Surrogate Sisterhood

Surrogate sisterhood support starts the moment you join and it lasts long after delivery day.

You are not just carrying a baby. You are joining a sisterhood.

Surrogate sisterhood is incredible. And let’s be real: it can feel isolating if the people around you do not fully understand it. Your friends love you. Your family supports you. But when you say “the progesterone injections hit differently than I expected” or “I cried at a completely normal thing today because the hormones are real,” the people who actually get it, without explanation, without you having to justify the feeling first, are the women who have been here too. That is what surrogate sisterhood support is. And it is one of the most quietly powerful parts of the whole experience.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Social support during surrogacy is not a nice-to-have. Research published in Fertility and Sterility shows it is one of the strongest predictors of a positive journey experience.
The feelings that are hardest to explain to people outside of surrogacy, the hormone swings, the two-week wait, the unexpected emotions after delivery, make complete sense to women who have been there.
The Nascency team is made of former gestational carriers. Your Journey Success Advocate has been where you are. That is not a marketing claim. That is who answers your texts.
Nicole Marie Cowles, Nascency’s Community Engagement Specialist, is a four-time surrogate who lives in the community daily and exists specifically to make sure no Nascency surrogate ever feels alone.
The Nascency surrogate community is active on Facebook at facebook.com/surrogacyatnascency. It is real women, real conversations, real support.

“We started Nascency because we’ve been where you are right now, and we wanted better.” — Carly Stockdale, MPH, Founder of Nascency and Parent Through Surrogacy, nascency.com/about

What the research shows about surrogate sisterhood support

Social support during surrogacy is not a nice-to-have. It is a clinical predictor of outcomes. A review published in Human Reproduction found that gestational carriers who reported strong peer and community support had measurably better emotional wellbeing throughout their journeys, including lower rates of anxiety and higher satisfaction with the overall experience. The effect was significant enough that researchers identified peer connection as a key component of surrogate care, not just a bonus.

The Seleni Institute, which specializes in reproductive mental health, specifically recommends that surrogacy agencies build peer community infrastructure, not because it is a nice program to offer, but because the data shows it directly affects how surrogates experience their journeys

. ConceiveAbilities’ research on surrogate support groups confirms this finding independently.

What only another surrogate truly understands

There are parts of surrogacy that are genuinely hard to explain to people who have not been through it. Not hard in a bad way. Just specific in a way that requires shared experience to fully receive. The two-week wait after embryo transfer. The mix of hoping intensely for a positive result while also holding awareness that it is not your baby.

The hormone-driven emotional intensity of the medication phase. The way you can feel completely at peace with handing the baby to the parents and still feel something unexpected in the days that follow. A friend who loves you will listen to all of this.

A surrogate who has been there will say “yes, exactly, me too” and you will feel seen in a completely different way.

“Nascency has been there for me the whole way. I feel incredibly supported by the team, by text, which is super convenient, and I am so appreciative to have a great match with my intended mom.” — Hailey, First-Time Surrogate at Nascency, nascency.com/surrogates

“No matter where I am at in the process, Nascency and especially Marisa have been there for me, offering encouragement and invaluable insight. Nascency just gets it right.” — Mikayla, First-Time Surrogate at Nascency, nascency.com/surrogates

Who is in your corner at Nascency, specifically

The Nascency team is not a customer service operation. It is a group of women who have lived this.

Marisa Sigala Journey Success Liaison · 4x Surrogate · Mother of 4 · 5 Surrogate Babies Delivered When you text at 10pm because something feels off, Marisa is the person who has been exactly where you are. Four times over.

Nicole Marie Cowles Community Engagement Specialist · 4x Surrogate · Nursing Assistant Nicole lives in the surrogate community daily. She exists at Nascency specifically so that no surrogate ever has to process this journey alone.

