A surrogate mother reveals what she does with the unused breast-milk post partum
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A surrogate has revealed how traveling in a motorhome with her family helps fight the baby blues.
Samantha Matthews 31, of Springfield, Massachusetts, lives with her husband Dan Matthews 34, a podcast host, and their two children Canyon, six, and Ember, four.
They are currently traveling across the US in a giant RV, following the birth of Sam’s first surrogate mother, otherwise known as a “surro” baby.
Speaking to FEMAIL, she said: “To beat the postpartum blues, we decided to go camping full time to travel and spend time as a family and spend time with our kids instead of thinking about delivering of a baby who didn’t come home. with us.
Samantha Matthews, 31, of Springfield, Massachusetts, lives with her husband Dan Matthews 34, a podcast host, and their two children Canyon, six, and Ember four. They are currently traveling across the US in a motor home, following the birth of Sam’s first surrogate mother, otherwise known as a ‘surro’ baby.
On Instagram and Facebook, Sam, pictured while pregnant, shares her experiences and recommendations for others curious about surrogacy and says women can go independent or with an agency
“I’m happy to say that I’m doing really well emotionally and mentally since giving birth until now.”
The couple began researching surrogacy four years ago and started an agency that put prospective mothers in touch with intended parents.
It was not without concerns, as they already had children of their own and Dan was especially concerned about his wife’s mental health after the baby was born.
She told FEMAIL: ‘We just had our second child, Ember. Dan and I had a boy and a girl and we felt ready to have our own children, but I didn’t feel ready to be pregnant and work.
“I told Dan, we prayed and decided to move forward with the process.
“Dan’s biggest concern was how I’m going to handle the postpartum and mine was how the kids would handle the trip, if everything would be okay medically, but we felt a peace of doing it, so we started our journey to surrogacy. ‘
Sam with her husband Dan Matthews. They shared their surrogacy journey on Instagram with thousands of followers after Sam decided four years ago she wasn’t ‘done with the labor and pregnancy’
Sam Matthews shows off her blossoming baby bump during the third trimester of her pregnancy as a surrogate mother
The Matthews are now living the RV life full time across the United States. Dan and Sam are pictured with their son Canyon, six, and daughter Ember, four on a trip to the beach
She continued: “We prayed a lot, researched and prepared for my emotional and mental state after giving birth.
“We knew from the start that this wasn’t our baby, so there was no ‘second guessing’ at delivery.
‘The baby had his parents there and that was never my role and I made peace with that.
“We are so honored to have been on this journey and we are humbled that God has chosen us to play that role in raising a family for someone.
“It’s such a rewarding feeling the moment the baby is born and the parents can hold the child they’ve been waiting for so long. It was a moment we will never forget.
Sam during her pregnancy, she said she gave the milk after the birth of another intended parent who is expecting a surrogate mother
Sam and Dan have documented the whole process on their Instagram page @wearesamanddan and are now sharing their postpartum and on-the-go life.
During the pregnancy, Sam shared the delivery, birth tips and how she coped with fatigue in the third trimester.
The mother of two also gave tips on surrogacy and the routes people could take if they themselves were interested.
She said, ‘You can go independently or with an agency and not everyone’s journey is the same.
‘The disadvantages of becoming independent is less support during your pregnancy, but it can be more expensive for the intended parents. I share my experience with both on my page. I didn’t have a good experience with the very first agency I had.’
Sam is frequently asked on her Instagram page how she has explained the surrogacy situation to her children and she said on her Instagram stories: “It has been suggested that a big family trip, which we do, and a gift “from the baby” helps them understand, both children were excited about the birth.’
Sam in the hospital after giving birth. She said, “For starters, knowing the baby was genetically not ours made a huge difference. This little one has a mom and dad who love them very much. Seeing the joy on their faces from the moment the baby entered this world was what this journey was all about”
When asked what happens to the unused milk, Sam reveals that she pumped out the milk as she did with her own children and donated it to other surrogate mothers, since the parents of the baby she gave birth to have no need for the milk.
She said, “I was amazed at what my body could produce, and we decided to donate the expressed milk to a family expecting a surrogate and in need of it — like ours told they didn’t.”
Sam and Dan are currently out of contact with their intended parents, who were present at the birth of the boy Sam was carrying, and “respect” that decision.
They said, ‘It depends on the wishes of both parties.
“We wanted to have a close relationship with our intended parents after childbirth because this process was such a big part of our lives, but we know that surrogacy is emotionally a lot for the parents to take on and we understand that desires can change.
Sam and Dan, pictured, are currently out of contact with their intended parents, who were present at the birth of the baby boy Sam was carrying, and “respect” that decision. At the moment they focus on their own family and exploring the world.
“Right now we think the parents don’t want to keep in touch and we want to respect that decision.”
Sam has become a surrogate mother and becomes “frustrated” by some myths about the process.
She told FEMAIL: ‘People assume that a surrogate mother can’t handle handing the baby.
“To be a surrogate, you have to be emotionally ready. Parents must want their surrogate to be emotionally invested in their baby, in their journey. This allows the surrogate mother to take the best care of the baby. There’s a reason not everyone is a surrogate.
“Eventually we know that this baby is not ours and so we can ‘hand over the baby’.
“It’s weird how you can compartmentalize feelings, but we know the baby was and always will be the intended parent. We just helped him grow up and keep him safe from them.”