Alysha (the surrogate) and Kristen (the intended mom) use BellyBuds to bond with baby in the womb

Surrogacy wasn’t part of their original family plan. But when Kristen had a pulmonary scare that led to lasting complications, she and her husband, Rex, decided surrogacy was the best option for expanding their family. Kristen felt very uncomfortable discussing it with friends and family, deterred by the thought that it may never happen for her, and she didn't want to get her hopes up.

It took Kristen several months to get the nerve to say something, but she finally sent an email to a few friends and close family members about deciding to move forward with the surrogacy process. That’s when fate intervened. Only two days after sending her email, one of the recipients, her aunt (in-law), was at a birthday party where a friend of her daughter’s (Alysha) announced that she wanted to become a surrogate. Needless to say, Kristen's aunt put two and two together and shared their contact information. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect!  

Kristen and Alysha began their pregnancy journey soon after. They have found BellyBuds® to be a wonderful way for Kristen and her family to bond with their baby boy. Alysha first heard about BellyBuds through a surrogacy group on Facebook, and told Kristen about them. Kristen's first thought was "these were made for gestational carriers and their intended families! How perfect is it that there is a device that my baby can get to know our voices and personalities from another womb?" 

Kristen, Rex and their 4-year-old daughter Evelina made a special mix they call "Baby Boy Tree," the nickname she has given her baby brother, and uploaded it to an old iPod. This mix has it all: Kanye West, Jay-Z, lullaby music, Tim McGraw, Disney princesses and everything in between.  The most special tracks though, are those of his sweet sister and parents reading him books, singing, and just having dinner conversations. Their goal is to get some additional tracks recorded by close family members and friends to share with baby. Alysha easily uses them under her clothes while at her desk, playing the special messages and music to “Baby Boy Tree” while she works.

When asked what advice they had to give other couples considering having a baby through surrogacy, Kristen and Alysha had this to say:

“The best advice we can give you is to do research, ask questions, and speak to your spouse or partner!  Once you are at a point where you are comfortable with that, speak to those around you.  There is always going to be 'that person' who has something negative to say, but try not to let them impact your decisions. Also, try to connect with other gestational carriers or intended families via social media.  Instagram has been a great outlet for us to meet other families, and Alysha belongs to an online surrogate group she is thankful for.”

Kristen and Alysha are sharing their journey via social media at www.theireggsherbasket.com and @theireggsherbasket on Instagram. They are happy to answer any questions about the process, or just about in vitro fertilization (IVF) in general, no matter where you are on your journey!

VoiceShare ® by WavHello® is a free mobile app that allows you or anyone you love to record messages, sing songs, or even read books for a baby or baby-to-be. Compatible with both BellyBuds® baby bump sound system or SoundBub® Bluetooth music player and infant soother (Coming Spring 2016!), you can play this special content for baby before or after they are born.

 Do you have a story about how BellyBuds and/or VoiceShare impacted your pregnancy? Share it with us by going to www.wavhello.com/stories! Your story could be featured like Kristen and Alysha to inspire our WavHello community.