did a great job matching me with the intended parents,” says Nelson. “We e-mailed each other throughout the pregnancy and developed a wonderful friendship.” Nelson and the intended parents stay in touch through photos, and she says the experience was so positive that she would happily do it again.

Julie Gottwald
Bettendorf, Iowa
When Julie Gottwald was implanted with three embryos as a gestational surrogate, she knew there was a slim chance she would get pregnant on the first try. So when not just one, but all three embryos “took,” she and intended parents Donna and Mike were all happily surprised. As a mother of five, Gottwald, who lives in Bettendorf, Iowa, was no stranger to being pregnant, but had never carried more than one baby at a time. Her family was very supportive of her choice to become a surrogate, and was involved throughout the pregnancy. Since delivering the triplets, three girls, Julie and Donna remain close, despite living hundreds of miles apart.