Katy Encalade has always followed her call to serve others and this led her to the egg donor industry about 10 years ago. She worked with an agency that allowed her to walk Intended Parents through the process of becoming parents and creating happy families. When the opportunity for her to serve families on a more personal level presented itself, she founded Egg Donor Solutions. She talks daily with couples and individuals that need an egg donor to complete their family. She guides them through the selection process as they find a donor willing to help them in such a meaningful way.
Katy had never met another surrogate, but she did work closely with Gayle at Surrogate Solutions when Intended Parents searching for an egg donor also needed a surrogate. She loved that she was serving so many families experiencing infertility by matching them with egg donors, but there came a point when she felt called to do more. All three of her pregnancies had been easy and she just felt the time was right to give the gift of life by being a surrogate herself.
Through Surrogate Solutions, and with the unwavering support of her family, Katy was matched with a wonderful couple in need of her help. Katy and her intended parents shared the same values and they agreed on all the major matching factors like termination, delivery preferences, and the type of relationship they wanted throughout this journey. This made deciding to take this journey together a simple one. Almost immediately they felt like family, quickly opening up and bonding over mutual interests. The relationship continued to thrive as Katy became pregnant and delivered a beautiful baby for them. After delivery, Katy was put in contact with two fathers who were blessed by a little girl that same week via a gestational carrier. Katy was able to provide milk for their sweet girl for a few weeks.
Katy feels being a surrogate was one of the best experiences that she and her family ever walked through together. She was overwhelmed with love for this family, and she was able to understand the joy that surrogacy can bring to families.
Katy is now the Executive Program Director of both Egg Donor Solutions and Surrogate Solutions and she continues her call to serve by creating happy families. With an amazing team of women offering impeccable service, Katy is leading the charge to continue educating women and providing opportunities to empower them to help others by giving of themselves. Whether a family needs an egg donor or a woman willing to sacrifice months of her live to carry a baby, in Katy’s mind, there is no greater calling. Like egg donation, surrogacy is another way that women can bless their own families while blessing another family and making a difference that is immeasurable.
Gayle Garrett is the HEART of Surrogate Solutions. She followed her passion to help others when she founded the company and has chosen team members who share that passion. When asked about Gayle, all of her employees describe her as “the best boss ever “and share the feeling that they’ve never had a job they enjoyed so much. There is a common expression “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” attributed to Confucius. Unfortunately, few people get to experience this in the reality of the 21st century. Gayle has made it her life’s work to love and encourage others and this is evident in her business. Intended Parents and Surrogates that have used Surrogate Solutions will tell you that they felt cared for because they were. Gayle doesn’t have to encourage her staff to care about their clients because she only chooses people in which caring for others is already ingrained in who they are. In fact, Surrogate Solutions staff have all been surrogates themselves and want to continue to helping. Gayle leads by example and her team feels honored to be able to guide others through their surrogacy journeys.
Gayle’s story started 14 years ago just after the birth of her first child in California. She and her husband were reminiscing about how wonderful the pregnancy had been when her husband joked that she handled it so beautifully she should be a surrogate. That quip caught Gayle off guard and surprisingly resonated within her. Shortly after settling into motherhood, she googled surrogacy agencies, filled out an application, and hoped for the best. When speaking with the representative from the agency, Gayle realized that she wasn’t prepared to answer all the questions. Was her family complete? Would she be able to terminate if something was wrong with the baby and that was the desire of the parents? Was she comfortable carrying twins? Was she ready? She had more to think about than she originally thought and ultimately decided she was not ready for surrogacy and would reevaluate when her family was complete.
Three years later, a move to Texas, and the proud mother of two, Gayle knew their family was complete. She was working full time as a nurse and became acutely aware of how many people she knew that were currently or had previously struggled with infertility. It was time to for her to follow her call to help. She found a surrogacy agency, was accepted into their program, assigned a couple and completed the transfer of their only two embryos into her uterus. Unfortunately, the transfer resulted in a chemical pregnancy and naturally, both Gayle and her Intended Parents were deeply saddened. Gayle’s Intended Mother confided in her how she felt the agency they matched through was extremely sterile and impersonal and as someone that had experienced so much heartbreak up to this point, she had hoped for more support from the agency she had chosen. Gayle couldn’t have agreed more and she knew there were bigger things she was being led to do.
