An Embryo Adoptive Mother's Perspective

The debate over embryo adoption is personal to my husband and me. On July 25, 2006, I gave birth to our son, Steven, 9 months after we adopted him. His conception had been orchestrated by his genetic parents through in vitro fertilization (IVF) some time earlier, but his life, previously in stasis, was entrusted to us by way of a closed adoption some 9 months before his birth. Steven is the only child born to us from embryo adoption, however, my husband and I consider that we are the parents of ten children. This is because prior to Steven’s birth, we adopted a number of embryos but unfortunately pregnancies did not ensue. I would like to tell the story of how we decided to adopt and what it actually was like for us.