Mum's selfless act of offering her 'womb for rent' and becoming a surrogate

Publish Date: Tuesday, 2 May 2017, 9:40AM

A mum-of-two who loves being pregnant, has decided to become a surrogate and even offered her womb for "rent' on social media.

Michelle Griffin, 25, from Perth in Western Australia, posted a moving image online announcing her wish to be someone's surrogate, after becoming a mum left her with a strong desire to help struggling couples become parents.

After talking to her New Zealand-born husband Trent, 26, about her dream to carry more children, the full-time mother to Leilani, 3, and Isaac, 20 months, set out on a journey to find the right parents-to-be.

Despite being inundated since her post went live on Instagram almost a year ago, Michelle is still considering potential parents and is looking forward to being an "oven" for a deserving family soon.

She said: "I am so completely happy with my two wonderful children but I still crave being pregnant.

I've thought long and hard about sharing this, but I know I want to document this experience and so here I am, sharing the very beginning of my Surrogacy Journey. So, a lot of you may know that I have a strong desire to become a Surrogate. A little fire ignited in me after having my own children. I am now so completely happy with my two wonderful children but I still crave being pregnant. After doing my Birth Doula training, that little fire turned into a great big flame. Surrogacy is on my mind pretty much all of the time so we've decided to take action! With the incredible support of my husband, we are now at the very beginnings of searching for IP's (Intended Parents). Becoming a mother was the greatest gift I could ever receive, and being lucky enough to give such a gift to another couple would be the most amazing thing I could ever do. You all know that I love to share so this journey will be no different! Be prepared for Surrogacy spam! This is going to be a long road and will probably push my patience to breaking points but I'm so very excited to become someone's "tummy mummy". I've joined a few surrogacy support groups on Facebook and there is so much information I am slowly gathering, but every day I grow in anticipation. Anyway, enough of my rambling. If anyone knows of a couple in Perth looking for a Gestational Surrogate to carry their first child, send them my way, I would love to hear their story! 💕

A post shared by Michelle Griffin (@mummymishhh) on Jun 8, 2016 at 9:24pm PDT

"It's like a little fire ignited in me after having my own children.

"Surrogacy was on my mind pretty much all of the time so I talked to my husband and we decided to take action.

"When I posted the photo, offering my 'Womb for Rent' I had no idea what to expect.

"So many people came forward, including friends or family members, who needed the help of a surrogate.

"My pregnancies were so easy and natural, it felt like giving birth is something I was born to do. If there was a way I could help someone else, why wouldn't I do it?"

8.24pm, 22nd June 2015 this gorgeous human being made his grand entrance. I can't believe it's been a year already. You've been the most amazing little man and have really truly completed our family. We love you so much baby boy. Happy 1st Birthday! 🎉🎂🎈

A post shared by Michelle Griffin (@mummymishhh) on Jun 22, 2016 at 5:23am PDT

After educating themselves on the laws and procedures surrounding surrogacy - which include being unable to profit from being a surrogate and months of counselling - Michelle posted her "Womb for Rent" advert on her social media.

She said: "We knew I wanted to be Gestational Surrogate, which meant I would only be a 'tummy mummy' and have no biological connection to the child, and that the process would be lengthy.

"Pushing send on the post gave me so much joy.

"Within minutes I was getting messages of support and possible IP's (intended parents) were reaching out to me.

"After talking to many, including some we've met through the surrogacy community, we're only just getting to a point where we might have found the right IPs for us.

"I can't wait to begin the whole process one day soon."

❤️ My little humans!

A post shared by Michelle Griffin (@mummymishhh) on Sep 14, 2016 at 12:17am PDT

She added: "Some people have been confused by the use of the word 'rent' in my post. I'm definitely not asking for money in exchange for using my womb. I just felt it was a powerful way to get my message across."

"I hope my womb can finally help someone else finally complete their family and be as happy as I am."

This article was first published on NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.

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