She still wanted to help, but knowing she wouldn’t be able to carry for every couple she met, she followed her heart and founded Surrogate Solutions in July of 2007. She was confident that Intended Parents and surrogates alike deserved more than feeling like a number. Guiding people with empathy and support became Gayle’s mission. She started Surrogate Solutions with a different approach focusing on getting to know each Intended Parent and Surrogate and matching them based on their mutual interests, beliefs, and desires rather than just assigning them to the next person on the list. While she was matching and guiding others on their surrogacy journeys, she was still waiting for her perfect match to come along and she knew immediately when she found them. She had a very special connection with them and her heart was filled with joy knowing she was going to make them parents. Their families became very close and the mother was by Gayle’s side, holding her hand during labor. Gayle describes the moment the parents received their babies as THE BEST moment of her life. To be able to do something so selfless for someone, in giving them the one thing they so longed for but couldn’t have without her. That was the very reason she was compelled to become a surrogate. Gayle and the team at Surrogate Solutions still strive to ensure that all of their surrogates are able to experience that same fulfillment of purpose in their journeys and that everyone is cared for and supported.
Lauren is our Surrogate Matching and Education Director at Surrogate Solutions. Like all of our surrogate coordinators, Lauren’s initial experience with Surrogacy came first-hand through being a surrogate. She had read about it and thought “I could do that.” She felt her pregnancies had been almost unfairly easy and the more people she talked to about this new idea of hers, the more she heard others say that they couldn’t do that. With the exception of her mother that said she would have loved to have been a surrogate thirty years ago if she could have. At this point, she describes feeling like she had a special gift she was able to give and reached out to Surrogate Solutions. Lauren was matched with a local couple in need of some help creating their family. There was an instant feeling of warmth and connection when they initially met and as they started their journey a friendship easily formed over their shared venture. This was long enough ago where transferring two embryos to increase the chances of getting one baby was common practice, but both embryos implanted and she carried twins to term. Lauren describes her experience in one word, Joy.
She felt so much joy not only in her ability to give them this gift of growing their children and watching them become parents, but also in the way she was able to nurture their glimmer of hope after so much failure and loss and turn their hope into the joy of being parents. While many surrogates take the path of multiple surrogacies to keep spreading the joy, Lauren felt compelled to become the guide and reached out to the owner of Surrogate Solutions about growing the company.
Lauren is now in her eighth year with Surrogate Solutions and still loves sitting down with intended parents and listening to their stories of what they’ve been through to get here and giving them that initial glimmer of hope. She enjoys getting to know surrogates and helping them fulfill their own desire to help. Lauren still takes pride in finding everyone the right match, so they too get to experience the joy. She has learned a lot over the years, while watching the industry grow and change. She jokes that she now has the equivalent of a Masters degree in health insurance education with all of the hours spent learning and navigating the changes every single year. It is her goal that even as the company and industry both continue to change and grow, she will still provide that intimate level of care as she guides others on their own journeys.
Angela first learned about surrogacy through a family member who had carried a difficult pregnancy. Having a heart condition prevented this family member from having more than one child, and she jokingly told Angela that SHE should consider having a baby for her one day. Angela didn’t know anything about surrogacy at the time, so she dismissed the thought of it and continued to grow her family.
Angela and her husband were blessed with one girl and two boys the following four years, but for the next 12 years, the comment this family member made echoed repeatedly in Angela’s mind.
When Angela’s youngest son was 12, she learned that one of her neighbors had just completed her first surrogacy journey. As the two talked, the neighbor told Angela all about her experience and the excitement and joy that she and the parents shared on delivery day. The feeling of helping a couple have a family is something not everyone can experience. This neighbor’s story was so powerful that Angela stood there hanging on every word. Angela describes the draw to surrogacy as a higher calling, a call to do something greater than herself. That is when she knew this was something she really wanted to do.
In 2012, Angela worked with a surrogacy agency to be a gestational carrier. She was matched with a single Intended Father (IF) from Argentina. He wanted twins and Angela and her family was all on board! If she was going to carry for such an anxious, excited intended father, why not go all out and give him not one, but two! Two embryos were transferred and they both implanted! Angela was pregnant with twin boys! Being Angela’s first set of twins, she wasn’t certain how her body was going to react, but this was the easiest pregnancy she had. She did not suffer any pregnancy symptoms or complications, and she only gained twenty-five pounds. Angela was so thankful for such an easy journey, and delivery day was AMAZING! Watching her IF witness the babies’ birth was such a speechless moment. The awe he had in his eyes, the smile that filled his face and his heart of gratitude was more than Angela could ask for. His happiness alone made the journey so fulfilling. The twins are almost 6 years old now, and both families continue to keep in touch.