Sherri Uhlig, MA Surrogate Peer Support Leader · 2x Surrogate · School Psychologist Sherri brings both the lived surrogate experience and a professional psychology lens to peer support. She understands the emotional architecture of this journey at every level. Learn more about the full Nascency team at nascency.com/about

The surrogate communities where you find your people

The Nascency Facebook community is where Nascency surrogates, past and current, connect, share, and support each other. Nicole is active there every day: facebook.com/surrogacyatnascency

The Surrogates and IPs Match/Chat group has thousands of members, women at every stage from considering to years past delivery: Surrogates and IPs Match/Chat All Things Surrogacy is one of the most active communities for candid peer conversation between surrogates: All Things Surrogacy

The Surrogacy Community group is a broader space for surrogates and intended parents from all backgrounds and stages: Surrogacy Community Worldwide Surrogacy’s comprehensive resource guide to surrogate communities. ConceiveAbilities’ full guide to surrogate support groups.

What surrogate sisterhood support actually gives you, beyond emotional connection

Practical wisdom. Which injections sting less with a heating pad first. What to pack for the transfer appointment. What the two-week wait is actually like, not the sanitized version.

Emotional permission. To feel everything you feel without editing it. To cry about something that seems small. To be proud in a way that is hard to explain to people who were not part of it.

A shorthand nobody else has. When you say “the progesterone fog was real today” to another surrogate, she knows exactly what you mean. That understanding is worth more than advice.

Perspective at the hard moments. When something unexpected happens, the women who have been through it are the ones who can say “that happened to me too, and here is what helped.” That is irreplaceable.

REAL TALK The surrogate community online is massive. And not all of it is good. There are spaces full of fear-based stories, grievance-focused threads, and people who had bad experiences sharing those experiences in ways that paint the entire picture dark. We say this not to dismiss those experiences, but to be honest: curating your community matters. The Nascency Facebook community at facebook.com/surrogacyatnascency is moderated by surrogates who approach the experience with honest warmth, not negativity for its own sake. Nicole is in there daily. That environment is intentional.

“The best part about Nascency is everyone I have spoken to has experience with surrogacy. They know how I am feeling and how the process works. Having women who have either been a surrogate or used a surrogate be in charge of your surrogacy journey makes a huge difference.” — Savannah, First-Time Surrogate at Nascency, nascency.com/surrogates

Frequently asked questions about surrogate sisterhood support

Will I feel isolated as a surrogate? You might at times, especially early in the process when you have not yet connected with other surrogates. That is one of the reasons Nascency maintains an active surrogate sisterhood support community. Research in Human Reproduction shows that peer connection is one of the strongest predictors of positive surrogate experience.

How does the Nascency surrogate community work? The primary community is on Facebook at facebook.com/surrogacyatnascency, where Nicole Marie Cowles, a four-time surrogate and Nascency’s Community Engagement Specialist, is active daily. There is also direct peer support available through the Journey Success team, many of whom are former gestational carriers themselves.

What is the difference between a support group and having a Journey Success Advocate? Your Journey Success Advocate is your personal point of contact at Nascency, available by text and focused on your specific journey. The community is peer-to-peer, women who have been through it talking to women who are in it. Both serve different and complementary needs. Read more at nascency.com/surrogates

Do Nascency surrogates from different journeys stay connected after birth? Many do. The Facebook community includes surrogates at every stage, from considering applying to years past delivery. Some of the most valuable voices in that community are women who have completed their journeys and come back to share what they know with women just starting.

What if I am the only surrogate I know in real life? That is very common. Most surrogates do not have someone in their immediate social circle who has done this. That is exactly why the online community and the Nascency team exist. Nicole and Sherri and Marisa are there precisely because most surrogates need someone who gets it without explanation.

What does Nascency actually offer in terms of surrogate sisterhood support? Active Facebook community at facebook.com/surrogacyatnascency, peer support through Sherri Uhlig (MA, school psychologist, two-time surrogate), direct access to your Journey Success Advocate by text at any hour, and a team whose firsthand experience means you never have to translate what you are feeling before being understood.

Learn more at nascency.com/about Surrogate sisterhood support is something you do with your body and your heart. The women who walk alongside you through it, the ones who have been here, who know the language, who show up without being asked, they are the sisterhood. Nascency is built from women like that. And we want you in this community.

Ready to find your people? Take the quiz at go.nascency.com/application