Gay 'Baby Daddies' celebrate arrival of son
New parents Christian Newman and Mark Edwards with baby Francis.
The gay couple who spent three years trying to find a surrogate mother became fathers this week - after spending an estimated $50,000.
Auckland-based Christian Newman, 34, and husband Mark Edwards, 35, have documented every step of their IVF journey on social media, including the arrival of their son, Francis Newman-Edwards on June 6.
"When he was first born I was 'oh my god this is really cool' and I can't believe we've done it," Newman says. "It was all quite overwhelming.
"As every day goes on, it just becomes more and more amazing... We don't sleep at night hardly and it doesn't really matter."
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Newman says they are already planning their second child, even though IVF via surrogate is a costly, time-consuming process.
After the launch of their Baby Daddies Facebook page in 2016 they were inundated with responses. However, after a three-month vetting process, all the potential surrogates had dropped out, Newman says.
"I think people kind of got caught up in the hype, so none of the initial prospects came through, and we started the search again.
"Although those three months were a little bit frustrating, it gave us a hell of a lot of hope."
The couple found a suitable surrogate, 32-year-old paramedic Aleisha Hart from Nelson, in June of 2016.
Then in August, Newman's sister-in-law, Alisa Herrera-Hayman, 26, from New York, stepped in to provide eggs.
However, before they could start the process, they needed letters from lawyers confirming they understood the adoption process plus counselling sessions for all involved, and their partners.
The process also involved medical and psychiatric tests.
"Mark and my sperm had to sit on ice for six months so it could be tested. Alisa had to have blood tests.
"The ethics committee stuff was $12,000, and that's just before we could even start.
"If Aleisha as a surrogate wasn't suitable, or for some reason pulled out, we would have had to start that process all over again and we will have to do it again for our second child."
Mark Edwards and Christian Newman, who turned to Facebook to find a surrogate, welcomed baby Francis this month.
However, Newman says, they have been very lucky throughout the whole process. Firstly, Herrera-Hayman provided a record 63 eggs on her first harvest in March 2017.
"The fertility facility we worked with in Auckland, [said] they'd never known anyone to have such a high number.
"Every time someone goes in for IVF they get really worried about having a limited number of eggs"
Last September, an embryo was implanted in Hart.
The IVF treatment, which is free for up to three sessions for heterosexual couples, cost Newman and Edwards around $30,000.
The couple say they have spent more than $50,000 for treatment and flights to and from Nelson, where Hart lives, which Newman says is "cost prohibitive" for a lot of same-sex couples.
The adoption process alone will cost around $10,000, as Hart is the registered parent. Nonetheless the couple is still "on a high", Newman says.
Couple (left) Edwards and Newman had months of costly paperwork and tests done to have their baby.
"We've had thousands of messages from random strangers saying [they're] excited and happy... and how they love following our story and our journey."
Newman says people have also been reaching out from all over the world for advice, including the United States, Jamaica and Australia.
"I've always wanted kids and I've been the one spearheading this whole journey, and really pushing for it.
"Mark was pretty relaxed and was fine with whatever... he's now keen to have one of his own children, as are the grandparents and the rest of his family."
- Stuff
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