A year after the twins were born, Angela decided to do another journey. Unfortunately, after several transfers and a miscarriage at eight weeks, Angela felt she was done carrying babies for families. A few months later, her dear friend (Didi from Surrogate Solutions) reached out and asked if she would consider carrying again. “Only if you find me the perfect family”, Angela said. Of course, Didi had just that perfect family in mind. The intended parents and Angela decided to work together, and a few months later Angela carried their first boy. Angela’s experience with Surrogate Solutions was amazing. She was so impressed with all of the little things they thought of to make the intended parents and her have such a smooth, joyous journey. This led them to want to have another boy, so Angela carried for the third time!
While Angela loved being pregnant and helping people complete their families, she decided it was time to move on to another role. In January of 2019, Angela landed her dream job of being a Surrogate Coordinator. Angela is so excited to be able to help both surrogates and intended parents fulfill their dreams of creating happy families.
Barette is a wife and mother to two amazing boys. To her and her husband family is everything, they even have matching family tattoos. They could not imagine not being able to have children and after witnessing friends struggle with infertility, they knew that they could help make this dream a reality.
A friend of Barette’s was a surrogate and suggested to check out surrogacy. She did! She applied, was matched with an amazing couple and they were on their surrogacy journey in 2014. Barette’s family and the intended parents grew very close and to this day they are involved in each other’s lives. Her sons are honorary uncles to the almost five-year-old child, and they will continue to be lifelong friends.
Barette felt the urge to continue to Help Create Families and become a surrogate again, but this time she researched agencies and fell in love with Surrogate Solutions because of the family like atmosphere, the amazing and personal interaction and she loved that the agency was owned and facilitated by former surrogates. In 2018 Lauren matched her with an amazing couple who had been trying for 10 years to complete their family. Barette and the couple felt an instant connection and they were quickly on their surrogacy journey. With a smooth pregnancy and delivery another family was created through surrogacy. Seeing the look in the parent’s eyes the very first time they see their baby is indescribable. To be a part of their journey to become a family has been an opportunity of a lifetime.
Barette wanted to continue to help create families, but on a much larger magnitude. In April 2019 Barette landed her dream job of Surrogate Educator. Barette is excited, honored and privileged her current role to help surrogates and intended parents fulfill their dreams of becoming parents and forming a family.
Meg truly has a heart for serving others. She has a master’s degree in social work, and prior to joining Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, she worked in hospice care and early childhood education. As a Surrogate Coordinator, Meg works with both surrogates and intended parents to educate and guide them through the surrogacy process. A two-time surrogate herself, Meg loves helping intended parents create their families and views surrogacy as another way she can serve others.
Meg first learned about surrogacy from watching an episode of The Little Couple on TLC. After discussing it with her husband, Meg felt like it was something she could do, but she needed more information first. Looking back, she believes it was part of God’s plan as she was soon introduced to Gayle Garrett, founder of Surrogate Solutions, at their church in Waco, Texas. She asked to meet with Gayle and the rest is history.
Meg’s desire to become a surrogate was born from her own experience with infertility. She and her husband experienced secondary infertility after having their daughter and required the help of invitro fertilization to conceive their twin boys. Their fourth child, a daughter, was born in between her surrogacy journeys.
Meg describes surrogacy as “a personal and intimate journey that shouldn’t be treated as a business traction.” For her, it was important to match with intended parents that wanted to be involved and wanted a connection. Meg and her family remain close with both families she carried for and have traveled to Austin and Houston to visit them.
Her children being involved in the surrogacy process was also very important to Meg, and both families were very gracious to include her children. The second set of intended parents flew her entire family to Denver, where the fertility clinic was located, and they were able to spend a few days together sightseeing and getting to know one another.
Both times after giving birth to the surrogacy babies, Meg’s children were able to meet the babies at the hospital and say goodbye to the intended parents. These experiences have left a lasting impact on the entire family. “We’re always seeking to serve others, and while it might be unconventional, we see surrogacy as a beautiful way to serve others in need,” Meg says.
For Whitney, being a surrogate has always felt like a divine calling and something she was meant to do. She began thinking about surrogacy after experiencing an easy pregnancy with her eldest daughter and realizing how much she loved being pregnant. She knew she had to complete her own family first, so Whitney and her husband put the idea on hold until after the birth of their twins. When they were ready to move forward, the timing was perfect.
