A woman with two children has decided to become a surrogate in order to assist other couples in starting families, expressing that she felt a sense of longing for pregnancy and childbirth.
Samantha Mathews, who documents her surrogate journey on Instagram using the handle @Wearedanandsam, shared her motivation for becoming a surrogate after giving birth to her own son and daughter, by helping two different couples in their quest to become parents.
She intentionally created a video in the comedic style of TikTok personality Elyse Myers.
Speaking to Newsweek, Mathews revealed that her own pregnancies were smooth and uncomplicated, prompting her decision to offer her assistance to other couples.
“I had easy pregnancies and deliveries, so I thought, why not help another person become a mother?” she explained. “And it was not difficult for me to emotionally detach from the baby because I understood from the start that the baby was never mine to begin with! The baby was always meant for the intended parents.”
“How did I end up carrying a baby that isn’t my husband’s? That’s a valid question, and I would be happy to explain. The baby isn’t mine either,” she stated at the beginning of her video.
“In 2018, I gave birth to our daughter. We had achieved the one-to-one parent-child ratio and felt content with our family size. However, I found myself missing the experience of labor. So, I decided to do it for someone else,” she continued.
In 2020, Mathews, a resident of Missouri, connected with a couple on Facebook who initially sought her assistance as a surrogate. Surprisingly, the woman conceived naturally shortly thereafter.
In the video, she elaborated further: “So I thought to myself—let’s try again. In July 2021, we met a couple on Instagram who asked me to help them have a baby. I agreed, and in July 2022, I gave birth to their child.
“And then I thought, why not do it once more? This time, we had numerous applicants through an agency wanting to be matched with us… Ultimately, we selected a couple. Last November, we traveled to Florida where the husband’s sperm and the wife’s egg were combined, and the resulting embryo was implanted in my uterus. I am now 10 weeks pregnant.”
Commenters have commended Mathews for sharing her story with humor. “I absolutely love following your journeys, you are so entertaining. Keep up the amazing work, my fellow surrosister,” one individual remarked.
Samantha Mathews is serving as a surrogate.
Samantha Mathews/Instagram
Surrogacy involves a woman carrying a baby for a couple who are unable to conceive or carry a child due to medical or physical limitations. In the United States, the most prevalent form of surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, where an embryo created using the egg of the intended mother and the sperm of the intended father is implanted into the uterus of a gestational carrier.
It is important to note that compensated surrogacy, where the carrier receives payment, is not permitted in Michigan, Nebraska, and Louisiana.
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