One of Whitney’s friends mentioned that her sister was using a surrogate, and Whitney asked to be put in touch with the woman to learn more about her experience. She was then introduced to Surrogate Solutions and matched with her first set of intended parents just two weeks later. She describes the journey with the intended parents as very easy and relaxed. They had several embryos and were adamant about only transferring one. But the embryo split, and they ended up with identical twin girls. Whitney recalls the moment during the sonogram when the technician asked how many embryos were transferred and the “deer in the headlights” look on the intended parent’s faces when they were told there were two heartbeats. It paralleled Whitney’s own experience and the surprise she felt when she was pregnant with her twins.
After her first surrogacy journey, Whitney didn’t think she would be able to do a second because all of her deliveries had been via c-section. However, she was able to get approval for a fourth c-section, and she delivered a baby boy for another set of intended parents. She describes the second journey as vastly different from the first but equally rewarding.
As a Surrogacy Coordinator, Whitney loves that she gets to continue being a small part of helping to create families. She works with intended parents and surrogates once they have been matched to guide and support them throughout their journey – from the initial medical screening to the pregnancy and delivery.
Whitney and her husband live in Houston with their three children. They enjoy attending sporting events that her husband coaches, the children’s various activities, family movie nights and being involved at their church.
As a Surrogacy Care Coordinator, Allyson works with intended parents and surrogates once they are matched. She supports them throughout their journey – from the start of their relationship until after the delivery. It’s a role she’s well-suited for, as her personal experience provides insight into the perspectives of both intended parents and surrogates and helps her advocate for both parties.
Allyson was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and required multiple IUI cycles to conceive her first two children. She had two ectopic pregnancies – one prior to conceiving her daughter and a second in between her daughter and son. It was the heartache she experienced from those losses that led her to surrogacy. She recalled a time when she questioned whether she would ever have the opportunity to become a parent and wanted to help other families experience the same joy she felt with her children.
Allyson and her husband agreed they would not do any more fertility treatments after their second child. However, they got a sweet surprise when Allyson became pregnant naturally as she was in the process of weaning her son, and her surrogacy plans were put on hold until after the birth of their third child (a girl).
In 2011, Allyson was ready to get started. She was matched locally with intended parents in Dallas and delivered their son in May 2012. After witnessing the joy from the intended parents when they met their son for the first time, Allyson knew immediately that she wanted to do it again.
For her second journey, she was matched with intended parents in New York City. She delivered their son in 2013, then did a sibling journey after the family moved to Miami and delivered their second son in 2016. Allyson’s relationship with the family has come full circle as she is now facilitating their third journey with a new surrogate through her role at Surrogate Solutions. Allyson is supporting them as they start to build their relationship, which she says is the best part of the journey. “It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. You begin as strangers and it’s awkward, but by the end, you’ve connected and formed this incredible bond.”
Allyson has completed her own family, receiving another unexpected blessing with the birth of her fourth child (a son) in 2017. She remains close with both families she carried for and enjoys continuing to be a part of their story. She loves getting to witness how the children are thriving and seeing the pride on their parents faces, knowing she had a hand in helping to create their happy families.
Amber got married in 2010 and was blessed to have three healthy pregnancies, two boys and a girl. She first heard about surrogacy as a young mom. She took personal interest when a close friend of hers lost her ability to carry a baby. With several friends struggling with infertility, she felt the urge to help another family experience parenthood. She enjoyed her pregnancies and decided this was the perfect way to bring some positivity to the world.
With the support of her husband and extended family, she started her surrogacy journey. She was matched with a family that she felt was a perfect fit. Her match meeting was a breeze and she felt instantly connected to the Intended Mother. She said they talked almost daily from then on and are still in contact 3.5 years later.
Amber notes that there were many special moments from her journey but her favorite, other then the birth of the baby, was when her family (husband, children and extended family) and the Intended Parents did a Fresh 48/Family photo session. The Intended Parents brought a birthday cake for her children to celebrate the baby’s birth.
Amber says the most rewarding part of surrogacy for her was seeing the Intended Parents become parents. Although Amber is no longer on a surrogate journey, she is now a key member of our Surrogate Solutions Family. Amber gets continue sharing her love for Surrogacy with hopeful women who are looking to start a journey themselves.
